Life Quotes

I was thinking of ways to discuss life, happiness, and finding oneself. I do not have all of the answers, but quotes about life, quotes about happiness, and quotes about finding who you are have helped me on my way. Below are some quotes I wrote in my journal. I am adding my own opinion to some of the quotes, so feel free to comment even if you disagree. I'm always delighted to hear new ideas!

"Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans."

My Thoughts

How true is this? Life truly is what happens when you are busy making other plans. We are so consumed with making plans for ourselves, for our children, etc. We are busy worrying about accomplishing things and don't take the time to stop and enjoy life. Appreciating the little things that happen on a daily basis instead of planning all of the time, is important. Before we know it, years have passed and we're wondering where the time has gone. This is also one of my favorite songs!

"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth--and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up--that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

My Thoughts

I really agree with this quote, but for some reason can never maintain the feeling for any length of time. We all know we should be thankful and appreciative for every day that we live, for everything we do, and for everyone we meet, but the majority of us don't live life this way. Even I try to remember this and practice it, but it fades away and comes back like a never ending cycle.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but must be lived forwards."

My Thoughts

I agree with most of this quote, but I would add a few words to it, making it more accurate. Life is mostly learned backwards, but it must be lived forwards. It's important to replace only with most because there are aspects of life that we do learn along the way, but most things are learned backwards. I have learned a multitude of things by looking back, however, maybe that's the point. If I wouldn't have done the things I look back upon, I wouldn't have learned the lesson that came with that experience.

"Everything in life is luck."

My Thoughts

I only put this quote in because I strongly disagree with it. Some of life is probably luck, but there's no way all of life is luck. What about going to college? The years and hard work I spent to get my degree was not based on luck. I didn't get a scholarship, but I understand that people who get scholarships got them because they worked hard, not because they were lucky. In college, I would hear people saying how lucky those people are. They worked hard! There's probably a better example, but I'm going to leave it at that. Is life luck? No.

"Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted; it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted."

My Thoughts

This quote is true, but difficult. It's easy to say if you can't accept something change it, but there's always factors making the choice easier or more difficult. For example, it's impossible to change other people's behavior, to change other people's thoughts, and to just change people in general. Can you change people? No. They can only change what they are willing to change, and that's out of your control. Basically, you can either accept someone or not associate with them if you don't accept some things. It's not that simple. What about things you don't accept about your spouse, mother, father, etc. You have to deal with it. Can other things in your life be changed easily? Yes. If you don't like it when you procrastinate, change it. It's not always easy, but it is possible. Anyway, you get what I'm saying.

" We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

My Thoughts

Anyone who says they can see things clearly without any biases are lying. It's possible to be more unbiased than others, but everything is seen through our own eyes and we all perceive things differently. It's not possible to perceive things exactly as someone else does. We had different childhoods, different environments, and well, different experiences altogether. So, we can see things in a similar fashion, but never exactly the same.

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."

My Thoughts

In my opinion, knowing yourself is one of the keys to life. Can you live without knowing yourself or searching for who you are? Of course you can, and that's the easy way out, because trying to figure out who you are is sometimes harder than just going with the flow. Once you do discover yourself as much as you can, it's easier to live life. There are a lot of reasons why I believe this, but I'm going to narrow it down. Trust me, I am not an expert on this and I continue to figure out who I am on a daily basis. When you know yourself, you know what bothers you, how to accept and react to what bothers you, what you are passionate about, what you look for in someone else, who to stay away from (and if you can't, how to deal with those people), what you are willing to put up with, what things you can work on or change about yourself, and the list could go on and on. You know your own strengths and faults. You know what you need to work on as an individual, even though it may be hurtful at times. You can always stay in your "comfort zone", but you won't discover anything doing that. You have to dig deep, figure out your place in this world, and question everything.

"We are sometimes as different from ourselves as we are from others."

My Thoughts

I picked this quote because I have never seen it before and it really made me think. This sounds like such a simple statement, but it's deep. It could be taken in different ways. My head is actually in a million different directions right now, so I'm either going to have to skip this one or come back to it and edit it after I publish this. If I don't, I will completely stop writing this. I may have to devote one rambling hub just on this quote!

"They journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place."

My Thoughts

The dance of life is a daily encounter, for we are never who we were yesterday. That sums it up!

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

My Thoughts

This is one of the most famous quotes. It's true....you shouldn't always take the road that everyone is taking. Your own path is far more rewarding.

"True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess."

My Thoughts

I have encountered individuals claiming to be religious. They are devout Catholics, Protestants, Presbyterians, etc. They go to church every week, but after church they are getting drunk or cheating on their significant other. Just because someone claims to be religious and they go to church everyday, doesn't mean they live a life religiously. There's a big difference!

"Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility."

My Thoughts

Too often we take for granted our freedom to choose what path we take. We feel obligated to do things other people want us to do or to do what is expected of us. We need to appreciate our ability to take our own path, and not have any regrets afterward.

Pilgrim, how you journey

on the road you chose

to find out why the winds die

and where the stories go.

All days come from one day

that much you must know,

you cannot change what's over

but only where you go.

One way leads to diamonds,

one way leads to gold,

another leads you only

to everything you're told.

In your heart you wonder

which of these is true;

the road that leads to you.

Will you find the answer

in all you say and do?

Will you find the answer

in you?

Each heart is a pilgrim,

each one wants to know

the reason why the winds die,

and where the stories go.

Pilgrim, in your journey

you may travel far,

for pilgrim it's a long way

to find out who you are...

Pilgrim, it's a long way

to find out who you are.....

Pilgrim it's a long way

to find out who you are.

My Thoughts

I saved the best one for last! Not only is the message behind this completely amazing, but she sings it beautifully as well. If you never heard this song, I suggest you check it out. She is so right...it is truly a long way to find out who you are. We are all pilgrims on our own journeys of life. Is there one universal truth to everything in existence? Are we supposed to know? I do know that trying to find out who you are is difficult and taking different roads is the key to figuring it out. You need parts from every road to figure out your own road.