To ask what the most inspirational book/person/thing/quote etc was in your life?

[Fishface77]

My most inspirational quote actually came from mumsnet.
Not my circus not my monkeys.
It has stopped my over involvement in things which were affecting my life.

'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift; that's why it's called the present'

I love this. I cherish each day. Am grateful for each day, and remind myself how lucky we are compared to others, always count my blessings.

When I was younger a work colleague said to me 'life isn't a dress rehearsal, this is the main event' - and I often think about that. Life is too short for arguments, or bad feelings. Only get one shot, so make the most of it!

Also rocky speech...

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
From George Bernard Shaw. I love this quote. It really reminds me to try and make the most of life. Carpe Diem and all that!

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
From Oscar Wilde. This one reminds me to try and stay positive, no matter what's going on in my life.

C’est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.
From Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This really helped me through the first few months with dd as a baby, when I felt I had no time of my own - I had it on a postcard on the wall in her nursery with a picture of the little prince, and it really helped me not to resent the time that I was "losing" and to just be there in the moment.

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
From Benjamin Franklin. It always reminds me to try and make the best use of my time. At the end of the day, that's all that any of us have got!

It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
From Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland). This one reminds me that nothing is static, and that we can always re-invent who we are, if we choose to do so.

I found this scene from Lost very inspirational - Locke explaining why he can't help a moth trying to escape from its chrysalis.

Look to the living, love them, and hold on - from a poem by Douglas Dunn.

And
Don't raise your voice, improve your argument.
I've no idea where that's from, but it's stuck with me,

Such lovely quotes.
It's a struggle to get through the day sometimes and some of these quotes can ease your way.

'What seem to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise' (Oscar Wilde) got me through a very bad break up and horrible time in my life

I don't remember this exactly but something like

'anyone who thinks they're too small to make a difference should try spending the night with a mosquito in their tent.'

A wise ex boyfriend used to say to me "you always have a choice in how you react...." He is right, it's just remembering to do it!

"Everything is ok in the end. If it isn't ok it isn't the end." Saw it on a postcard when I was a teenager and it has kept me going at rock bottom a few times.

Oh and MissMouse post reminded me of my own wise ex boyfriend who told me "Everyone's suffering is relevant to them and their circumstances". Really helped when I was depressed with "no real reason" to be and helped me understand others suffering.

The one I really try and stick to is the one about treating others as you would like to be treated . I have a temper and a harsh tongue and despite that I try to be kind / and mostly suceed !

I think kindness means the world actually

And the kinder you are / the more you get it back it reallly is pay it forward

Come to the edge, he said
We are afraid, they said
They came to the edge, he pushed them. They flew.
So many of us are afraid to come to the edge and yet we all have the potential to fly.

(Have probably got that a bit less than word perfect but the sentiment is that)

Nobody ever said on their deathbed "I wish I'd mopped that floor more"

And virtually everything Robin Williams says in Dead Poets.

A couple that stuck with me-
'ships in harbour are safe but that is not what ships were built for'
And
'Whether you think you can, or think you can't- you're right'

Don't compare the inside of your life to someone elses's outside.

Think I read that somewhere on here!

Learn to love yourself, and the rest will follow.

The best way to get approval is not to need it. This is equally true in art and business. And love. And sex. And just about everything else worth having. - Hugh MacLeod

Hanlon's razor : Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-
scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” ~ Steven Furtick

You do not have to set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.

You cannot change people's behaviour
But you can change your reaction to it

Be the change you want to see. Mahatma Gandhi

Not a quote exactly but, seeing Dumbo as a child really touched me, especially the end when he dropped the feather but could still fly. It taught me about the importance of beliefs.

I heard a teacher say, "You can be silent and still be in your own truth." It really hit home.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" - Socrates

"If you listen to the whispers, you don't have to hear the screams."

"People see through their own eyes."

What others think of me is none of my business.