Quotes
6 Great Lessons You Can Learn from Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was one bad ass American politician and author. He was also the leader of the Republican Party and was elected as the 26th president of the United States of America at the age of just 43 (He is the youngest American president in history).
In 1906, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War. His famous ideology was “speak softly and carry a big stick”.
Here are some life lessons that you can learn from several of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quotes.
1. Make the best use of what you have. No Excuses.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” –Theodore Roosevelt
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. This lesson is especially true for entrepreneurs. No matter what you have or where you are, always try to make the best use of your circumstances to pursue your goal. Don’t point fingers or whine if you get the short end of the stick. Utilize every resource available to you. Look around you, what resources you have? Are there any alternatives? The key here is to start immediately with everything you have.
This quote also strips away every excuse you might have for not doing something. Don’t say “I don’t have this or that, so I can’t do this or that.” That’s bull shit. If you want to do something, you can just do it with what you have or you can search for alternatives. No excuses for yourself. Never let your circumstances stop you.
For example, you don’t need to have a gym membership to get fit. You can learn which workout routines are suitable for you from Youtube and workout on your own in your own home. Going to the gym is not the only way to get fit.
“I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.” -Florence Nightingale
You want to succeed? Then, never give any excuses. Ever. Never point fingers at anything. Never blame anything. You can’t change others, only yourself! You’re one step further away from success in your life every time you find excuses for yourself.
2. Self-Discipline is essential in our life.
“With self-discipline most anything is possible.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Self-discipline is the ability to control ourselves to do the right things. With self-discipline you can overcome procrastination. You can get yourself to do what you should have been doing. You have a clear idea on what you should be doing.
Put it in a simple way, self-discipline is what makes you do the things that you should do, yet you aren’t willing to do. Just like waking up early in the morning to jog around the park no matter how tired you are the previous day. Your body will doubtlessly resist doing it, but with self discipline, you’re able to force yourself to stick to the plan.
Self-discipline is really important in order to succeed. Without it, we will be lazy, we will procrastinate. It’s one of the most important ingredients of success as it allows us to stick to our schedule, our plan. It allows us to focus on the goal, the end game, and that’s what going to make us succeed in the future.
3. Self-confidence is the key.
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Believing in yourself is really important in allowing you to live your life to the fullest. Without self-confidence, you can’t succeed. Why? If even you yourself can’t believe in your own abilities, who will? How can you convince others if you can’t even convince yourself? To succeed, you must first believe that you can succeed. Do that, and you have won half of the battle!
“They succeed, because they think they can.” -Virgil
Even Virgil, Rome’s greatest poet, believed in the power of self-belief. Believe in yourself before anyone else can believe in you – that’s the key of success. You see, self-confidence plays an important role in our life. Without it, we will felt depressed whenever stuff doesn’t go our way, we lack the courage to pursue our dreams and we will give up the moment we face any hardship or obstacles.
But how do we improve our self-esteem? See the positive in the negatives, develop a positive mindset. And, don’t ever doubt your own capability. Remember, everyone is meant for something great, you just haven’t realized your potential yet!
4. Don’t afraid to try to succeed.
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Don’t be afraid to speak out whenever you have any ideas. Don’t be scared of failure. Always remember the simple fact that if you never try, you will never know what the result might be. Yes, there is a possibility that you might fail after you try, but you can rest easy knowing that at least you tried. Also, don’t give up even if you experience failure. Take it as a lesson in life. Did you know that Walt Disney got turned down 302 times before he got financing to build Disneyland?
Yes, failure is hard to accept, it has always been. But failure is also an opportunity to grow. It’s part of the path towards success. Every successful person faced failure multiple times before in their lives. Why did they finally succeed? Because they dared to try. They dared to take action to make their dreams a reality. More importantly, they dared to fail. They are never afraid of trying and taking action in their path to success.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” –Mark Twain
Craving for success? Take action now, don’t ever allow yourself to regret your inaction in the future.
5. When it’s time to enjoy, enjoy. When it’s time to work, work hard.
“When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all.” –Theodore Roosevelt
This quote is speaks of an important lesson. When it’s time for entertainment, enjoy yourself, but when it’s time for to be serious, you got tostay away from all distractions. Pay full attention to the task at hand. FOCUS!
The front part of the quote tells us that, it’s okay to take a break from your for some entertainment and to relax. There is no sin in taking a break. You don’t need to burn yourself out. However, you have to maintain a working balance between work and entertainment. Don’t forget that you’re human too.
“Play” when necessary. But when it’s time to work, you should put 100% of your effort on it. Focus on the tasks you’re doing. Stay away from anything that will distract you: smartphones, television, snacks, the internet & etc. Especially when you know you get distracted easily. Stay focused until you have done your job.
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laserlike focus.” –Bruce Lee
That’s how some people become successful. They focus like a laser when it comes to work. Maintain a balance between work and play in life and never overwhelm yourselves with a heavy workload.
6. Grab every opportunity that comes to you.
“When you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” –Theodore Roosevelt
When any opportunity comes to you, grab it, even if you’re not fully prepared. Opportunities are rare and far between, so when you come across an opportunity, make sure you don’t miss it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t doubt your own ability! Seize the moment!
Like what the last part of the quote says, after grabbing the opportunity, get busy and find out how to get things done. When you accept a job, you will want to do a good job. Thus, you will definitely find out how to do it. Why am I so sure? Because when there is a will there is a way.
“Either I will find a way, or I will make one.” – Philip Sidney
If you can’t find one? Just make one.
The message Theodore is trying to send is to grab every opportunity you have in your life, even if you aren’t prepared. If you don’t seize the opportunity, you may regret in the future. Besides, do you see the positive mindset in the quote? “Certainly I can” You’ve just got to believe in yourself!
