“We live with [our defects] as we do with the perfumes that we wear, we do not smell them; they only incommode others.”

“Because our lives are cowardly and sly,
Because we do not dare to take or give,
Because we scowl and pass each other by,
We do not live; we do not dare to live.”

James Stephens (1882–1950) Irish writer

“We must remember that the test of our religious principles lies not just in what we say, not only in our prayers, not even in living blameless lives - but in what we do for others”

Harry Truman (1884–1972) American politician, 33rd president of the United States (in office from 1945 to 1953)

“Wherever we go we do harm, forgiving
ourselves as wheels do cement for wearing
each other out. We set this house
on fire, forgetting that we live within.

(from "To a Meadowlark," for M. L. Smoker)”

Jim Harrison (1937–2016) American novelist, poet, essayist

“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them.
But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.”

Paulo Coelho book The Fifth Mountain

“We should do good deeds that touch people’s hearts throughout our lives. Only by setting a good example for others will we become strong.”

Jun Hong Lu (1959) Australian Buddhist leader

“We must be careful with our lives, for Christ's sake, because it would seem that they are the only lives we are going to have in this puzzling and perilous world, and so they are very precious and what we do with them matters enormously.”

Frederick Buechner (1926) Poet, novelist, short story writer, theologian

“If we do not live where we work and when we work we are wasting our lives and our work too.”

Wendell Berry (1934) author

“Manipulation is what we do when we feel we cannot meet our needs directly, so instead we try to meet them in round about ways. We try to influence others to do what we want them to do so our needs are met. This is particularly prevalent today when the need that is not met is emotional.”

Teal Swan (1984) American spiritual teacher

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”

Anthony Robbins (1960) Author, actor, professional speaker