Words/sayings that had a profound effect on you.

“Alcohol. The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

Homer
(Simpson)

It's certainly a cheeky one but -

'There are two sides to every story, but you're a c**t in both of them'

Weirdly it really helped me when my ex-best friend turned on me and threatened to sabotage my wedding. It made me feel stronger.

Also, from The Crown -
"That's the thing about unhappiness, all it takes is for something worse to come along and you realise it was actually happiness after all."

So profoundly true.

You die twice, the second time when your name gets spoken for the last time. That shook me.

The faults you see in others are the faults you see in yourself. I always remember that when people are pricks too me.

If we all threw our troubles in the air, we would be lucky to catch our own.

Also, always be kinder than common courtesy requires.

Mine is from the poet Rilke:

Let everything happen to you
Beauty and Terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final

When I feel overwhelmed/life is tough I repeat it to myself at night and it helps me calm down and fall asleep

Today will be yesterday. I saw it on a poster on my way to work and I did have to think about it a bit more than I probably should have, but it's stuck with me probably because of its simplicity.

" No one can walk over you unless you lie down. "

"I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction." - always warms my existentialist libertarian heart.

"Learn to value yourself, which means, fight for your happiness."

"Ships in harbour may be safe, but that's not what ships were built for."

And one that I can't recall exactly but is about holding onto a grudge being like holding onto a hot coal and hoping it burns the other person. It helped me get past the feeling that someone who had hurt me a lot didn't deserve to have me let go of the bitterness - the truth was, I was being hindered by it.

Another Maya Angelou one for me:

'You did then what you knew how to do. When you knew better, you did better'

"It will be alright in the end, if it's not alright, it's not the end"

And

"Hurt people hurt people"

‘You deserve what you tolerate’.

The serenity prayer

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference

I suffer massively with guilt over the things I think I have done wrong to others. I can make myself feel physically sick churning up actions from 10 or even 20 yrs ago!
A wonderful friend once said to me "do you really think you are that important?".
This has helped me hugely over the years! I appreciate it may seem like a negative statement, but it helps me put things in perspective

@bubbleblower85 good luck, it takes time but so freeing.
MN has some great advice-the stately homes threads is a fab support. I doubt I could have gone n/c without the advice I had. Grey Rock changed my life!
Just remember.... 'life is too short!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ”

I think this quote is supposed to be from Mark Twain. I really like it and I have it on a fridge magnet stuck to the fridge door do I look at it every day. I don't do much exploring now but I look back 20 or so years and think yeah, I'm glad I pushed myself to do quite a few things that at the time were pretty daunting. Equally, there are a few things I didn't do that I now regret a lot as I won't get the chance back again.

The only thing you have to do in life is breathe. Everything else is a choice with consequences.

'Will this matter in 10 years?'

Such a great thread. Thanks OP.

Thanks to a PP for reminding me about the dark playground. Brilliant!

What is the pick me dance?

Mine is something I heard on a feminist coaching podcast recently about well-being at work. It was something like “the work is always going to be hard but regardless of that I’m going to be kind to myself”. I’ve misquoted it but it really resonated with me. When I’m having a stressful day at work I slouch, hunch, don’t take breaks, eat terrible food, skip the gym. Since I heard that podcast I’ve been making a huge effort to take care of myself on those days and put myself first. It’s made a big difference.

Watch how they talk about past friends, lovers and spouses.

Chances are, that will be you one day.

I like “the best revenge is living well”. I never bother to waste energy thinking about how to get my own back. What could be more annoying to those who would do you down, than you just being happy?

On my wedding day, a lovely family friend said “the best thing about being marred is that you now have forever together. Don’t find you have to rush headlong at trying to achieve some idea of married life. You have forever so take things steady”.

"Be that person you needed when you were younger"

Do no harm, take no shit.

Never mix friendship and money.

He's just not that into you.

I love this!

My dearest grandmas quote.

"To be a good parent you must know your children for who they are, not for what you wish them to be"

Few others

"In the end all everyone wants is more time."

"There is a difference between listening and actually listening"

"I was once given a box full of darkness, it took me a long time to realise this was actually a gift"

"It doesn't matter if the whole world loves you, if you don't like yourself"

"Be kind to unkind people, they need it the most"

"Fake people have a tendency to get really uneasy around honest people"

"When making judgements on others, make sure your not seeing your own reflection staring back at you"

"From this old heart, of flesh and bones, you took the chance to make to make one of your own" for my son who we lost.

"don't just let any old-body break your heart in a second, it took your mother at least 9months to create it"

"Death and stupidity are only painful for the people around it"