Christmas quotes get copied onto cards, captions and year-end posts, and a surprising number of them are fuzzy, shortened, or pinned to the wrong person. I wanted a list I could stand behind: 72 Christmas quotes you can actually find in a book, a speech, a poem or the Bible, with the wording checked against a source, not a meme.
You’ll find Dickens and the Grinch, Luke 2 and a 1927 message from Calvin Coolidge, family lines from Little Women, and a few poems that still work when the house finally goes quiet. The point is not to collect everything ever said about December. It’s to keep the lines that still mean something when you read them slowly. The ones about giving, gratitude, home and peace.
Christmas Quotes: The Meaning of the Season
1. “Christmas is not a time or a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.” – Calvin Coolidge
Source: Presidential Christmas message, 25 Dec 1927, as printed in TIME, 2 Jan 1928; also Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation
2. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Four, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
3. “Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!” – Dr. Seuss
Source: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Random House, 1957); wording confirmed via Dartmouth's 2014 citation of the book
4. “It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
5. “Of all the old festivals, however, that of Christmas awakens the strongest and most heartfelt associations. There is a tone of solemn and sacred feeling that blends with our conviviality and lifts the spirit to a state of hallowed and elevated enjoyment.” – Washington Irving
Source: “Christmas,” in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Project Gutenberg ebook 2048
6. “I have often thought, says Sir Roger, it happens very well that Christmas should fall in the Middle of winter.” – Joseph Addison
Source: The Spectator, January 1712, as cited on Wikiquote's Christmas page
7. “Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world… are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
8. “And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Five, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
9. “And what happened then…? Well…in Who-ville they say That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!” – Dr. Seuss
Source: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Random House, 1957)
10. “Christmas is more like a front door left open than a gift wrapped perfect. You don’t have to earn your way in. You just have to come home.” – Joel Brown
Source: Joel Brown originals sent 2026-11-13
Christmas Quotes: Giving, Charity and an Open Hand
11. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave One (Marley's Ghost), Project Gutenberg ebook 46
12. “The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.” – O. Henry
Source: The Gift of the Magi (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 7256
13. “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.” – O. Henry
Source: The Gift of the Magi (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 7256
14. “It is, indeed, the season of regenerated feeling—the season for kindling not merely the fire of hospitality in the hall, but the genial flame of charity in the heart.” – Washington Irving
Source: “Christmas,” in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Project Gutenberg ebook 2048
15. “I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round… as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave One (Fred, Scrooge's nephew), Project Gutenberg ebook 46
16. “I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave One (Marley's Ghost), Project Gutenberg ebook 46
17. “To own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
18. “And if you keep it for a day, why not always? But you can never keep it alone.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
19. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” – Matthew 2:11, King James Version
Source: Matthew 2:11 KJV, Bible Gateway
20. “What can I give Him, / Poor as I am? / If I were a shepherd / I would bring a lamb, / If I were a wise man / I would do my part,— / Yet what I can I give Him, / Give my heart.” – Christina Rossetti
Source: “A Christmas Carol” (often called “In the Bleak Midwinter”), last stanza; Project Gutenberg Poems and Wikisource (poem published 1872)
21. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” – 2 Corinthians 9:15, King James Version
Source: 2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV, Bible Gateway
22. “Before you spend $300 on gifts to prove you care, call the person who has been quiet since last Christmas. That call might be the only gift they remember.” – Joel Brown
Source: Joel Brown originals sent 2026-11-13
Christmas Quotes: Home, Family and Children
23. “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” – Louisa May Alcott
Source: Little Women, Chapter 1, spoken by Jo, Project Gutenberg ebook 514
24. “We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other.” – Louisa May Alcott
Source: Little Women, Chapter 1, spoken by Beth, Project Gutenberg ebook 514
25. “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Three, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
26. “God bless us every one!” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Three, Tiny Tim, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
27. “This festival, which commemorates the announcement of the religion of peace and love, has been made the season for gathering together of family connections, and drawing closer again those bands of kindred hearts which the cares and pleasures and sorrows of the world are continually operating to cast loose.” – Washington Irving
Source: “Christmas,” in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Project Gutenberg ebook 2048
28. “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.” – Francis Pharcellus Church
Source: “Is There a Santa Claus?”, The New York Sun, 21 September 1897, as transcribed on Wikiquote
29. “Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.” – Francis Pharcellus Church
Source: “Is There a Santa Claus?”, The New York Sun, 21 September 1897, Wikiquote transcription
30. “No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.” – Francis Pharcellus Church
Source: “Is There a Santa Claus?”, The New York Sun, 21 September 1897, Wikiquote transcription
31. “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring,—not even a mouse: / The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, / In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” – Clement Clarke Moore (traditional attribution)
Source: A Visit from St. Nicholas (first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel, 23 Dec 1823); text as on Wikiquote / Moore's page
32. “But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight — / Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” – Clement Clarke Moore (traditional attribution)
Source: A Visit from St. Nicholas, closing couplet, Wikiquote / Moore
33. “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” – Luke 2:19, King James Version
Source: Luke 2:19 KJV, Bible Gateway
34. “I’m sorry to tell you but a perfect Christmas table won’t fix a family that doesn’t talk the other 364 days.” – Joel Brown
Source: Joel Brown originals sent 2026-11-13
35. “Years from now, nobody will remember what you bought them. They’ll remember if you were laughing, present, and not checking your email at the table.” – Joel Brown
Source: Joel Brown originals sent 2026-11-13
Christmas Quotes: Scripture and the Nativity
36. “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7, King James Version
Source: Luke 2:7 KJV, Bible Gateway
37. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” – Luke 2:10, King James Version
Source: Luke 2:10 KJV, Bible Gateway
38. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11, King James Version
Source: Luke 2:11 KJV, Bible Gateway
39. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:14, King James Version
Source: Luke 2:14 KJV, Bible Gateway
40. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6, King James Version
Source: Isaiah 9:6 KJV, Bible Gateway
41. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14, King James Version
Source: John 1:14 KJV, Bible Gateway
42. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21, King James Version
Source: Matthew 1:21 KJV, Bible Gateway
43. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” – Matthew 2:10, King James Version
Source: Matthew 2:10 KJV, Bible Gateway
44. “Hark! the herald angels sing, / Glory to the newborn King; / Peace on earth, and mercy mild, / God and sinners reconciled!” – Charles Wesley
Source: Hymn 'Hark! How All the Welkin Rings' (1739), in the later commonly sung wording noted by Wikiquote
45. “Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
46. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” – Matthew 1:23, King James Version
Source: Matthew 1:23 KJV, Bible Gateway
47. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14, King James Version
Source: Isaiah 7:14 KJV, Bible Gateway
48. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16, King James Version
Source: John 3:16 KJV, Bible Gateway
49. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” – Galatians 4:4-5, King James Version
Source: Galatians 4:4-5 KJV, Bible Gateway
50. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” – Micah 5:2, King James Version
Source: Micah 5:2 KJV, Bible Gateway
51. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” – Luke 1:31-33, King James Version
Source: Luke 1:31-33 KJV, Bible Gateway
Christmas Quotes: Peace, Joy and the Year’s End
When the noise drops, a lot of these lines turn toward peace, not as a caption, but as something you hope still holds after the year you just had.
