Ten quotes that changed my life

Why are quotes so powerful?

A good quote is more than words on a page. It’s a life lesson gained from years of experience and struggle wrapped up in one neat little package.

I’m convinced that people fall into two camps with quotes.

The first camp reads a quote and gives it a moment or two of thought. They might drop a like for it before going back to scrolling. The second camp, which I subscribe to, can be transformed and inspired by a quote. We can spend r weeks deciding how it applies to us. We extract the wisdom within to apply to our own lives.

I collect quotes. At any one time, I have perhaps six or seven of them rolling around in my mind. Each one influencing my thoughts and even inspiring my actions.

The list I made here is unique. I have read thousands of quotes, but these ones have stayed with me over the years. I could recall them for you (not exactly verbatim) without looking them up. The message in each has become a part of me. 

At 42 years old, I’m happier now than at any other time. I don’t think that’s an accident. I’ve taken the wisdom from these ten life lessons and incorporated them into a frame-work of how I see the world.

Here they are, in no particular order.

Self-inflicted Suffering

We suffer more in imagination than in reality — Seneca

How often have you found yourself worrying about something in the future that never actually came to be? Younger me was the Michael Jordan of this. I’d lose sleep worrying about a test at school, a public-speaking event, even social interactions. What a complete waste that was.

Life brings suffering to you from time-to-time. It’s as natural as waking up in the morning. What isn’t natural is spending days suffering in our minds over future events — real or imagined. If an event isn’t likely to happen, it doesn’t deserve your worry. If it does happen, worrying about it doesn’t change it at all. So it still isn’t worth worrying about it.

Senecas quote makes me more present in each moment — something we all need.

Find your why

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how — Freidrich Nietzsche

Having a “why” carries you through the hard times. It doesn’t need to be complex to be powerful. An incredible example of this is found in a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl. Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps. Facing near-certain death, he still found ways to get through each day. Even if the “why” was providing comfort to his fellow prisoners.

Your “why” can, and likely will, change throughout your lifetime. When I was young, my “why” was financial security and making my parents proud. Now its to be the best husband and father I can be. Maybe one day it’ll be to become the best grandfather I can be.

The curse of busyness

Beware the barrenness of a busy life — Socrates

Have you ever worked with someone who was always “busy” but never seemed to get ahead? Busyness disguises itself as progress, which is why it’s so damn effective at stealing our time.

Humans thrive when they have purpose. When working toward a purpose, they alternate between periods of busyness and stillness. What Socrates is saying here is that life happens in the quiet, reflective moments. Extreme busyness robs us of that.

I’m fascinated by the reflections of those who make it to extreme old age. What you often hear from elderly people are different versions of “I wish I had slowed down” or “I should have spent more time with my family”. What don’t you hear from them? Any version of “I wish my life had been more hectic” or “I should have worked more”.

You control very little

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it — Charles R. Swindoll

There’s a lot of good writing on what you can control versus what you can’t. As well as why you should focus on the former. I won’t cover that here. Swindoll’s quote takes that a step further by highlighting how important our response to life’s events. We have the ability to decide how we interpret and respond to everything thrown our way.

People don’t make us angry, sad, depressed, or happy. People take actions. Actions are neutral. We interpret those actions and choose which emotion we are going to feel. I know that’s a simplification. Some actions are almost guaranteed to make you feel a certain way. Swindoll makes the point however, that you always have control over what happens next.

Easy wears a suite and tie

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work — Thomas Edison

Everyone wants results that are uncommon. You want the article that gets a million views or the product that sells millions of units. But you are unwilling or unable to do what is required to obtain uncommon results. Success hides from us. Its hidden behind 1000 repetitions in a world were most people will stop after ten reps.

The wildly popular YouTuber Mr. Beast sums this up well when people ask him for advice or help creating videos. He says create and publish 100 videos. Mr. Beast knows that after that many reps, those same people will have already found success or solved their own problem. They have to do what others will not.

Inputs over outcomes

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant — Robert Louis Stevenson

I have loved this quote for years, but being a parent made it even more pressing. When you raise kids, you plant a lot of seeds. They are seeds of kindness, curiosity, and compassion. Seeing the result of that harvest may take years.

This quote speaks to the importance of two components - time and input. 

Those two components are underrated drivers of success in many areas. 

Focus on what you put it, and what comes out takes care of itself.

Stop getting ready

The fool, with all his other faults, has this also — he is always getting ready to live — Seneca

The ability to plan and research comes with a high return on effort. Most successful endeavors require some level it. However, it can quickly become procrastination disguised as progress.

Seneca’s quote isn’t subtle, nor is it meant to be. He’s telling you to be present and stop spending so much time planning for the future.

Always living for what the future brings isn’t living at all. Stop telling yourself that soon you’ll be ready. Or that you’ll have the extra time soon. You know damn well that isn’t true. Seneca is ttelling you that the golden-hour, the time to do the things you want, is now.

True wealth

The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, “I can do whatever I want to do” — Morgan Housel

For years I thought that making money would solve many of my problems. To an extent, I was right. Money does solve some problems. It also creates some new ones. It took some time to realize money wasn’t really what I wanted.

What I wanted was to own my time. To have the ability to look at anyone and say, “no, I’m not doing that.” You want me to work the weekend, “I’m not doing that.” You want me to trade my time for money year after year, “I’m not doing that.”

Wealth is waking up without a clock. It’s spending the lions share of my time with my family. It’s taking my wife on a date on a Tuesday morning simply because I can and because it’s where I want to be. 

To that end — I’m not just wealthy; I’m Warren Buffett.

Be part of the 1%

The rarest of all human qualities is consistency — Jeremy Bentham

Here is a simple thought exercise that this quote brings to mind. If 100 people set a goal to do one thing daily for ten years, how many would actually follow through? I’m going to guess one or two? None?

This quote reminds me that I don’t need an incredible talent. I have the ability to be that one person who could do one thing everyday for ten years. Hell, anybody can do it. Yet almost no one will.

Mindset is a everything

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less — Socrates

This quote doesn’t need much explanation. The most miserable people I know are missing one crucial skill - the ability to have enough. The things that bring me the most joy cost nothing. They are relationship-based, like a caring spouse, happy children, and good conversation. It’s nice to have a new car and a comfortable house. But those don’t increase my happiness at all.

The best way to want less is to tune out the noise. I stopped paying attention to social media. Not by abandoning it. Instead I began creating it and stopped consuming. 

There they are, the ten quotes I always return to. Any time I feel anxious, I run through these. I’m usually out of line with one them. 

I hope they help you too.