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Original poster

Words/sayings that had a profound effect on you.

182 replies

bubbleblower85 · 21/12/2021 19:29

What words or saying really effected you/changed your mentality/ helped you etc

Maya Angelou's words "when some one shows you who they are believe them" helped my leave an abusive situation. I realized the abuser was exactly that and they won't change so there was no point in trying to 'understand'/'excuse' their behaviour.

I keep this in mind now when in all my relationships. It's actually helping me to undo some cognitive dissonance over some siblings that are the lovely golden child and being told from.childhood that they're sweet, lovely etc but now I realise actually just how awful they were/are to me.

Along similar vein is "how they treat you is how they feel about you". This really helped me open my eyes to one particular sibling and their nastiness towards me.

Another saying I am trying to implement in my life retrospectively in some cases, is "be careful of what you tolerate; by what you tolerate you teach others how they can treat you".
Trying to step back from my 'pick me' 'begging for some kindness' behaviour, making clear to people that I am not happy with their behaviour.

OP posts:
PoppityBoo · 21/12/2021 21:46

My faves:

Comparison is the thief of joy.

KBO - keep buggering on (possibly Churchill?!)

Happiness is a journey, not a destination (de Souza)

All fed?! Nobody dead?! Today is a good day! (My fave surviving lockdown phrase! 😂)

Always regret the things you have done, not the things you haven’t.

ChampagneCommunist · 21/12/2021 22:13

You can't change the people around you.
But you can change the people around you.

specialmintapplecranberrysauce · 21/12/2021 22:21

Dr Seuss has loads of brilliant philosophical sayings @Letsnotargue !

'You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer your self any direction you choose'

Great for kids!

GreenTeaPingPong · 21/12/2021 22:29

Whether or not you believe in any kind of god, this quote from Marianne Williamson is very powerful, especially for women - including me (actually thanks OP for sort of reminding me of it):

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

SlowBoiledFrog · 21/12/2021 22:31

Definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Flamingoose · 21/12/2021 22:33

@goingonahairbunt

You can't control how others behave, but you can control how you respond to that behaviour.

It's made me rethink a lot of situations that I normally find stressful!

Yes, this one is important to me too.
Judystilldreamsofhorses · 21/12/2021 22:35

My gran used to say “don’t trouble trouble, til trouble troubles you”. I think on it when I am fretting and fussing about things that may not happen, the news, everything.

DotBall · 21/12/2021 22:36

The concept of ‘The Dark Playground’ first described by Tim Urban in his blog on procrastination.

A time and space where nothing you do is much fun because you have the guilt of needing to get other (more important) things done hanging over you. I always felt like this.

Helped me make firm decisions and plans about when I would schedule different tasks / fun stuff and that it was ok to enjoy the breaks in between the grind.

specialmintapplecranberrysauce · 21/12/2021 22:36

'The worst thing about mental illness is that everyone expects you to act as if you don't have one' The Joker

neverornow · 21/12/2021 22:38

Some of these are great 😊

I like 'There's no point having one foot in the past and one foot in the present, you're only pissing on yourself'

Seriously79 · 21/12/2021 22:40

He who laughs last, laughs longest.

Original poster
bubbleblower85 · 21/12/2021 22:41

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

My gran used to say “don’t trouble trouble, til trouble troubles you”. I think on it when I am fretting and fussing about things that may not happen, the news, everything.
Wise man of yours. Kind of reminds me of "don't start none and there won't be one".... don't start troubles and you won't get troubles.
OP posts:
Original poster
bubbleblower85 · 21/12/2021 22:42

@Judystilldreamsofhorses I meant nan not man 🤪

OP posts:
Flamingoose · 21/12/2021 22:42

It's not a snappy quote like some of these, but when my children were small someone wise told me that in any given situation I was the only advocate for my child. Everyone else around the table may be kind, and have the best of intentions, but they also have other factors to consider. I'm the only person at the table whose sole priority is the wellbeing of my child and it's my job to be their advocate.

WorraLiberty · 21/12/2021 22:44

My lovely Irish Dad...

"There's nothing so bad that it could't get worse"

We were never sure whether to be comforted or alarmed 🤣🤣

GiveOverIrene · 21/12/2021 22:45

We teach others how to treat us. Also, don't set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.

Coronawireless · 21/12/2021 22:46

Keep calm and carry on.

Always like the one about not being able to control others but can control how you respond.

I always think people ARE their actions.

Original poster
bubbleblower85 · 21/12/2021 22:48

I love the line from e e Cummings poem Maggie and Milly and Molly and May

"may came home with a smooth round stone as small as a world and as large as alone"

This perfectly describes loneliness to me, my loneliness always felt like a vast and deep ocean.

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 21/12/2021 22:49

It's from Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula le Guin:
Heal the wound and cure the illness, but let the dying spirit go.

eddiemairswife · 21/12/2021 22:50

Y6 teacher in 1949......"A blustering righteousness is a sure sign of guilt."
"Self-praise is no recommendation."

Poochnewbie1 · 21/12/2021 22:51

There is nothing stronger thank a small hope that doesn’t give up - Matt Haige

Hold on and just breathe - That one kept me going in a very dark time. So simple. All I could do was breathe and that was all I had to do.

Original poster
bubbleblower85 · 21/12/2021 22:51

@WorraLiberty

My lovely Irish Dad...

"There's nothing so bad that it could't get worse"

We were never sure whether to be comforted or alarmed 🤣🤣

😃😂 I actually make a conscious effort to think and say that things can't get worse because I alway fear they can.
OP posts:
Allthehotchocolate · 21/12/2021 22:52

My favourite is

Your value does not decrease based on somebodies inability to see your worth

Pegasushaswings · 21/12/2021 22:54

I learnt ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ here on MN, I also like ‘keep on keeping on’ which I kept repeating during 2020!

Maskless · 21/12/2021 22:55

I was listening to a Jodie Whiteley sleep hypnosis Youtube video when she said these words.

"Despite all you have been through, you are still alive."

That really made me sit up and realise that this is true and is something to celebrate.