52. “I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old, familiar carols play, / And wild and sweet / The words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Source: “Christmas Bells,” in The Complete Poetical Works, Project Gutenberg ebook 1365
53. “And in despair I bowed my head; / “There is no peace on earth,” I said: / “For hate is strong, / And mocks the song / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” / Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: / “God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! / The Wrong shall fail, / The Right prevail, / With peace on earth, good-will to men!”” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Source: “Christmas Bells,” Project Gutenberg ebook 1365
54. “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Five (Scrooge, Christmas morning), Project Gutenberg ebook 46
55. “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour.” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Three, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
56. “At Christmas play, and make good cheer, / For Christmas comes but once a year.” – Thomas Tusser
Source: Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, as cited on Wikiquote's Christmas page
57. “England was merry England, when / Old Christmas brought his sports again. / ‘Twas Christmas broach’d the mightiest ale; / ‘Twas Christmas told the merriest tale; / A Christmas gambol oft could cheer / The poor man’s heart through half the year.” – Walter Scott
Source: Marmion (1808), Canto VI, Introduction, as cited on Wikiquote's Christmas page
58. “The time draws near the birth of Christ: / The moon is hid; the night is still; / The Christmas bells from hill to hill / Answer each other in the mist.” – Alfred Tennyson
Source: In Memoriam A.H.H. (1849), section XXVIII, as cited on Wikiquote's Christmas page
59. “At Christmas I no more desire a rose, / Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth.” – William Shakespeare
Source: Love's Labour's Lost (c. 1595–96), Act I, scene 1, as cited on Wikiquote's Christmas page
60. “A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!” – Charles Dickens
Source: A Christmas Carol, Stave Three, Bob Cratchit, Project Gutenberg ebook 46
61. “Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough… are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.” – Henry van Dyke
Source: “Keeping Christmas,” in The Spirit of Christmas (1905), Project Gutenberg ebook 14572
62. “Joy to the world! the Lord is come; / Let earth receive her King. / Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room, / And heav’n and nature sing.” – Isaac Watts
Source: “Joy to the World,” stanza 1, based on Psalm 98 (1719), as given on Wikiquote
Christmas Quotes About Faith: The Incarnation and the Carols
The older carols and the theologians keep returning to the same claim: Christmas is not only a mood. It is the claim that God came near.
63. “O little town of Bethlehem, / How still we see thee lie! / Above thy deep and dreamless sleep / The silent stars go by; / Yet in thy dark streets shineth / The everlasting Light; / The hopes and fears of all the years / Are met in thee to-night.” – Phillips Brooks
Source: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868), first stanza, as given on Wikiquote (Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed., 1919)
64. “In the bleak mid-winter / Frosty wind made moan, / Earth stood hard as iron, / Water like a stone; / Snow had fallen, snow on snow, / Snow on snow, / In the bleak mid-winter / Long ago.” – Christina Rossetti
Source: “A Christmas Carol” (often called “In the Bleak Midwinter”), first stanza, published 1872; Project Gutenberg Poems and Wikisource
65. “Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him / Nor earth sustain; / Heaven and earth shall flee away / When He comes to reign: / In the bleak mid-winter / A stable-place sufficed / The Lord God Almighty / Jesus Christ.” – Christina Rossetti
Source: “A Christmas Carol” (often called “In the Bleak Midwinter”), second stanza, published 1872; Project Gutenberg Poems
66. “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! / Hail the Sun of Righteousness!” – Charles Wesley
Source: “Hymn for Christmas-Day” (1739), in the later familiar wording noted on Wikiquote
67. “He rules the world with truth and grace, / And makes the nations prove / The glories of His righteousness, / And wonders of His love.” – Isaac Watts
Source: “Joy to the World,” stanza 4 (1719), as given on Wikiquote
68. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8, King James Version
Source: Philippians 2:5-8 KJV, Bible Gateway
69. “Christianity does not involve the belief that all things were made for man. It does involve the belief that God loves man and for his sake became man and died.” – C. S. Lewis
Source: Miracles (1947), Chapter 7, “A Chapter of Red Herrings,” as given on Wikiquote
70. “I accept this supposed missing chapter, the Incarnation, I find it begins to illuminate the whole of the rest of the manuscript. It lights up Nature’s pattern of death and rebirth; and, secondly, her selectiveness; and, thirdly, her vicariousness.” – C. S. Lewis
Source: “The Grand Miracle,” in God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics (Eerdmans, 1970), pp. 81, 86, as given on Wikiquote
71. “For He was made man that we might be made God; and He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality.” – Athanasius of Alexandria
Source: On the Incarnation (De Incarnatione) 54.3, NPNF translation at New Advent
72. “Let us not flutter too high, but remain by the manger and the swaddling clothes of Christ, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” – Martin Luther
Source: Table Talk (Tischreden, 1569), no. 50, as given on Wikiquote; the closing clause echoes Colossians 2:9
FAQ: Christmas Quotes
What are the best Christmas quotes?
