For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then? - George Orwell, 1984

I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else. - Dolly Parton

Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up. - Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

The universe doesn’t give you what you ask for with your thoughts - it gives you what you demand with your actions. - Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. - Mary Oliver

Love is on every side, and no one's side. Don't ask what Love can do for you. - Rick Riordan, The House of Hades

There is an emotional promiscuity we’ve noticed among many good young men and women. The young man understands something of the journey of the heart. He wants to talk, to “share the journey.” The woman is grateful to be pursued, she opens up. They share the intimacies of their lives - their wounds, their walks with God. But he never commits. He enjoys her... then leaves. And she wonders, What did I do wrong? She failed to see his passivity. He really did not ever commit or offer assurances that he would. Like Willoughby to Marianne in Sense and Sensibility.Be careful you do not offer too much of yourself to a man until you have good, solid evidence that he is a strong man willing to commit. Look at his track record with other women. Is there anything to be concerned about there? If so, bring it up. Also, does he have any close male friends - and what are they like as men? Can he hold down a job? Is he walking with God in a real and intimate way? Is he facing the wounds of his own life, and is he also demonstrating a desire to repent of Adam’s passivity and/or violence? Is he headed somewhere with his life? A lot of questions, but your heart is a treasure, and we want you to offer it only to a man who is worthy and ready to handle it well. - Stasi Eldredge, Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. - David Viscott

Bursar?Yes, Archchancellor?You ain't a member of some secret society or somethin', are you?Me? No, Archchancellor.Then it'd be a damn good idea to take your underpants off your head. - Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies

I realized that conservatism was the philosophy that best suited me, with its emphasis on individual liberty, personal responsibility, and merit. - Mark R. Levin

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection. - Dalai Lama XIV

But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams, we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism. - Eric Wright

Then, one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...you give them a piece of you. They don't ask for it. They do something dumb one day like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. - Neil Gaiman, The Kindly Ones

Siblings that say they never fight are most definitely hiding something - Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

In life there are two things which are dependable. The pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature. - Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book

Mother used to say that however miserable one is, there’s always something to be thankful for. And each morning, when the sky brightened and light began to flood my cell, I agreed with her. - Albert Camus, The Stranger

When the Aggregates arise, decay and die, O bhikkhu, every moment you are born, decay, and die. - Gautama Buddha

Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. - Mitch Albom

Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

I look back to where my life had been. It's always risky to think of letting go. That's why this is the perfect ending. Nothing left to reconcile. - Loretta Ellsworth, In a Heartbeat