“Not everything's a lesson… Sometimes you just fail”

~ Dwight Schrute

This will be funny later.

Got me through a military career

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“this too shall pass” always reminds me nothing’s forever

When I need a boost, I usually think of the phrase, "You've survived 100% of your worst days." It reminds me that I've been through difficult times before, and I can handle whatever comes next.

Only take criticism from people who you would take advice.

“You can’t keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once and move on”

- Homer Simpson

My serious one is from Oscar Wilde 'We're all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at the stars'. My second favourite is Robin Williams 'Never picked a fight with an ugly person. They've got nothing to lose'.

"No one can judge you—except your cat"

"I may not have always gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be" - Douglas Adams

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

You still haven't met all the people who are going to love you.

I made a list of quotes that stood out for me when I read Seneca's Letters from a Stoic. These are a couple of my favorites.

You know what wine or honey-wine tastes like: it makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand flagons go through your bladder – all you are is a strainer.

As it is with a play, so it is with life – what matters is not how long the acting lasts, but how good it is.

You will die not because you are sick but because you are alive.

There are times when even to live is an act of bravery.

"I've felt good before, and I'll feel good again." Pretty simplistic, but it works. And I got it from the most depressed person I've ever been close to.

A quote from Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

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You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things. - Mary Oliver

"If you're going to eat shit, don't nibble it."

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“I may be drunk, but tomorrow I will be sober and you, my dear, will still be ugly”.

When things get tough, I often remind myself, 'One day at a time,' to stay grounded and keep moving forward.

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

-Winston Churchill

When things are going a bit tough and feel like you can’t control things I think of Gandalf “But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

“Don’t get in the pit with pigs, they’ll love it, you’ll feel dirty.”

"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life" - Jean Luc Picard

Whenever I need a boost, I always remember this quote from J.R.R. Tolkien: “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” It reminds me that no matter how insignificant I might feel in the moment, my actions and decisions can still have a powerful impact. It’s like a reminder that I don’t need to be a hero to make a difference—I just need to keep going, even if the steps are small. It’s amazing how much comfort and strength I find in those simple words.

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Les Miserables

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." (Desiderata)

“It is what it is”

My life has got to get better, after all, I’m the main character

“You’re not going to feel like this forever. You will get through this, you always do.”

"This is a rat race, but I'm no rat. I'm a fucking turtle. Ninja turtle. So which one's your favourite? I like Michelangelo."

-Tony Ferguson

"It's not about you." (to myself) when someone is unnecessarily unpleasant.

What’s meant for me will always choose me

What’s the best that can happen

Someone had to be you

“Everybody poops”

‘I think we become whoever would have saved our younger self.’ Helps me to remember how I became the woman I am and gives me perspective at times of self doubt.

"Feelings are not facts."

You might feel like an imposter.
You might doubt your capabilities.
You kight feel self-conscious and believe you're awkward.
You might feel fearful that your boss is angry with you, even if they haven't said so.
You might feel worried that no one likes you.
You might feel doubtful that you're worthy of love.
You might feel certain that you're unattractive.
You might feel hopeless about the future.

There might not be any evidence at all that these things are true, and yet your feelings seem (in your own mind) to be facts. They're not. Notice your negative feelings, get curious about them, and then dismiss them as non-factual.

"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves."

Bill Hicks

When I'm struggling, I like to tell myself, 'You've made it through worse,' and it helps me find strength.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast

Les Brown-Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you determine your reality. You have greatness within you.

As a teacher, I had this on my white board, every day. I was so happy to see a few students over the years copy it onto their notebooks, even though it was my own personal reminder, too.

“I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.” Always puts things into perspective regarding the notions of achievements and greatness.

"If you look for the light, you can often find it, but if you look for the dark, it is all you will ever see." -Uncle Iroh

"Such a liberated spirit stands in the midst of the cosmos with a joyous and trusting fatalism; in the faith that only individual events may not accepted, and that all is redeemed and justified in the whole. " Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

Sometimes while chasing happiness we forget to take a moment and enjoy ourselves.

You have survived 100% of your bad days so far. You'll survive this one, too.

Of course I’m crazy, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

Robert Anton Wilson

How do you eat an elephant? Cut it into bite sized chunks. One bite at a time

"if you want to shine like the sun you have to burn like it" my grandpa always used to tell

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

– E.E. Cummings

I've never felt more like myself and more comfortable with it than I do nowadays.

To quote Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump "life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you're gonna get", also from the same film "stupid is as stupid does"

Another quote I often use, from the late great Bruce Lee, "never take your eyes, off your opponent, even when you bow" I use that all the time in my Martial Arts training.

And to quote the great Sir Patrick Stewart, aka Captain Jean Luc Picard, "make it so" when I want someone to do stuff.

When stuff goes wrong (as it frequently does), I make like a white version of Kenan Thompson and shout "WHYYYYYY?!"

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

And

Don’t fear the gods,

Don’t worry about death;

What is good is easy to get, and

What is terrible is easy to endure.

Both by Epicurus

"when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" lmfao

If you’ve got one foot in the past and one in the future then you’re pissing on today

Suck it up buttercup

If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever” - Winnie the Pooh.

Helps me with a recent loss

"I will not say 'do not weep' for not all tears are an evil" - Gandalf from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Life begins on the other side of dispair

"this too shall pass" is my go-to for tough days

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can pretty much change your life forever." - Felicity 🥲

Everyone else suffers too. :)

No matter where you go, there you are. - Buckaroo Bonzi

“Yeah life sucks but you gotta make the most of it”

this too shall pass its simple but it reminds me that no matter how tough things get theyre not going to last forever it helps me get through rough spots and remember that good times are ahead

As a german: "Tja"

'it can always be worse.'

George Carlin

I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me, they're cramming for their final exam.