The best Christmas quotes are the ones you can source. This list keeps 72 verified lines, including Dickens on keeping Christmas all year, Coolidge’s 1927 message that Christmas is a state of mind, the Grinch on Christmas meaning “a little bit more,” and the Nativity verses in Luke 2.
What is a famous Bible verse for Christmas?
The verses people return to most are in Luke 2. In the King James Version, Luke 2:11 reads, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,” and Luke 2:14 reads, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Isaiah 9:6 and John 1:14 are often read alongside them.
What is a good Christmas quote about giving?
Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol says, “Mankind was my business.” O. Henry, at the end of The Gift of the Magi, writes that the magi “invented the art of giving Christmas presents,” and that the two who gave everything for each other “are the magi.” Henry van Dyke puts it more bluntly: you can never keep Christmas alone.
What are some Christmas quotes about the birth of Jesus besides the Bible?
Beside the Nativity verses, this list keeps public-domain carols such as Isaac Watts’s “Joy to the World” (1719), Phillips Brooks’s “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868), and Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” (1872), along with sourced lines from C. S. Lewis, Athanasius, and Martin Luther on the Incarnation.
Every day, people go looking for words to get them through something.
A tough workout. A big game. A bad week.
A lot of them land on Addicted2Success.
So we looked at our own Google Search data to see who and what they were searching for.
This is the first Addicted2Success Quote Index.
Every number below comes from our Google Search Console data for the 12 months from November 9, 2025 to November 8, 2026. Nothing is estimated. Nothing is borrowed from anyone else.
If you’re a writer or researcher, you’re welcome to cite any stat on this page. Just credit “The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index” and link back here.
Key Findings: The Quote Index at a Glance
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index is based on 12 months of Google search clicks and impressions to Addicted2Success.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 85.1% of clicks from our top 1,000 search queries were people looking for quotes.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that roughly 3 in 4 quote clicks (75.8%) came from searches naming a specific person.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that Drake was the most-clicked name in quote searches, with 19.4% of all person-led quote clicks.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that musicians and rappers drew 51.0% of person-led quote clicks, more than actors, athletes, business founders and historical figures combined.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that victory and winning was the top quote theme, with 63.3% of theme-led quote clicks.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 65.0% of clicks came from mobile.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 57.7% of clicks came from outside the United States, across 244 countries and territories.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that February was our strongest month in search, and Christmas Day was the quietest day of the year.
The Names: The 10 Most-Clicked People in Quote Searches
When people search for quotes, most of them have someone specific in mind.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that searches naming a person drove 75.8% of quote clicks.
Searches built around a theme, such as victory or never giving up, drove 12.7%.
General “celebrity quotes” style searches drove 9.0%.
Here’s who led, ranked by share of person-led quote clicks:
- Drake: 19.4%
- Nipsey Hussle: 9.0%
- Eminem: 5.8%
- Kanye West: 5.4%
- John Wayne: 5.0%
- Greg Plitt: 3.9%
- CT Fletcher: 2.6%
- Avicii: 2.5%
- Neymar: 2.0%
- Winston Churchill: 1.8%
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that the top five names alone took 44.6% of person-led quote clicks.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that Drake drew 2.16 times as many quote clicks as the next name, Nipsey Hussle.
Drake also had the most different ways of being searched: 60 distinct quote searches named him.
People wanted Drake quotes about life, about success, motivational ones and inspirational ones.
In total, the Index picked up 150 different people in our top quote searches.
Who Inspires Us: Musicians Beat Every Other Group
We grouped every person in the data by what they’re known for.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found this split of person-led quote clicks:
- Musicians and rappers: 51.0%
- Actors and entertainers: 15.5%
- Historical thinkers, writers and leaders: 11.2%
- Fitness coaches, motivators and self-help authors: 10.5%
- Athletes: 7.3%
- Business founders: 4.5%
Music gets into your head in a way a speech rarely does.
When someone hears a lyric that hits, they go looking for more.
And it’s not only rappers. Fitness legends Greg Plitt and CT Fletcher both made the top 10.
So did a cowboy-movie icon, John Wayne, and a wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill.
People pull motivation from everywhere.
The Themes: What People Want Quotes About
Not everyone searches by name. Some people search by the feeling they need.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that victory and winning led theme-based quote searches by a wide margin, with 63.3% of theme-led quote clicks.
Motivation came next, at 10.0%.
After that came lion and strength-mindset quotes, then never giving up, simplicity and humility, success, inspiration, and passion and purpose.
The words people add to their searches tell a story too.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 10.5% of quote clicks came from searches using “inspirational” or “inspiring.”
8.2% used “motivational.”
7.9% asked for quotes “about life” or “on life.”
People aren’t just after nice words. They’re after words that help them live.
What’s Rising: The Last Three Months
We also compared the last three months (August 9 to November 8, 2026) with the full year.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that Nipsey Hussle’s share of person-led quote clicks rose from 9.0% over the year to 14.4% in the last three months.
