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Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.

Ruth Gordon

Actress-turned-writer Ruth Gordon was familiar with courage as a perpetual exercise. After a Broadway debut and a handful of successful films in the 1940s, she took a 22-year absence from movies, preferring the visceral courage of stage acting. After marrying screenwriter Garson Kanin, Gordon dove into new territory once again by collaborating with him on screenplays, netting several Oscar nominations. When she did return to the screen, her quirky characters in films such as "Rosemary's Baby" and "Harold and Maude" made her a cult favorite. Gordon’s commitment to new ventures inspires us to embrace unfamiliar experiences: The more we do, the less frightening they’ll be, and the more we can grow.

When we sow a seed, we plant a narrative of future possibility.

Sue Stuart-Smith

Sue Stuart-Smith is an author and prominent psychotherapist who believes gardening can help us process our thoughts and feelings. In her popular book, “The Well-Gardened Mind,” she describes the garden as a powerful space that mirrors our inner world. As we tend to the plants, we tend to ourselves. Within this mindset, the act of sowing and caring for a seed is also a hopeful investment in our own future. The time and labor we put into a garden comes back to us manyfold, not only through the beautiful and delicious plants we can enjoy, but in the healing benefits of slowing our pace, breathing fresh air, and connecting with nature.

All that you’ve loved is all you own.

Tom Waits

Ranked 55th on "Rolling Stone's" "Greatest Songwriters of All Time" list, Tom Waits has penned tracks for the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart, plus his own 17 albums. Years before he became a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Waits threaded this line into “Take It With Me,” a ballad from his 1999 album “Mule Variations.” Accompanied by a soft piano melody, he reminds listeners that our interactions with material goods are fleeting — what defines us are the experiences we collect. To Waits, the fondness we form for people and places stays etched in our souls forever.

Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It's all funny.

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers was the definition of multitalented. A comedian, Emmy winner, Grammy winner, Tony nominee, and television trailblazer, she became the first woman to host a late-night network talk show with 1986’s “The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.” This quote isn’t just a mantra that Rivers preached but one she lived by. Her wit shined brightest while interviewing celebrities on the red carpet – even the biggest A-listers found themselves the subject of her biting humor, as she consistently prioritized being funny over being reverent. Rivers herself was the target of many quips, but rather than let it get her down, she once again embraced humor, with self-deprecating comments such as, “I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware.” Rivers was an inspiration not only for comedians, but for all of us — a reminder to maintain a lighthearted attitude in our lives so long as we’re lucky to be here.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.

Mark Twain

Known as the father of American literature, Mark Twain is famous for his classic novels “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1884). But it was in his 1894 novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson” that Twain wrote these memorable words on the subject of courage. Though courage and fear are often viewed as opposite experiences, they are actually intrinsically related: Fear is a common and natural feeling, but bravery comes from being able to overcome it.

Reality is everything, and dreaming is the same.

Iris van Herpen

Known for her optical illusion-inspired couture creations, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen has made a name for herself as a creative visionary capable of translating fantastical concepts into wearable art. In a 2016 interview with The Talks, van Herpen offered her perspective on the subjective line between reality and dreams, explaining, "I try to stretch the boundaries or the perception of boundaries that we give ourselves." In other words, to do something brand new, we need to recognize that often the only differences between dreams and reality are the limitations we create for ourselves.

“Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you'll never get the same moment twice.”

“Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.”

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.

In a time of destruction, create something.

Maxine Hong Kingston

During the late 1960s, the United States was in the throes of the devastating Vietnam War, and anti-war protests rocked the nation. That’s when author Maxine Hong Kingston started writing her award-winning memoir “The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts,” based on her upbringing as a Chinese American in California. In a time of unrest, Kingston processed her thoughts and emotions by creating. Published in 1976, the book went on to have a great impact on literature, uniquely blending folklore and autobiography to tackle complex issues such as immigration and feminism during a period of cultural revolution.