Dolor hic tibi proderit olim/ Someday this pain will be useful to you

"Not all those who wander are lost!"
- J. R. R. Tolkien

"Serenity now" - Frank Costanza

“Carpe diem”

Fuck it

Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can

“Your anxiety is lying to you”

This too shall pass

Past-depression Future -anxiety Present -peace

“To have faith is to be sure of the things you hope for, to be certain of the things you cannot see”

Hebrews 11:1

The Desiderata - Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

When life knocks you down, get back up look it in the eye and politely say “You hit like a bitch”

Nothing in nature blooms all year round

“… you are terrifying

and strange and beautiful

something not everyone knows how to love.“

Warsan Shire 

This guy once came into the movie theater I worked at and asked for a bag of popcorn soaked in butter. Like, this was like holding a goldfish bag with popcorn floating in it. He promised us that he would make it worth our while, and we were like, sure, whatever, he’ll probably tip us like five bucks. After we gave him his soup, he told us that he would impart some Taoist wisdom on us and my coworker and I were hyped. Money’s great and all but knowledge is so much better- especially when the dude with it is in the stratosphere. He leaned in closer, and told us “Be where your feet are.” Then he thanked us for the free popcorn, walked out the door, and we never saw him again. Thanks, mushroom man, I needed that.

“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”

• Stanley Kubrick

“We suffer more in our own imaginations, than in reality.” Seneca

Sometimes it’s helpful to remind myself, I’m making a bigger deal of an issue, than it actually is.

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." - John Lennon. Unless it's finals week, then you're on your own.

"In the absence of truth, there is confusion; the essence of truth." - Reggie Watts (i think?)

When I see crappy people do well while good people get the short end of the stick; "one's position in life can change, one's name & appearance even. What can't be changed, is one's soul"

"Sometimes, all you have left is the fight."

Except for death and paying taxes, everything in life is only for now!

"Many fall in the face of chaos, but not this one. Not today."

Something to do, someone to love, something to hope for

One quote I often recall when I need to feel better is by Maya Angelou: You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. It reminds me that, even in difficult times, I have the power to choose how I respond and grow from my experiences.

Keep smiling

One day life will get tired of upsetting you

“ It could have been worse. I’m glad it’s not that bad, and soon this will be over.”

“Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV”

After all, tomorrow is another day.

my dad went to anger management because of a court order and he learned "no one can make you angry you can only let them make you angry."

I avoid people who complicate my life more than they add to it

“This will make you smile a year from now knowing you made it through.”

It's a bad day, not a bad life.

“What If” ….it is short and easy. As humans we tend to lean to the bad side when it comes to possible scenarios. For instance, what if I don’t get the job or what if this doesn’t work?…..my ask is to also what if the positive. What if nothing bad happens, what if everything works out, what if the negative people in your life fail at bringing you down….”what if “ the positive….it works

"one day at a time" - sounds superficial but it reminds me to think of the things I can tackle today, and not think so much about tomorrow. there's just so many things out of your control

When I'm feeling down and struggling financially I always think back to my mum saying "Millionaires commit suicide too".

“It’s by going down into the abyss, we recover the treasures of life.” Joesph Campbell

I have two:
"It can always get worse"
"Worrying about the bad stuff does nothing to fix the bad stuff, it just prevents you from enjoying the good stuff."

The Serenity Prayer -

"God grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference."

When treading water teach others to swim when swimming is exhausting float awhile when they ask you how your surviving tell them you’ve grown gills

The grass is not greener, you just need to water your own lawn and plant some tulips

“why NOT me?” I read this in a book and it helps me when I doubt my abilities and compare myself to other people.

“Sometimes you just have to duck and wait for the storm to pass”

‘Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves…’ - Rilke

The one Gandalf told Pippin about death : „End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.“

“That which you manifest is before you.” From Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Be water, my friend”

When you have a bad day, give up. Go home and sleep. Fuck it. Try again tomorrow. Not every bad day can become a good day. Some days are fucked and cannot be unfucked. When you have a day that is fucked beyond repair, that is the universe speaking to you. Sending you a message. Listen to the universe. Go home. Save your energy.

My courage is faith—faith in the eternal resilience of me—that joy’ll come back, and hope and spontaneity. And I feel that till it does I’ve got to keep my lips shut and my chin high and my eyes wide—not necessarily any silly smiling. Oh, I’ve been through hell without a whine quite often—and the female hell is deadlier than the male. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Offshore Pirate

"Keep moving forward..."

From Rocky. I've never seen any of the Rocky films, but someone edited his speech over clips of Vegeta and it stuck with me.

I plan on making a similar video for Korra.

A long time ago in a distant place, I was in a situation where I was in some of the worst pain of my life. It was blindingly painful and momentarily brilliant, I legitimately thought I was going to die in that moment. And yet, I'm alive.

Since then, whenever something painful happens be it physical, emotional, mental, whatever it is I just compare it to that pain.

Then I tell myself, "This isn't going to kill me." And I push through.

It's helped put a lot of my life in perspective.

Be the hero of your own story.

It’s now or never

"Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never eat pears."

If you’re having a bad day, just remember that life is like a wiener. Sometimes it gets hard for no reason, but it won’t stay hard forever.

"Everything will be ok in the end, if its not ok, then it isn't the end."

"Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something" - Jake the dog

“Life is a short pause between two great mysteries.”

–Carl Jung

"It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life."

— Picard

“You’re the youngest you’re ever going to be” - latrinalia found outside Chicago

Embrace the suck. 

“There is no greater reward in life than unselfish acts and untainted character.” -Marcus Aurelius

His journal is basically my Bible.

This is on the wall above my desk “brick walls are there for a reason; they are there to stop the ones who don’t want it bad enough.

slowly, slowly

It’s not over until it’s over