The search “nipsey hussle quotes” picked up 37% of its yearly clicks in that final quarter.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that searches about never giving up, courage and strength rose from 4.8% of theme-led quote clicks over the year to 16.6% in the last three months.
Drake held steady at the top, with 19.5% of person-led quote clicks in the last three months.
The Global Picture: Where the Searches Come From
Motivation doesn’t stop at a border.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 57.7% of Addicted2Success search clicks came from outside the United States.
The top five countries by share of clicks:
- United States: 42.3%
- India: 13.5%
- Nigeria: 5.0%
- United Kingdom: 4.2%
- Canada: 4.1%
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that searchers in Nigeria clicked through at 2.89 times the rate of searchers in the United States.
Quotes travel in other languages too.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 5.3% of quote clicks came from non-English searches. These included Spanish, Turkish, Indonesian, German, Swedish and Hindi.
On the Go: Mobile vs Desktop
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that 65.0% of clicks came from phones, 33.8% from desktop and 1.2% from tablets.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that mobile searchers clicked through at 1.90 times the rate of desktop searchers.
People don’t save motivation for when they’re at a desk.
They look for it on the train, at the gym and in bed before an early start.
Timing: When People Look for Motivation
Nearly 8 in 10 of our page clicks (79.9%) land on quote pages, so our overall search traffic tracks when people go looking for quotes.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that February was the strongest month, at 23.7% above the monthly average in clicks per day.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that December was the quietest month, at 29.8% below average.
January jumped 36.5% over December in clicks per day.
The New Year’s push is real.
And it built into February instead of fading.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that Christmas Day was the quietest day of the year.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that Monday to Thursday averaged 38.7% more clicks per day than Saturday, the slowest day of the week.
Most people go looking for motivation at the start of the week, when the work is waiting.
Beyond the Names: TV Shows and Famous Faces
Some people don’t want one person. They want a whole room of them.
General searches for celebrity quotes and quotes from actors drove 9.0% of quote clicks.
And one TV show earned its own spot.
The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index found that searches for quotes from The Office drove 2.4% of quote clicks.
Sometimes the best motivation comes with a laugh.
Methodology: How We Built the Index
Source: Google Search Console data for addicted2success.com, Web search results only.
Date range: November 9, 2025 to November 8, 2026 (12 months). The “rising” comparisons use August 9 to November 8, 2026.
What the query data covers: Google Search Console exports the top 1,000 search queries for a period. Those queries made up 23.2% of our clicks for the year. Google also leaves out rare queries to protect searchers’ privacy. So the person, theme and modifier findings describe our top 1,000 queries, not every search.
What the country, device and monthly data covers: These figures cover all Addicted2Success search clicks and impressions for the period, not only quote searches. Quote pages earned 79.9% of page clicks in our top 1,000 pages.
How we classified searches: A search counted as a quote search if it asked for quotes, sayings, lyrics or captions, in any language. Brand searches for Addicted2Success were left out. We grouped searches by the person they named, including misspellings and translations. Searches that named no person were grouped by theme.
What this measures: These are searches where Addicted2Success appeared in Google, and the clicks we earned from them. The Index does not measure total Google search volume for any person or topic.
Privacy: Search Console data is aggregated and anonymized by Google. It contains no information about individual visitors.
FAQ: The Addicted2Success Quote Index
What is the Addicted2Success Quote Index?
It’s a yearly look at who and what people search for when they want motivational quotes. It’s built from 12 months of Addicted2Success Google Search Console data.
Who is the most-clicked name in quote searches in the 2026 Index?
Drake. He drew 19.4% of person-led quote clicks, 2.16 times the next name, Nipsey Hussle.
What is the most popular quote theme?
Victory and winning. It drew 63.3% of quote clicks from searches built around a theme rather than a person.
Do people find Addicted2Success more on mobile or desktop?
Mobile. Phones drove 65.0% of clicks, and mobile searchers clicked through at 1.90 times the desktop rate.
When do people look for motivation the most?
February was our strongest month for search clicks in the 2026 Index. Monday to Thursday was stronger than the weekend. December, and Christmas Day especially, was the quietest.
Can I cite the Addicted2Success Quote Index?
Yes. Please credit “The 2026 Addicted2Success Quote Index” and link to this page.
How often is the Index updated?
Once a year, on this same page.
Quotes
56 James Clear Quotes on Habits, Systems and Showing Up
Spoken advice from Joel Brown’s two interviews with James Clear, paired with sourced X posts and a smaller selection of Atomic Habits quotes on habits, systems, identity and showing up.
James Clear’s quotes on habits come back to making the first step smaller, building systems instead of chasing goals, and showing up even on your worst days. He has said, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems,” and “You get what you repeat.” The 56 quotes below come from our two Addicted2Success podcast conversations, from his posts, and from Atomic Habits.
I’ve sat down with James Clear twice on the Addicted2Success podcast, and I know him personally. The first conversation was in 2014, years before Atomic Habits came out. The second was in 2019, after the book had already changed how a lot of people think about their daily routines. What stayed with me isn’t a slogan. It’s how practical he is about making the first step smaller, protecting your attention, and not putting happiness off until the next milestone.
You can watch our 2019 conversation below. I went back through the conversations, pulled the lines that still hold up, and mixed in some of what James has shared on X, plus a handful of the Atomic Habits quotes people already know. Every line has a source if you want to go back to where it came from. Pick the one that speaks to what you’re working on, then give it a job in your day.
A few of the interview lines are tightened for reading. The dots mean I cut a bit of the original.
Habits: Make the Start Smaller
The first hurdle is often the start, not the whole workout, chapter or business plan. In our conversations, James kept bringing the discussion back to what makes a behavior easier to begin. If the first step feels heavy, make it smaller before asking yourself for more motivation.
