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Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie is best known for her scientific breakthroughs in radiation and radioactivity, which won her two Nobel Prizes. Even after her husband and research partner Pierre Curie died, Marie carried on their work, introducing the first X-ray machines to the frontlines of World War I. She spoke these brave words upon discovering that her long-term exposure to radiation during her research had given her leukemia. Her rational outlook applies not just to science and mortality, but also to life: If we approach the unknown without fear, we’re more likely to gain understanding we didn’t have before.

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Confucius

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived more than 2,500 years ago. Yet despite the wide gap of time between his life and ours, he is still famous today for his wise teachings and philosophy. While Confucius’ political and cultural influence is hard to overstate, his beginnings were meager. This only further proves the point of the above quote, which reminds us that great movements often start with small steps.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Edith Wharton

This beautiful line comes from Edith Wharton’s long poem “Vesalius in Zante (1564).” The speaker of the poem is Inquisition-era anatomist Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), who left Spain to travel to the East in his fifties, when he could no longer bear to live and work in a society that forbade his scientific research. On his way home from Jerusalem, Vesalius was shipwrecked on the Greek island of Zante, where he fell ill and died, never to return home. In the poet’s imagining, the censored scientist finds consolation at the end of his life in the faith that others will carry on the work he was prevented from: “What one man failed to speak, another finds / Another word for,” Wharton writes. In other words, carrying on the “light” of another — be it ideas, joy, love, or inspiration — can be just as valuable as creating it yourself.

There’s a wall between you and what you want and you got to leap it.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is generally regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in history — and he has a Nobel Prize in literature to prove it. The folk singer earned the award for his poetic and often moving lyrics. Take this one from Dylan’s 1981 song “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar” off the album “Shot of Love.” It encourages us to seize the moment, to bust through our fears and overcome obstacles. We won’t reach our dreams, Dylan warns, without the courage to leap.

You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.

Abraham Maslow

American psychologist Abraham Maslow is best known for his theory of the “Hierarchy of Needs,” which outlined the basic human needs that must be met before one can seek social or spiritual fulfillment. Feeling that psychology didn’t take into account human creativity or potential, Maslow defined the concept of “self-actualization” as a process in which humans continually strive to reach our best selves. Choice played a prominent part in his theories: Here, he reminds us that our progress in life is up to us — as long as we have the courage to move forward into the unknown.

Deserve your dream.

Octavio Paz

Octavio Paz, one of the most influential poets in the world, came from humble beginnings. He began publishing his work as a teenager and released his first poetry collection before the age of 20. His hard work earned him an esteemed career; he traveled the world as a diplomat and writer, becoming known internationally for his poems and essays and winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1990. Here, his charge to “deserve your dream” reminds us that success is measured not just in what we achieve, but who we are. When we know we’ve lived with integrity, reaching our goals is that much sweeter.

A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.

John A. Shedd

In 1901, a Minnesota newspaper reported that President Theodore Roosevelt wanted his warships on the move, and that they would rust and rot if left in the harbor. Twenty-seven years later, a professor by the name of John A. Shedd solidified Roosevelt’s sentiment into a pithy, memorable quote to share with the world, reminding us that great experiences are sometimes found over the horizon. Just as ships are meant to sail the seas, so too are we meant to explore new ideas and experiences. It can take courage to leave life’s safe harbors, but the reward for such bravery is a life well-lived.

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.

Fred Rogers

Fred Rogers is best known for his work as the creator and host of the beloved television series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which ran from 1968 to 2001. A major theme of his show was helping kids to understand their emotions, to know that “feelings are mentionable and manageable.” But Mister Rogers also acknowledged that it can take a lifetime to understand and love ourselves for the complicated, wonderful human beings that we are. This quote reminds us that no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, self-reflection and kindness are always noble endeavors.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. first delivered this famous line in a sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1957. It was later included in his 1963 book “Strength to Love,” in which King expounded on his philosophy of nonviolence and his belief that a powerful, loving presence binds all humans. Although he was regularly targeted by hate speech and discrimination, King adamantly insisted that only love could rid the world of its prejudice. To this day, as people protest peacefully for equality, they embody King’s ideals, promoting love in the belief that it will someday drive out hate.

It is a happy talent to know how to play.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American essayist, preacher, poet, and philosopher. This quote, which was included rather unceremoniously in one of Emerson’s journal entries from April 1835, offers insight into his values. He cautioned against taking societal rules so seriously that you sacrifice silliness and fun. In this he was ahead of his time. Science has shown that, in fact, playfulness is a learned trait, one that benefits us physically, socially, and emotionally at any age. It is, as Emerson said, an excellent ability to cultivate for a happy life.