a positive present just for you

 

"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have,
beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognizably wiser than oneself."

Marlene Dietrich

When I fall in love with a quote, I fall hard. When I read something wonderful, powerful, or moving, I want to scribble hearts all over my notebook like a little school girl. I want to tell everyone about it and spend time writing about what I think about it  (as I often do here on Positively Present). Reading a great quote makes me -- oddly enough -- happy beyond words. Reading a great quote is like a gift -- the kind of gift I can accept and then share with others. And today I'm going to share some of my very favorite quotes with you.

Not only will you be able to read 40 of my favorite quotes, but, at the bottom of this post, you'll find a present waiting for you. It's a perfectly positive PDF that contains 6 of my favorite quotes about happiness. When you click to download, you'll have the most inspiring quotes right at your fingertips. You can print 'em, cut 'em out, and post 'em anywhere you'd like. It's my little way of saying thank you. Thanks for reading the blog. Thanks for listening to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and inspiration. Thank you for being you!

Those of you who have stopped by this site before are probably very aware that I love quotes. As I've written in previous posts, words are my happy sounds. I just adore words and the way that some people can put them together, leaving the reader with such powerful emotions, leaving the reader with new and exciting ways of seeing the world. It amazes me and fascinates me how a single sentence, a perfect pairing of words, can change everything for me. Lately I've been doing a lot of changing and the 40 quotes below are some of the most influential words, some of the words that have impacted me in ways that I cannot really express. In some way, every single one of these quotes has made my life different, better, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

  
40 Life-Changing Positive Quotations

1. There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. (Freya Stark)
   
   
2. The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find it in our pleasure. (Francoise de Mottville)
   
   
3. Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. (Denis Waitley)
   
   
4. Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. (Helen Keller)
   
   
5. We tend to forget that happiness isn't a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. (Frederick Keonig)
   
   
6. Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it. (Bernard Meltzer)
   
   
7. If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people. (Virginia Woolf)
   
   

8. The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open. (Chuck Palahniuk)
   
   

9. People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descent like fine weather if you're fortunate. But happiness is a result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly. (Elizabeth Gilbert)
   
   

10. Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. (Robert Anthony)
    
    

11. Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. (William James)
    
    

12. Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it. (Boethius)
    
    

13. The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be. (Marcel Pagnol)
    
    

14. Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them. (Jack Brown)
    
    

15. Remember, happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think. (Dale Carnegie)
    
    

16. Whoever is happy will make others happy too. (Mark Twain)
    
    

17. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves. (Carl Jung)
    
    

18. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
    
    

19. Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drowned your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. (Steve Jobs)
    
    

20. The question is not what you look at, but what you see. (Henry David Thoreau)
    
    

21. Everything matters. Nothing's important. (Frederick Nietzsche) 
    
    

22. What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become. (Adele Basheer)
    
    

23. You can wait a long time anticipating the arrival of what you've had all along, like sitting and waiting for a FedEx delivery while the package sits patiently unopened outside the door. (L. Shriver)
    
    

24. Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start seeing positive results. (William Nelson)
    
    

25. You can destroy your now by worrying about your tomorrow. (Janis Joplin)
    
    

26. There is only one person that can make you happy and that person is you. (David Burns)
    
    

27. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing you will be successful. (Albert Schweitzer)
    
    

28. There is only one cause of unhappiness: the beliefs you hold in your own head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them. (Anthony de Mello)
    
    

29. Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don't set any condition. (Arthur Rubinstein)
    
    

30. Happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain, but it is complaining that leads people to becoming unhappy. (Dennis Prager)
    
    

31. There is a serious corruption in the idea sold through advertising that you can attain spiritual peace through lifestyle and the notion of building your happiness from the outside in by acquiring things. (Edward Norton)
    
    

32. Be happy. It's one way of being wise. (Colette)
    
    

33. The person who seeks their applause from the outside has their happiness in another's keeping. (Unknown)
    
    

34. There is no duty we so underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world. (Robert Louis Stevenson)
    
    

35. Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.(Groucho Marx)
    
    

36. When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment; I told them they didn't understand life. (Unknown)
    
    

37. Being happy doesn't mean you're perfect. It just means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections. (K.B. Indiana)
    
    

38. Not only are you responsible for your life, but doing your best in this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. (Oprah Winfrey)
    
    

39. Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. (Abraham Lincoln)
    
    

40. Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. (Echkart Tolle)

So, what did you think? Did any of these really stand out to you and spark inspiration in your mind? I know that they all have done that for me and I hope that at least one of them resonated with you. What about you? You might not be as quote-obsessed as I am, but I bet you have a favorite one that sticks with you. If you have a favorite quote, I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to write your favorites in the comments section!

Click this link to Download Positively Happy Quotes. I'd love to spread this happy download around to all of those interested in living positive, present lives, but since I'm on vacation, I'm giving you a job. Ready for it? Spread the word. Yep, that's it. If you have a moment or two, tweet this post, put up a link to it on Facebook, give it a Stumble or Digg, and share it with your friends and family. Everyone out there needs a little happiness -- even just a simple PDF document -- in their lives so, go on, spread the word. Shoot out an email, type out a 140 character tweet on Twitter, or maybe even mention in on your own blog. Remember that happiness is contagious and it can spread like wildfire as long as we push it along and share it with others. Share your favorite quotes in the comments section below and then pass the download along to anyone who needs a boost of happiness.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD POSITIVELY HAPPY QUOTES!

Comments

[Kylie]

I love quotes - reading & re-reading quotes of people I admire is one of my favorite things to do!

[Kaizan]

Great post. I love these quotes.

This one's great:
The person who seeks their applause from the outside has their happiness in another's keeping. (Unknown)

[Megan Bord]

Oh my gosh, I love quotes and the first one has already made its way into a few emails. I also love this one about conditions: "Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don't set any condition."
Reminds me of what Marianne Williamson said about unconditional love: love isn't love unless it's unconditional.
Hope you're enjoying your vacation to its fullest!

~ Megan

[Evelyn Lim]

I love quotes. They keep me inspired. One new one I have not come across until your post here is "Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it. (Bernard Meltzer)" How true! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Eden]

Dani, I just jotted down 4 quotes into my little quote notebook!
Thank you :) I couldn't believe you also included a Dennis Prager quote. Cuz I was just thinking that he should interview you sometime. I adore him and his Happiness Hour on the Radio every Friday.

I will reference your Quote list in the future. All the best.

[Shawna]

Wonderful Post! Thank you for this sweet present.

Peace, Shawna

[Shawna]

Happiness only real when shared. Christopher McCandless of 'Into the Wild'

[Marelisa]

I like this one: Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.(Groucho Marx)

And the PDF is awesome!

[Srinivas Rao]

Awesome post Dani. Thanks for sharing this with us. Hope you are enjoying your vacation.

[Andrea Hess]

This is a great "happiness resource" - thanks for putting these quotes together! Great reminders of what's important!!!

Blessings,
Andrea

[J.D. Meier]

One of my favorite quotes is ...
"Reading a great quote is like a gift" - Dani

It's so true.

[Laura Lee Bloor]

Thanks for sharing these. They got my day off to a great start!

[carolbrowne]

Thanks so much. I love the Hellen Keller quotes...she had so many good things to say. I read "The Miracle Worker" over and over in grade 5 & 6. I forgot all about that until today.

[Jen]

These are great! Going to save them :) Thanks Dani

[Kaushik]

Wonderful post! I like:
"Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. (Echkart Tolle)"

That one was eye-opening for me, another that impressed me is from Aniis Nin, and it goes something like this: we do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.

Thanks, Dani!

