It was after reading Morgan Harper Nichols new book, Peace is a Practice: An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm for Life, that I decided to create a quote journal. I’ve sharing these quotes with you over the last few months.
These are quotes that I come across during the day which kind out shout out to me: ‘Pay attention! Think about this! Write this down.’
You’ll find that each month these quotes might have a variation on a few themes that I’m working on during the month. This month many of the words that inspired me were spiritual in nature.
Although I’ve been sharing these from last year. Here are my posts for January and February:
Words That Inspired Me In March 2023
01/03 – Each day is an invitation to see the world in a new way, to watch it bloom before our eyes like a flower in time-lapse photography, to feel the curvature of the earth in our bodies, and to become aware that we live on the edge of a spinning ball where anything can happen. – Marv and Nancy Hiles
02/03 – What would it be to awaken to a day devoted to gratitude, a day of thankfulness for what was and yet will be? – Stephen Levine
03/03 – We must believe we are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn it. It is our birthright. It is one of our most ancient and primal needs. — Tricia Hersey
04/03 – Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. – Barbara Kingsolver
05/03 – I cannot tell the truth about anything unless I confess being a student, growing and learning something new every day. – Sonia Sanchez
06/03 – Willing to experience aloneness, I discover connection everywhere; Turning to face my fear, I meet the warrior who lives within. – Jennifer Welwood
07/03 – We have to keep the channels in ourselves open to pain. At the same time it is essential that true joys be experienced, that the sunrise not leave us unmoved, for civilization depends on the true joys. — May Sarton
08/03 – In the bigger scheme of things the universe is not asking us to do something, the universe is asking us to be something. And that’s a whole different thing. — Lucille Clifton
09/03 – Our problem is not that we don’t have power, so much as that we tend to not use the power we have. ~ Marianne Williamson
10/03 You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope. – Thomas Merton
11/03 – Give yourself credit for the searching you’ve done. Your intuition told you growth was possible. So you took action, found ways to lift up your life, and followed through. Because of that, you know there is no end to the levels you can reach in the future. – Cory Allen
12/03 – You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain. – Tom Huddleston
13/03 – You are worthy of every drop of sweetness and ease that you encounter.” -Alex Elle
14/03 – Writing, real writing, should leave a small sweet bruise somewhere on the writer .. and on the reader. – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
15/03 – Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.” ― Mark Buchanan, The Holy Wild: Trusting in the Character of God
16/03 – The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. – Elizabeth Gilbert
17/03 – It’s not that we don’t know, it’s we don’t know that we know. We don’t listen to and trust our knowing. – Scott Stabile
18/03 – The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible. And it is the art of gratitude that makes joy possible. – Ann Voskamp
19/03 – First, silence makes us pilgrims. Secondly, silence guards the fire within. Thirdly, silence teaches us to speak. – Henri Nouwen
20/03 – Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. – Brennan Manning
21/03 – One of the first things to learn if you want to be a contemplative is to mind your own business. Nothing is more suspicious in a man who seems holy, than an impatient desire to reform other men. – Thomas Merton
22/03 – “When suffering constricts the heart, awe stretches it back out, making us more compassionate, more loving, more present.” -Valarie Kaur
23/03 – Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it. – Tori Amos
24/03 – We must believe we are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn it. It is our birthright. It is one of our most ancient and primal needs. – Tricia Hershey
25/03 – Life beckons us as a flicker. A tendril. A corner of darkness. A bell. A spark of the soul. And curiosity propels us to follow. – Rose Zoneti
26/03 – Instead of thinking of food as the enemy, allow yourself to enjoy the process of planning and preparing meals or going out to lunch with a friend. Stay in the present moment and understand that the purpose of food is nourishment. – Susan Albers
27/03 – You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. – Jon Kabat-Zin
28/03 – Most people’s minds are almost always too busy for them to feel their skins being caressed by the wind or the sun. ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
29/03 – When you focus on being the best person you can be, you draw the best possible life, love, and opportunities to you. — Germany Kent
30/03 – ANYONE can live an intentional life — even if you’re an overwhelmed overthinker. Yes, it takes some work and some changes in thinking, but it IS possible to be more mindful, set powerful goals, and feel more joy in every day.– Julie Hage
Which of these quotes speak to you and why?
My mum uses the “learn to surf” quote whenever something less than fabulous is happening. She continues with “up and over” as in up and over the wave/s until you reach calm water again. I think once we appreciate that life will always have its ups and downs, we get better at handling the ride and finding the good stuff each day.
Ah! Have not heard of ‘up and over’ before, but I get it. Learning to surf and going with the flow, I guess they all remind us to let go and be more accepting of what life presents us with.
I don’t know. I’m not a big quotations fan, but reading through these, it occurs to me that we talk a lot about “gratitude” as if it’s a practice or an art, when I THINK what’s meant is observation, noticing and appreciating small, good things rather than all the minor annoyances we encounter, right? In other words, noticing that we have things to be grateful FOR, rather than just noticing the little stones in our shoes.
Ah, not a quote collector? I get that. I remember when you you wrote a post about who did not say something! 😉
While I get what you say about gratitude, I do think it can be a practice too, when one deliberately and mindfully takes time out regularly to focus on being grateful.
Lovely words of wisdom to follow not just in the tough times but also when things are going well. I love collecting quotes and each one of these quotes you shared here serves as beautiful reminders for all of us.
Thanks, Esha. Seems like many of us like to collect quotes. Could it be an Indian thing as well? As Holly, from her comment below, certainly doesn’t! 😉
I loved them all, Corinne. It’s difficult to pick the best from among such gems. 🙂
Each quote seemed to speak to me, give me signs, and tell me I am on the right path. I love quotes. I often look for them when things aren’t going my way, or when life seems overwhelming. And, at such times, when I do spot a quote (I always do!) it feels like a message from the divine power!
Glad you found them good, Shilpa. Yes, I believe that good quotes have the power to speak to us!
Some great quotes here. The Tom Huddleston one is my favorite.
What a good idea to keep a quote notebook.