1. “All of your energy should be spent on figuring out how to make it easier to start, not necessarily how to do some big amazing grand thing.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
2. “Once you build this habit, then you can improve and escalate from there.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
3. “I don't think that people need to make just one little change and then they'll see their life transform.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
4. “You are not your grand plans. You are your daily patterns.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, March 12, 2026 (PDT).
5. “Pick a standard time and place to do it. … If it’s already decided, all you need to do is show up.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, June 3, 2021 (PDT).
6. “Even when you know that you should start small, it's still easy to start way too big.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
7. “All big things come from small beginnings.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 1 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Systems vs. Goals: Give Progress a Place in Your Week
The 90/10 split below comes from our earlier conversation, before Atomic Habits was published. It gives you a useful question to ask of a goal: how much attention are you giving the work that would actually move it forward?
8. “Rather than being 90% goals and 10% systems, I think it should be 90% systems, 10% goals.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
9. “You should spend most of your time thinking about … How can we build a system to commit to doing this over and over and over again, rather than getting worried and focused and wrapped up in the result?” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
10. “There is no need to fear any problem you are working on. If you are working on it, then you are influencing the outcome. It's the problems you don't address that should concern you.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, September 23, 2026 (PDT).
11. “The sooner you make a choice, the sooner you can make an adjustment.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 15, 2026 (PDT).
12. “With a system you can be happy no matter what the outcome is, as long as the system is running.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
13. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 1 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
14. “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 1 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Identity: Build Evidence You Can Believe
A new label is easy to announce. A repeated action gives you something to believe. These passages also bring in the social side of change: it helps to have somewhere, and someone, to move toward.
15. “Fake it until you make it is actually asking you to believe something that you don't have evidence for.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
16. “In a sense it's easier to go to something than to just go away from something.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
17. “Each belief system, you can see the same things, the same cues, but depending on what lens you have on … you come to different conclusions.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
18. “Build habits that reinforce your desired identity.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, August 28, 2019 (PDT).
19. “Your best performances will come when you are working in a way that is a full expression of you.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 13, 2026 (PDT).
20. “Compete externally and you compare. Compete internally and you improve.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 9, 2026 (PDT).
21. “The mindset: Confident enough to start. Humble enough to keep learning. The trap: Too humble to start. Or too confident to keep learning.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 14, 2026 (PDT).
22. “Your habits are the way that you embody a particular identity.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
23. “The more that you repeat these behaviors, the more you start to believe things about yourself.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
24. “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 2 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Long-Term Thinking: Build a Life You Can Sustain
Patience doesn’t have to mean withholding happiness. One of the things James talked about in our first interview was allowing yourself to enjoy developing a skill, rather than waiting until you were good enough to feel satisfied.
25. “Allow yourself to be happy in the moment, to be happy while you're working on the task, while you're working on building your skill set rather than thinking that it's something that you'll get to once you're good enough.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
26. “Pretty much any problem you're facing, somebody has written something useful about it before.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
27. “Aim to be great in 10 years. … Long-term thinking is a secret weapon.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, November 27, 2019 (PST).
28. “Long-term thinking changes short-term actions. Spend a little time today doing things that will benefit you in ten years.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, August 27, 2026 (PDT).
29. “A brief guide to compounding: If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it. If you don’t stick with it, it won’t compound. Find the version of it that you love.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, November 29, 2020 (PST).
30. “Before something can compound, it must be sustained. … In the long-run, the sustainable way is the fast way.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, July 12, 2020 (PDT).
31. “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 1 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
32. “Habits are not a finish line to be crossed … they're a lifestyle to be lived.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
33. “You get what you repeat.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 1 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Showing Up: Make Room for the Bad Days
A routine that only works when everything goes right is fragile. James’s X posts add a useful distinction here: consistency can involve changing the size of the effort without giving up on it.
34. “The smaller the behavior is, the easier it's going to be to stick to it and to initiate it.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
35. “By focusing on just making the behavior the focus, and just repeating it over and over again, rather than worrying about the result, you make it more likely that you'll follow through.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
36. “It only takes five minutes to break the cycle. … It doesn't take much to feel good again.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, March 6, 2026 (PST).
37. “In practice, consistency is about being adaptable. Don't have much time? Scale it down. Don't have much energy? Do the easy version. Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, February 29, 2024 (PST).
38. “The loser has more in common with the winner than with the person sitting on the sidelines. … Success is endurance in disguise.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, September 15, 2026 (PDT).
39. “Improvement is a battle that must be fought each day anew. … Your best effort, again.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, August 25, 2026 (PDT).
40. “When choosing a new habit many people seem to ask themselves, "What can I do on my best days?" The trick is to ask, "What can I stick to even on my worst days?" Start small. Master the art of showing up. Scale up when you have the time, energy, and interest.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, September 17, 2026 (PDT).
41. “Grit may be more powerful as something you use to get to the starting line: … never miss a workout … always show up … do it everyday.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, June 22, 2019 (PDT).
42. “Never miss twice.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 16 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
43. “The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 19 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Focus and Environment: Make the Better Choice Easier
The seventh-most-important thing can still feel like work. That’s what makes it such a convincing distraction. These lines connect attention to surroundings, information and social groups—not just to having more discipline.
44. “The risk is that you do the seventh most important thing rather than the most important thing.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
45. “I don't want to open up my phone and just tap Instagram just 'cause it's there.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
46. “I don't care where an idea comes from. … Whatever field it comes from is fine with me, as long as it's a good idea and that it's practical and actionable.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
47. “One of the greatest things that you can embrace is this idea of simplicity, and this idea of eliminating the distractions.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “6 Ways to Create Powerful Habits for Success – James Clear,” October 2014.
48. “The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 30, 2026 (PDT).
