17 Quotes To Make You Reflect on Life
There are great speakers who have managed to give shape to thoughts and life in a marvelously melodic way. The harmony of their words suddenly makes us understand how we are feeling.
Today we bring you some of the quotes that humanity’s greatest minds have left behind:
“Love any way you can, love whoever you can, love as much you can. Don’t worry about the end result of your love.”
–Amado Nervo (1870-1919). Mexican poet, novelist, and essayist-
Love is that infinite feeling that everything can have. Love for ourselves, love for our parents, our children, our relatives, partner, or friends, love for nature and for life, love for our job, for our sense of worth, and adding our small contribution to the world… Any truly healthy love that we can imagine keeps us going and makes us better.
“Love is invisible, and comes in and goes as he likes, without anyone calling him to account for what he does.”
–Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright-
The magnificent creator of Don Quixote de la Mancha makes us ask ourselves why we never call love to account for what it does. It may be because we all know of its kind deeds and long for the amazing feelings that it produces in us.
“True love is not known for what it asks, but for what it gives.”
-Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954). Spanish playwright-
This is a great truth that we often forget or mess up. True love is not selfish; love does not give priority to the person who feels it. A healthy and sincere love is free of ulterior motives.
“Perhaps we are in this world to search for love, find it, and lose it, again and again. With each love, we are born anew, and with each love that ends we collect a new wound. I am covered with proud scars.”
-Isabel Allende (1942). Chilean author-
Once again we have the same protagonist serving as the driving force in the world and in us. When talking about love, failure is unknown; with each love, we reinvent ourselves and grow.
“And to be totally, completely, absolutely in love, you have to fully believe that you are cared for in return, that you also inspire love.”
–Mario Benedetti (1920-2009). Uruguayan author and poet-
It’s not about the other person returning your love, it’s about returning your love for yourself. Self-love is the driving force for our relationships and our well being.
“As happens with memory, if sex is not used, it disappears.”
-Eduard Punset . Spanish author and science popularizer-
The ability to get excited and enjoy pleasure through our bodies is priceless for a person’s well being and fulfillment. It’s not about whether or not it’s necessary; nature has nevertheless given us this precious ability, why not make use of it? Sex is magnificent.
“Unlearning most of the things that they taught us is more important than learning.”
-Eduard Punset. Spanish author and science popularizer.-
We have committed the error of thinking that what we have learned is always good without realizing that life changes and us along with it, constantly reinventing who we are inside.
“Sometimes we can spend years without living at all, and suddenly our whole life concentrates in a unique instant.”
-Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish author, poet, and playwright-
That is why life changes in an instant and with it our perception that better times will come. The best time that we have is the present, for we only have a path forward and no inkling of our destination.
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
-Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish author, poet, and playwright-
Temptation is the enemy of prudence (or of excessive prudence). Falling into the arms of what we desire and enjoying it is the only way to avoid the feeling of unease that not having it generates in us.
“Beauty does not see, it is only seen.”
–Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German scientist-
Beauty knows that it is beautiful, but it cannot admire itself. Beauty was made to be enjoyed and contemplated. Let’s take advantage of its existence!
“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”
-Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German scientist-
If our intentions and our motivations go out, we will also put our light out with them.
“You can do anything, but not everything.”
-David Allen . American coach-
This is another way of saying, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” We have our limits. We must define our goals and keep focusing on them, little by little. Wanting to do everything at once is the best guarantee for failure.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) French author and aviator-
We bring you this lesson through our knowledge of “The Little Prince.” Perfection is achieved when we take our backpacks filled with the immeasurable value of immaterial things.
“Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our lives. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten them.”
-Cullen Hightower (1923-2008) American politician-
Certainly using mockery, sarcasm, and humiliation is synonymous with being an empty person who has little to contribute. Let’s dig deeper in an effort to understand ourselves and laugh at ourselves while first respecting others.
“To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.”
-Abraham Maslow (1908- 1970) American psychologist-
A lack of purpose and ambition is dangerous, as it makes us limit our possibilities and knowledge. It is ideal to achieve plurality.
“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
-Lao-Tze . Chinese philosopher-
Prudence and caution in our relationships is a highly prized good. To avoid doing anything you will regret, let your respect for others and for yourself shine through in your actions.
“The richest man is not he who has the most but he who needs the least.”
-Unknown author-
Not needing means being complete and having attained fulfillment. We don’t need money when we know that we are rich in something that can’t be bought.
These quotes are full of wise teachings. Is there a famous quote that is helpful to you and that you would like to share? Tell us!
Image courtesy of nuvolanevicata
