Not very long ago I posted ten of my favorite quotes of all times. But since I read (make that listen to) at least one book every two days, I came across some more interesting things I’d like to share with you guys. So, here are another ten quotes, gathered from here and there, quotes I find very useful and inspiring.
#10: “Life, a good life, a great life is about ‘Why not?’ May we never forget it.” – Danielle Steel
I’m not exactly a big risk taker – quite the opposite – but sometimes we all need advice like this, when we struggle with life-altering decisions.
#9: “Don’t let yourself feel worthless: often through life you will really be at your worst when you seem to think best of yourself; and don’t worry about losing your “personality,” as you persist in calling it: at fifteen you had the radiance of early morning, at twenty you will begin to have the melancholy brilliance of the moon, and when you are my age you will give out, as I do, the genial golden warmth of 4 p.m.” – Scott Fitzgerald
When I read this quote, all I could think was “God, please give me the brilliance to write one day a literary gem as precious and colossal as The Great Gatsby“. I guess I still have some way to go until I’ll reach my 4 a.m. genial golden warmth. 🙂
#8: “As I began to love myself, I stopped craving for a different life and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it MATURITY”. – Charles Chaplin
I’m glad to have discovered that maturity doesn’t mean only wrinkles on our faces, but also wisdom and strength.
#7: “You sort of starting anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – J.K. Rowling
I am not a Harry Potter fan, but since this lady is the first author to have become a billionaire thanks to her will and imagination, I take her words to heart. She, as a person, is a great inspiration to me.
#6: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Though this observation has been attributed to several people, including Oscar Wilde, I first learned of it from my father. One day in my not-so-far-away childhood, we met a beggar on the street who asked for money, and my dad refused to give him any. I asked why, and he said to me: ‘What if I give him money, he goes and buys a bottle, gets drunk and then is hit by a car? Is that a good deed?’. He had a point. Now, as a cynical adult, I hope I can spot a con man from afar, and a person who is really in need of help. Unfortunately, beggary has become a business more profitable than working, thanks to the stupidity (aka kindness) of people who perpetuate this vicious circle. Next time when a big, strong guy asks you for change, tell him to go to work. I did so just today, and the guy was not only revolted, but asked why I was cussing him. 
#5: “Being rich is fun, but being poor is more exciting” – Sandra Brown
I confess I still fail to see the exciting part of not being rich, but I guess we all have to start somewhere. I was if Sandra had already made her first million when she wrote this.
#4: “Easy is boring. Who would want to spend their life with easy?” – Nora Roberts
Though I always love a good challenge, sometimes I get tired of them. Don’t you?
#3: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – The Bible, Matthew 7:7
All of these I discovered to be true, and I have a small addenda: as long as it doesn’t cost anything, try. You can only discover one or more ways to fail, but in the end you’ll find yourself on the right track.
#2: “Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life.” – Paulo Coelho
I could say this is the story of my life. Though I’m an impulsive person by nature, I learned to think and overthink things to death. Yet somehow, there’s always something I haven’t taken into consideration, and taking bad decisions is, willy-nilly, part of my life. But of course, this is what made me come to the same conclusion as Marilyn did, which is my #1 quote and my mantra:
#1: “There’s no such thing as chance. It’s all preordained. Like kismet.”
– Marilyn Monroe –