49. “When you need clarity, subtract.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, September 16, 2026 (PDT).
50. “Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking. You don't need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, February 17, 2026 (PST).
51. “Your mind will follow whatever you feed it. Want better thoughts? Consume better things.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 8, 2026 (PDT).
52. “Spend less time trying to find motivation and more time making good habits the path of least resistance.” — James Clear
Source: James Clear on X, October 29, 2026 (PDT).
53. “Find a group where your desired behavior is a normal behavior and you already have something else in common.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
54. “To break bad habits you want to increase the friction associated with the task.” — James Clear
Source: Addicted2Success Podcast, “4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear,” June 2019.
55. “Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 6 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
56. “Be the designer of your world, and not merely the consumer of it.” — James Clear
Source: Atomic Habits, ch. 6 (Avery, 2018). Source check.
Choose one habit you can make easier today. Give it a time, remove one obstacle and decide what a smaller version will look like when the day gets difficult.
Epictetus was born a slave, walked with a limp and was banished from Rome by an emperor, and his words still ended up shaping the mind of Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man on earth. He didn’t write a single book himself. His student Arrian took notes in his classroom and those notes became the Discourses and the Enchiridion, the little handbook generals, prisoners and founders have carried in their pockets for nearly two thousand years. His whole message fits on a sticky note: some things are up to you and some things are not, so stop bleeding energy on the second list. These 60 Epictetus quotes, taken straight from George Long’s translation of the Discourses and the Enchiridion, will help you guard your judgments, train your desires and become the kind of person no setback can own. If you want the wider school after this, start with these Stoic quotes for an unshakeable mind.
Epictetus Quotes on Control, Judgment and What’s Up to You
1. “What is mine, and what is not mine; and what is permitted to me, and what is not permitted to me.” – Epictetus
2. “When I see a man anxious, I say, What does this man want? If he did not want some thing which is not in his power, how could he be anxious?” – Epictetus
3. “What is weeping and lamenting? Opinion. What is bad fortune? Opinion.” – Epictetus
4. “We ought to have these two principles in readiness, that except the will nothing is good nor bad; and that we ought not to lead events, but to follow them.” – Epictetus
5. “To be instructed is this, to learn to wish that every thing may happen as it does.” – Epictetus
6. “It is not that which has happened that afflicts this man, for it does not afflict another, but it is the opinion about this thing which afflicts the man.” – Epictetus
7. “Appearances, wait for me a little: let me see who you are, and what you are about: let me put you to the test.” – Epictetus
8. “As Socrates said, we ought not to live a life without examination, so we ought not to accept an appearance without examination.” – Epictetus
9. “Things themselves are indifferent; but the use of them is not indifferent.” – Epictetus
10. “No man then has the power either to procure for me any good or to involve me in any evil, but I alone myself over myself have power in these things.” – Epictetus
11. “Another will not damage you, unless you choose: but you will be damaged then when you shall think that you are damaged.” – Epictetus
12. “When any person treats you ill or speaks ill of you, remember that he does this or says this because he thinks that it is his duty.” – Epictetus
13. “If any person was intending to put your body in the power of any man whom you fell in with on the way, you would be vexed: but that you put your understanding in the power of any man whom you meet, so that if he should revile you, it is disturbed and troubled, are you not ashamed at this?” – Epictetus
14. “If you love an earthen vessel, say it is an earthen vessel which you love; for when it has been broken, you will not be disturbed.” – Epictetus
15. “Never say about any thing, I have lost it, but say I have restored it.” – Epictetus
16. “Keep this thought in readiness, when you lose any thing external, what you acquire in place of it; and if it be worth more, never say, I have had a loss.” – Epictetus
Epictetus Quotes on Freedom, Desire and Self-Mastery
17. “He is free who lives as he wishes to live; who is neither subject to compulsion nor to hindrance, nor to force.” – Epictetus
18. “Freedom is acquired not by the full possession of the things which are desired, but by removing the desire.” – Epictetus
19. “Is freedom any thing else than the power of living as we choose? Nothing else.” – Epictetus
20. “We must not believe the many, who say that free persons only ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that the educated only are free.” – Epictetus
21. “What then is that which makes a man free from hindrance and makes him his own master? For wealth does not do it, nor consulship, nor provincial government, nor royal power; but something else must be discovered.” – Epictetus
22. “My man, as the proverb says, make a desperate effort on behalf of tranquillity of mind, freedom and magnanimity. Lift up your head at last as released from slavery.” – Epictetus
23. “Cease to make yourselves slaves, first of things, then on account of things slaves of those who are able to give them or take them away.” – Epictetus
24. “Only consider at what price you sell your own will: if for no other reason, at least for this, that you sell it not for a small sum.” – Epictetus
25. “Who then is the invincible? It is he whom none of the things disturb which are independent of the will.” – Epictetus
26. “If then you wish not to be of an angry temper, do not feed the habit: throw nothing on it which will increase it: at first keep quiet, and count the days on which you have not been angry.” – Epictetus
27. “We ought to exercise ourselves in small things, and beginning with them to proceed to the greater.” – Epictetus
28. “Remember that in life you ought to behave as at a banquet. Suppose that something is carried round and is opposite to you. Stretch out your hand and take a portion with decency. Suppose that it passes by you. Do not detain it.” – Epictetus
29. “The measure of possession is to every man the body, as the foot is of the shoe.” – Epictetus
Epictetus Quotes on Adversity, Exile, Death and Training
