BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Inspiration Inspiration Quote

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

Jane Goodall

In 1960, primatologist Jane Goodall left England for what is now Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to begin her groundbreaking work studying and advocating for chimpanzees. Considered the world’s leading expert on the primates, Goodall formed such a close bond with the chimps that she became the only human ever accepted into their community. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, dedicated to continuing the animal rights and conservation efforts that have been her life’s work for more than 60 years. This quote by Goodall serves as a call to action, reminding us that our choices have the power to effect change, but that we must first envision the world we want and commit our efforts in that direction.

The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them.

Ernest Hemingway

Trusting other people is not inherently easy for everyone. In fact, it’s quite a vulnerable thing to do. But closing ourselves off from others and assuming they’re untrustworthy leaves us much worse off. Ernest Hemingway, in a February 1953 letter to a friend, suggested that giving people the benefit of the doubt is the only way to build trust. In a way, extending trust to others demonstrates our own dependability, which may encourage them to reciprocate. Trusting is ultimately an act of courage — one that requires an openness and compassion we can only hope others will extend to us as well.

I learned that the moment you want to slow down is the moment you should accelerate.

James Dyson

James Dyson could have been forgiven for slowing down when he was struggling to perfect his innovative Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner. He made 5,127 prototypes before he got it right, but with every step he became even more determined. “There were 5,126 failures,” he said, “but I learned from each one. That’s how I came up with a solution.” It took Dyson 15 years of tinkering before his first vacuum cleaner was ready for launch, but no major manufacturer or distributor was willing to back the product. Undeterred, he set up his own manufacturing company, and soon his Dual Cyclone became the fastest-selling vacuum cleaner ever made in Britain. Today, Dyson is one of the wealthiest people in the U.K., with an estimated net worth of around $29 billion.

Ultimately, art is trying to see things that other people don't see.

Trevor Paglen

For most of his artistic career, artist and geographer Trevor Paglen has focused on the American surveillance state — what it means to see and be seen. His pieces include a temporary satellite (“Orbital Reflector,” 2018) and long-distance photos of military bases and stealth drones. Paglen’s work pushes boundaries — not only of what can be considered art, but also of our own capacity to truly see our surroundings. Here, he reminds us that art can open up our senses in new ways, deepening our understanding of the world and our place in it.

You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.

Brené Brown

Lecturer and author Brené Brown’s research on shame and vulnerability has contributed to the public conversation about what it means to live authentically — or, as Brown calls it, “wholehearted living.” In her book “Rising Strong,” Brown acknowledges that owning up to our difficult emotions (including fear, anger, aggression, and shame) can be difficult, and can even feel dangerous. But taking accountability for our emotions and actions, no matter how messy, is how we learn and grow from our mistakes. By walking inside our stories, instead of denying our feelings and distancing ourselves from the truth, we can transform our lives.

When you know and respect your own Inner Nature, you know where you belong.

Benjamin Hoff

Author Benjamin Hoff is best known for his 1982 book “The Tao of Pooh,” an exploration of the Chinese philosophy of Taoism using the characters of A.A. Milne’s beloved children’s series “Winnie-the-Pooh.” In Hoff’s book, Pooh represents the Taoist concept of “P’u,” humanity’s natural and spontaneous state. The book also covers more general concepts, including finding contentment in everyday life and the ways in which nature can influence our well-being. When contemplating our next step, Hoff suggests looking inward: Our intuition is our best compass.

We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.

Rania Al-Abdullah

Rania Al-Abdullah, the wife of King Abdullah II, has served as the queen of Jordan for more than 20 years, and in that time she has been a champion for her people as well as several humanitarian causes around the world. In her efforts to promote global education, the rights of women and children, community empowerment, and cultural understanding, she reminds us that we are always better together. When we can engage in respectful dialogue, free to share our thoughts, feelings, and stories, everyone benefits.

Hi Angie,

It's the people who do stuff and not talk about it that inspires me. I need to find out more about Rania Al-Abdullah.

Thanks for the quote.

Cheers

My dear, don't let the sun go down upon your anger; forgive each other, help each other, and begin again to‑morrow.
~Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, "Jo Meets Apollyon," 1868

Life is not what one lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers it.

Gabriel García Márquez

Gabriel García Márquez was a novelist, screenwriter, and journalist who used his upbringing in an emotionally and financially strained family in politically tumultuous Colombia as inspiration for his later works. He was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in literature, and he’s perhaps best known for his highly lauded “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” published in 1967. This quote appears in the leaflet of his 2002 autobiography, “Living to Tell the Tale.” The short reflection on perspective and memory summarizes the memoir’s overarching theme of observing the human condition both in and outside oneself. As is the case in “One Hundred Years,” Márquez used much of his writing to explore the idea of cyclical behavioral and social patterns one may be doomed to repeat — and the opportunity to break these cycles with shifted, analytical perspectives of ourselves and each other.