Five quotes on creativity, courage, and connection
Granted, inspirational quotes often have a bad rap. But sometimes the right one can make all the difference.
Today, I was going to share a piece on how creative self-expression is the missing piece in the wellness puzzle. How writing (and in fact, ANY creative act) can take us out of disconnect and addiction to busyness, striving, and general over-doing, and into meaning and mindfulness.
But sometimes, the right quote at the right time can cut through all the noise. And it can be all the writing inspiration you need. So here are five quotes that I’ve collated over the past year from London Writers’ Salon and elsewhere. These words inspire bravery, and the willingness to take what Mark Nepo calls “the exquisite risk.”
Re-connecting
“Addiction is rooted in the will to forget. And if addiction is about forgetting, recovery is an act of remember – a slow reconnection with the parts of yourself that have slipped out of reach.” ~ Octavia Bright
Recovering
“It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly.” ~ Aldous Huxley
Discovering
“Don’t throw your suffering away. Use it. Your suffering is the compost that gives you the understanding to nourish your happiness and the happiness of others.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Creating
“While it’s true that someone can impede our actions, they can’t impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it. That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Succeeding
“Success isn’t that difficult; it merely involves taking twenty steps in a singular direction. Most people take one step in twenty directions.” ~ Benjamin Hardy
What is a favourite quote of yours? Share in the comments below.
I love the Octavia Bright quotation. The quotations I remember most readily are usually silly or flippant ones, not inspiring or healing. But I do agree that when you hear something that resonates it can spark a whole raft of new ideas. Maybe it’s time I started consciously collecting them like you do, Greta. How/where do you record quotations that catch your attention so you can find them when you need?