30. “I must be put in chains. Must I then also lament? I must go into exile. Does any man then hinder me from going with smiles and cheerfulness and contentment?” – Epictetus
31. “A bull is not made suddenly, nor a brave man; but we must discipline ourselves in the winter for the summer campaign, and not rashly run upon that which does not concern us.” – Epictetus
32. “What then should a man say on the occasion of each painful thing? It was for this that I exercised myself, for this I disciplined myself.” – Epictetus
33. “Practise, man, if you are irritable, to endure if you are abused, not to be vexed if you are treated with dishonour.” – Epictetus
34. “In every act consider what precedes and what follows, and then proceed to the act.” – Epictetus
35. “Death or pain is not formidable, but the fear of pain or death.” – Epictetus
36. “Confidence then ought to be employed against death, and caution against the fear of death.” – Epictetus
37. “Bring disease, bring death, bring poverty, bring abuse, bring trial on capital charges: all these things through the rod of Hermes shall be made profitable.” – Epictetus
38. “Is my neighbour bad? Bad to himself, but good to me: he exercises my good disposition, my moderation.” – Epictetus
39. “Show me a man who is sick and happy, in danger and happy, dying and happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy. Show him: I desire, by the gods, to see a Stoic.” – Epictetus
40. “What then do you wish to be doing when you are found by death? I for my part would wish to be found doing something which belongs to a man, beneficent, suitable to the general interest, noble.” – Epictetus
41. “It needs only a few things for the loss and overturning of all, namely a small deviation from reason.” – Epictetus
42. “When you have remitted your attention for a short time, do not imagine this, that you will recover it when you choose.” – Epictetus
43. “How will you be nobody nowhere, when you ought to be somebody in those things only which are in your power, in which indeed it is permitted to you to be a man of the greatest worth?” – Epictetus
Epictetus Quotes on Character, Learning and Living as a Philosopher
44. “In the first place, know who you are and then adorn yourself appropriately.” – Epictetus
45. “Consider who you are. In the first place, you are a man; and this is one who has nothing superior to the faculty of the will.” – Epictetus
46. “Man, if you are anything, both walk alone and talk to yourself, and do not hide yourself in the chorus.” – Epictetus
47. “What is the first business of him who philosophizes? To throw away self-conceit.” – Epictetus
48. “The beginning of philosophy to him at least who enters on it in the right way and by the door, is a consciousness of his own weakness and inability about necessary things.” – Epictetus
49. “The philosopher’s school, ye men, is a surgery: you ought not to go out of it with pleasure, but with pain.” – Epictetus
50. “Philosophers admonish us not to be satisfied with learning only, but also to add study, and then practice.” – Epictetus
51. “He who is unmusical is a child in music; he who is without letters is a child in learning: he who is untaught, is a child in life.” – Epictetus
52. “Know you not that a good man does nothing for the sake of appearance, but for the sake of doing right?” – Epictetus
53. “Who are they by whom you wish to be admired? Are they not those of whom you are used to say, that they are mad? Well then do you wish to be admired by madmen?” – Epictetus
54. “If it should ever happen to you to be turned to externals in order to please some person, you must know that you have lost your purpose in life.” – Epictetus
55. “Immediately prescribe some character and some form to yourself, which you shall observe both when you are alone and when you meet with men.” – Epictetus
56. “The signs of one who is making progress are these: he censures no man, he praises no man, he blames no man, he accuses no man, he says nothing about himself as if he were somebody or knew something.” – Epictetus
57. “I am richer than you, therefore my possessions are greater than yours: I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is superior to yours. But you are neither possession nor speech.” – Epictetus
58. “Where else is friendship than where there is fidelity, and modesty, where there is a communion of honest things and of nothing else?” – Epictetus
59. “Never in reply to the question, to what country you belong, say that you are an Athenian or a Corinthian, but that you are a citizen of the world.” – Epictetus
60. “You are carrying about a god with you, and you know it not.” – Epictetus
Epictetus never asked his students to admire him. He asked them to go home and practise, to catch their own judgments in the act and to stop outsourcing their peace to people and events they will never control. Pick the one line that hit hardest, say it out loud tomorrow morning and test yourself against it before lunch. And since the most famous student of his words was an emperor, keep the lesson going with these Marcus Aurelius quotes from Meditations and see what Epictetus looks like in the hands of a man who ran an empire.
72 Christmas Quotes on Faith, Giving, Family and the Meaning of the Season
7 Best AEO Agencies For AI Search Visibility
How Virtual Therapy Sessions Work With Licensed Therapists
What Is Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for Small Businesses?
The Hidden Link Between Employee Recognition and Business Growth
5 Ways For Startups To Succeed Making Acquisitions
77 Inspirational Quotes That Will Change Your Life
57 Memorable Kobe Bryant Quotes
Motivational Picture Quotes: 52 Images to Inspire a Successful Year
40 Rare Motivational and Inspirational Picture Quotes
3 Prince EA Videos To Change Humanities Path To Greatness
(Video) What Is Success? An Entrepreneurial Story To Inspire You
(Inspirational Video) What If Today You Knew You Were Going To Take Your Last Breath?
How To Make Enough Money From A Blog To Quit Your Job – Kate McKibbin
How Finding Your Passion And Becoming An Entrepreneur Can Lead To Happiness – Chiquita Searle
-
Did You Know1 year ago7 Surprising Life Lessons Video Games Taught Me That School Never Did
-
Life2 years agoThe 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do
-
Success Advice1 year agoStephen Covey’s 8 Leadership Habits That Will Change How You Lead Forever
-
Life1 year agoHow to Stop the War in Your Head and Find Peace
-
Featured2 years agoThe Psychology of Motivation: How to Keep Moving Forward Every Day
-
Personal Development2 years agoThe Three-Second Pause That Changes How People Perceive You
-
Explode Your Social Media1 year agoWant More Views? Master These 6 YouTube Growth Tactics
-
Change Your Mindset1 year agoYou Become What You Absorb: How Input Shapes Your Life
14 Comments