Don’t let the incidents which take place in life bring you low. And certainly don’t whine. You can be brought low, that’s OK, but don’t be reduced by them. Just say, ‚That’s life.‘

Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides.

Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.

That’s something I think is growing on me as I get older: happy endings.

Because I am a mother, I am capable of being shocked: as I never was when I was not one.

Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it.

Before you try to keep up with the Joneses, be sure they’re not trying to keep up with you.

I don’t see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way – artistically.

Songwriting is my way of channeling my feelings and my thoughts. Not just mine, but the things I see, the people I care about. My head would explode if I didn’t get some of that stuff out.

Some people have a hard time getting rid of stuff. If that’s you, pray for God to give you the courage to get rid of things you don’t really need or things He wants you to give away. This will help keep your surroundings organized and clutter-free.

People say you have to hit rock bottom, and, I can tell you, almost dying is as rock bottom as it gets.

Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.

If you don’t live your life, then who will?

Good intentions never change anything. They only become a deeper and deeper rut.

Everyone now knows how to find the meaning of life within himself. But mankind wasn’t always so lucky. Less than a century ago, men and women did not have easy access to the puzzle boxes within them.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.

Man’s real life is happy, chiefly because he is ever expecting that it soon will be so.

The good part about youngsters is that they are so fearless. You want to be like them.

Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.

He who knows best knows how little he knows.

Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.

I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.

In college, a loss is pretty devastating. That feeling kind of goes away in an 82-game season. You hate to lose, but you also have a lot more games to make up for it.

I’ve had a few semi-toxic relationships, but it’s not what I look for when I’m seeing someone.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Remember happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.

The truth is something that burns. It burns off dead wood. And people don’t like having the dead wood burnt off, often because they’re 95 percent dead wood.

Accept the terrible responsibility of life with eyes wide open.

You cannot find peace by avoiding life.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

Like every man of sense and good feeling, I abominate work.

The only cure for contempt is counter-contempt.

The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.

Few people realize that luck is created.

No one’s policing their own minds more than an author. You spend a lot of time in your own head analysing what you think about things, and a philosophy comes.

It is better to be alone than in bad company.

When I was writing ‚Kitchen Confidential,‘ I was in my 40s, I had never paid rent on time, I was 10 years behind on my taxes, I had never owned my own furniture or a car.

The roots of the problems we face in the world, in our national life, and in our family and personal lives are spiritual.

Experience which was once claimed by the aged is now claimed exclusively by the young.

I believe that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. And when you trust God, you’re able to be more patient. Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.

I knew ‚Crenshaw‘ had elevated me and distinguished me.

The thing I always say to people is this: ‚If you avoid failure, you also avoid success.‘

While we may lose heart, we never have to lose hope.

The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember.

I would rather make my name than inherit it.

You might win some, you might lose some. But you go in, you challenge yourself, you become a better man, a better individual, a better fighter.

When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.

Always fall in with what you’re asked to accept. Take what is given, and make it over your way. My aim in life has always been to hold my own with whatever’s going. Not against: with.

The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.

There are going to be good days and bad days. Bottom line.

We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them.

I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There’s no in between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it.

Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.

We’re not a fragile people. We’re not a frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don’t look to be ruled.

Being too good is apt to be uninteresting.

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

I am, as a character, at times, a little overbearing. I recognize that.