Category: Quotes

15 Most Enlightening Quotes on Gratitude

Quotes are the nuggets of wisdom which are passed on to the generations to make us enlightened. These are the words full of wisdom and experience that are capable enough to push you forward when you get stuck in your life. These are the life lessons which teach us how to explore your life to get maximum output.

One of the most important life lessons we should learn is the attitude of Thanksgiving that is gratitude (comes from the Latin word gratus which means ‘pleasing, thankful’). It is ‘the great attitude ‘ that is capable enough to boost happiness which is the ultimate goal of our lives. Here are 15 most enlightening quotes on gratitude:

1.“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.” — Confucius

2.“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” —William Arthur Ward

3. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” —Albert Einstein

4.“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘Thank you’ that would suffice.” —Meister Eckhart

5.“When you are grateful – when you can see what you have – You unlock blessings to flow in your life.”–Suze Orman

6.“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”–John F. Kennedy

7. “Gratitude opens the door to…the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.”–Deepak Chopra

8.“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.”–Neale Donald Walsch

9. “If forgiveness is medicine for the soul, then gratitude is vitamins.” —Steve Maraboli

10.“Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.” —Confucius

11.  “Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” —Rhonda Byrne

12. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ––Oprah Winfrey

13. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault

14. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward

15. “If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.” —Steve Maraboli

What do you want to be – Perfect or Exceptional?

There is an old saying, “practice makes a man perfect”. Do you agree with that?

Is there any measuring scale for perfection? Is it a universal scale for everyone? When we appraise someone superior or inferior based on comparisons, we just forget that we are talking about two different human beings. That ‘Supreme power’ has created us with unique DNA pattern and fingerprints, having different talents and potential with a different question paper to answer. So how can we compare ourselves to others? Our motto is to improve ourselves, so the competition must be with our own self. Never measure your progress on someone else’s criteria. For years, perfection and success are considered to be inseparable and complementary to each other. That’s why it is deep-rooted in our minds that to achieve success, we need to be perfect. And many of us wait for this perfection even if it’s just to break out of our shells. Don’t you think this will happen the day when pigs fly? 😄

It’s just an excuse for procrastination. Remember what Tim Notke once quoted – Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. And how can we forget Paul Arden’s views on the matter – Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you do, and fix it along the way…!

You can achieve excellence, but not perfection. It’s an illusion that never exists and suits to robots only. Yes! To robots, because they are a machine, and a machine isn’t allowed to commit mistakes. But we do and learn as well. After all, to err is human. The day you think it to be perfect, that feeling saturates you. If you attain perfection, it’s quite difficult to stop there and maintain your sanity. And remember, perfect often degrades.

In this whole ‘life process’, the process of betterment, we have overlooked the importance of ‘practice’ that’s the key to success. There is no alternative to this. It is the only way to turn your good into great, ordinary into extraordinary. The more you practice, the better you will be.

Let me tell you a real story!

In the 1920s, there was a “Charlie Chaplin look-alike competition” to search for people who look exactly like, Charlie Chaplin. Secretly, Charlie Chaplin also participated in that contest. You will be amazed to know that he stood ‘third’ in that contest. Two more people looked exactly like him. This could be redeemed only by practice as there is always a scope of betterment.

Similarly, if we look at inventions, the invention of the telephone by Graham Bell was a revolutionary step in social interaction. And as a result of that innovation, today we are using smartphones. No doubt Graham Bell is the trailblazer of this technology, but still, there is always a scope of improvement.

Perfection is just like a mirage. There’s no point chasing it. Instead, focus on excellence. Keep trying to achieve your goals to improve yourself. The beauty of life doesn’t lie in perfection but continuous improvement. So, practice and practice, and remember – practice makes a man exceptional.  

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”——George Fisher

What Doesn’t Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger!

What struggle contributes to our lives? Does it make us or break us? What do you think?

Have you ever seen a small child struggling to take her first steps? No matter how many times she fails, she rises up again and again. And before you know it, the child starts taking 6-7 steps at a time and completes her journey to be a toddler. She takes the challenge head-on, and the curiosity to explore more is what makes this whole process fun.

Is life even possible without a shade of struggle? Imagine your life without any setbacks, will power, hard work, learning, or growth! Do you like what you see? Surely not! What kind of life is that? From where you’ll draw the joy of victory, happiness, and satisfaction? Don’t you think it will be a tad bit mundane? Right? Isn’t these all aspects make our life meaningful? If you minus all these things from life, you’ll be left with nothing. Exactly! You are getting me right, life is nothing without a struggle. No struggle, no life.

Not all of us are born with a silver spoon. In fact, many of us have to struggle for almost everything in our life. The struggle is the most important part of learning life lessons. It strengthens our inner core. After that, we always get an improved, immune, and effective version of ourselves.

Let me tell you a story – the story of a butterfly! Can’t picture it? Yeah! It’s not a famous one, but it will definitely force you to think a while. Here it goes –

Once a man found a cocoon of a butterfly. A few days later, he noticed the cocoon hatched and a tiny butterfly trying to come out of it. Despite struggling for hours, she remained stuck there. And then she stopped. The man watched her for hours, and then, he decided to help her. He took a scissor and enlarged the opening of the cocoon. The butterfly forced her way out of that hole, but her body was swollen and wings wriggled. The man wondered when her wings will grow, but she remained as such for the rest of her days. He had no clue that he interfered with the process of metamorphosis. Nature made the process of the butterfly coming out of the cocoon difficult for a reason! It was supposed to make her stronger, rushing her blood towards her wings and enlarge them.

The hidden message of this story is- “the struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow”.

There is no harm in seeking nuggets of wisdom from an experienced person. After all, we are humans, not Google! But if you wish to get things done by doing not as much as even lifting a finger, this attitude never got anyone far!

Better take it as an opportunity to learn hard work, nourish will power, deal with setbacks, and tackle failures. And again, set new goals with a better version of you.

Come, challenge yourself! The world is full of real-life examples of struggle resulting in something extraordinary, whether it is Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Alva Edison, and many more! If they can do it, then why can’t you?

Of course, yes! No one has got any copyright on it, yet! You don’t need to be gifted, just a positive outlook towards difficulties can make all the difference. Take them as a challenge – an opportunity to grow out of your shell – and just enjoy the process. We should always be ready to learn, adapt, and implement new things in our life.

{“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”—- Napoleon Hill}

{“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”—–Rikki Rogers}