[Anita]

Dani -- Love, love, love all of the quotes! Here's 6 that really stand out for me:

People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descent like fine weather if you're fortunate. But happiness is a result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly. (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. (William James)

Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drowned your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. (Steve Jobs)

You can destroy your now by worrying about your tomorrow. (Janis Joplin)

Happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain, but it is complaining that leads people to becoming unhappy. (Dennis Prager)

When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment; I told them they didn't understand life. (Unknown)

Thanks so much for sharing these. I'm going to post your link on my Facebook page. Hope you're having a great time in England.
Take care, A.

[All Women Stalker]

Found myself nodding as I read each and every quote. Great collection! :)

-meream

[The Exception]

What a way to start and to end my day. I love quotes too!!

[Stephen Mills]

Dani, I too LOVE quotes and I've bookmarked your page in my inspiration tag to use in the future. Thank you so much and I hope you are having fun. Stumbled and tweeted! :-)

[Amanda Linehan]

Hi Dani - My favorite quote on this list - the Virginia Woolf one. Telling the truth about ourselves is essential. Nice collection of quotes!

[Davina]

Hi Dani. I love quotes, you can bet on that. The one that jumped out for me was "Everything matters. Nothing's important," by Frederick Nietzsche.

I saw a good one on Twitter today: Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. -- Chinese Proverb

[Penny]

Absolutely brilliant download! Thanks :D I think sticking them around the place is a great idea.

[lisa]

FAB list, Dani. THANKS!
my fav is "All shall be well." - Julian of Norwich.

i've done my part to spread these words on Twitter.

hope you're having s wonderFULL time in GB!

[Chania Girl]

All I can say is: THANK YOU!!! This is just one more reason I love Positively Present. You are a kindred spirit, Dani.

[Peggy (aka Tool Box Girl)]

I absolutely LOVE #22!!

They're all great quotes, though! And I'm quite sure I've used a few =)

[Valerie]

I love quotes too and really appreciate you posting these for my reflection.

[vikum]

Hi Dani,
Great job.I'm in love the quotes above.You know what? I have that Steve Jobbs quote pasted into a wall besides my bed.So that I can see it in every morning.That's one of my favorites. Thanks Dani :)

[Melissa Donovan]

I feel the same way. A wonderful quote can open your eyes, offer inspiration, thoughtfulness, or a laugh. I keep a file of my favorite quotes, and I should probably visit that file more often. Thanks for listing these!

[Elisa]

Fantastic post...I'm SUCH a fan of quotes, I have them all over my desk at work. My favorite since I heard it in college "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded." Incorrectly attributed most frequently to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the original quoter is unknown.

[Zengirl]

Dani,

love the article, such an inspiring post. I needed that today! Thanks.
Love positivity on your blog.

Zengirl

[Hilary]

Hi Dani .. this week is the quote week obviously .. great list and some wonderful comments from your fellow bloggers .. 36 sprang out at me ...

When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment; I told them they didn't understand life. (Unknown)

Lisa mentioned her favourite quote by Julian of Norwich, who was a woman .. she was walled in, is a mystic - philosopher who gave her all to life .. in pennance in her walled tiny vault. Interesting story .. we were given one of her prayer cards .. hence my mother sent me off to look her up! Little did I know. Have a look at Wiki on her .. it's brief, but interesting.

Mine is: Love is all - a necessity in times of serious illness, for the elderly ... as well as the rest of us all the time

When you've got over your trip!
all the best Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

[Syd]

Great quotes Dani. I like the one by Steve Jobs--it really sums up a great way of thinking.

[Rocky]

Everything matters. Nothing's important. (Frederick Nietzsche)

definitely my favorite !

they're all really awesome though, Thanks Dani!

[Positively Present]

Rocky - Love that quote too! I'm glad you liked them. Thanks for your comment! :)

[Greg Blencoe]

Fantastic list! I absolutely LOVE #36.

[Positively Present]

Greg - Thanks for the comment! I really enjoy #36 as well.

[Mike aka Find Inspiration]

Dani,

I'm a quotes man and I love this post! Your site is great and I love it - I've become a subscriber for sure. Keep it up.

Mike

[Positively Present]

Mike - So glad you liked this post! I need to do another one I think since I have even more great quotes now!