Happy Monday friends! Today’s post is all about inspiring quotes about life, and how to interpret them from a philosophical point of view.
Quotes are something someone said about a topic, their advice, or insight into life and to me this is an example of how we are all philosophers.
Here are the 15 inspiring quotes about life
1. Your perspective dictates your reality
Change your thoughts and you change your world.
Norman Vincent Peale
It is proven by science that your mind controls your external reality, and the wisdom of the quote above supports this. If you change your thoughts, you will change your world because you are changing your perspective as well. You cannot change your thoughts without changing your perspective first.
2. The important things in life are simple
Three things in life – your health, your mission, and the people you love. That’s it.
Naval Ravikant
When you live a life of love, your body becomes a temple, your mission is love, and you see love in everyone. I would interpret this quote as pushing you to find the love in life, through these three things that matter the most.
3. Actions are worth more than words
It’s not so much what we have in this life that matters. It’s what we do with what we have.
Fred Rogers
On Mother’s Day, I went on my bike, to my parents house, it isn’t a far bike ride, and I hurt my foot while running and competing with a friend, which is why I was biking. As I went to the flower shop in midtown Toronto, I was locking my bike, and as I struggled, to figure out a placement of my very stiff bike lock, the homeless man sitting at the corner said you can leave it, no one’s gunna take it. I replied and asked if he would watch it, and he agreed. I went into the store, found the most beautiful fresh tulips I’ve ever seen, and used a 50$ bill to pay. When I went to unlock my bike, I handed the man a 5$ bill. He was so grateful for this, I could feel his gratitude in my heart.
The above quote is stating that being of wealth is great, sure, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to give to those who have less, and remove the attachment insisted upon by your ego, to your wealth.
4. We don’t always get where we think we want to go, but end up where we needed to be
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
Douglas Adams
I read this quote and wonder why Adams used the word intended, as Abraham Hicks say to be more general in your desires, and the universe will handle the details. If you are intending to go somewhere specific, to me, you’re intending incorrectly.
Either way, this quote supports the principle that you are exactly where you need to be right now, and everything is working out, just as it’s intended to.
5. Being loved for something that isn’t true is hallow
It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
Andre Gide
This quote reminds me of what I wrote about identity fakeness. Underneath these eloquent words, Gide is suggesting that standing in your truth is always more rewarding to you than pleasing others by following their expectations can ever be. The wisdom lies in the use of love and hate. Where those who are standing in their truth are often met with criticism and opposition than following social norms of belief and identity fakeness.
6. Everyone is learning and making adjustments
Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Samuel Butler
In grade 7, I went to a new middle school, and chose to be in strings instead of band, or general music, but music was not optional. So, I copied my sister, as is true of those with personality disorders, and chose viola. I never really learned the instrument, just kind of winged it, and passed with just enough. The lesson is, that life is what you make of it. You can scape by, doing the minimum, or you can follow your passions and become the passion of living and put all of yourself into it.
7. Keep your head up and your dreams big
Keeping looking up… that’s the secret of life.
Snoopy
Charlie Brown and Snoopy are the wise ones of the Christmas season. My memory plays this one Charlie Brown Christmas movie with a box of hidden ornaments, so that’s where I’m pulling from. Either way, Snoopy’s quote is wise because he is telling you to fix your body posture, as well as your attitude.
8. The highest climb has the biggest payoff, yet the most difficult path
Difficult and meaningful will always bring more satisfaction than easy and meaningless.
Maxime Lagace
Have you ever wanted something so badly, you got scared to put any effort into it, or you put the wrong kind of effort and it blew up in your face? Yeah, story of my love life, jokes. The wisdom of the difficult and meaningful is in the journey. The story of becoming the person who overcomes challenges with resilience and grace, who no longer cringes when they run up a hill, and is Kanye West confident. That person went through difficult times, struggled more than they should have to, and has found the light within themselves that kindles a fire of determination and mission inside them.
My inner critic often wonders if what I write makes sense, it’s easier to stop writing and turn on Netflix and zone out while scrolling through instagram, but that is not meaningful. The meaningful lies in writing, sharing, and expressing my true self.
9. Philosophy is life
Life is a question and how we live it is our answer.
Gary Keller
This quote confirms my belief that philosophy is the underlying theme of all aspects of life, and so I looked up who Gary Keller is. He’s surprisingly not Helen Keller’s father, which based on the wisdom of the quote, I actually assumed he was. Anyway, the book Keller wrote is called The ONE Thing which requires you to be the “first domino” as one of his quotes stated.
Philosophy is the art of asking questions, and then questioning the result of that question. If life is the question, then philosophy is the guide to how we live it, and how we choose to answer this question is done through our actions, morals, ethics, and approach.
10. Stay grounded, but never stop dreaming of more
Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.
Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt is one of the greatest American figures I can think of, aside from Barak Obama’s social impact on American culture. Keeping our feet on the ground, standing stable in who we are in social reality, with our head up looking at the stars, suggests that this alignment with reality and metaphysical wonder is necessary for an inspired life.
11. The story is told in hindsight but lived with a big vision
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
Soren Kierkegaard.
Kierkegaard is an existentialist philosopher, known for questioning the meaning of life, and what we’re doing here, what the human purpose is. This quote is similar to the metaphor of a motorboat wake, life can only be seen once it has passed, like the boat’s wake, it is the result of action from which we leave a trail. However, the driver cannot properly steer the boat if he is looking behind him at the wake, looking forward, into the open lake, is how life is lived. Use your mirrors, not your neck.
12. Nothing can change unless you change
Life is from the inside out. When you shift on the inside, life shifts on the outside.
Kamal Ravikant
The Christian Baptism, is a metaphor for washing yourself in the love of Christ, but the living of a Christian life, is embodying the love of Christ. Life is lived from the inside out, as Ravikant eloquently put it, you’re the driver of your car, shift your gears, and adjust your radio dial, change your vibe and your view of the path will change too.
13. Life can be unpredictable
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
Forrest Gump
I know I’ve heard my mom say this before. She loves her chocolate. I always questioned it with don’t they tell you on the back of the box? But truthfully, I’ve never received a box of chocolates, so how would I know. Enough with the sass, the thing about life, is you never know what’s going to happen. All you can do is desire experiences, and wait for life to hand you a multitude of choices.
14. What we have means nothing if we aren’t impacting the world with our voice
A busy calendar and a busy mind will destroy your ability to create anything great.
Naval Ravikant
What a great nugget of wisdom to share during a pandemic that has us all with a little more free time. Though there are some with less time because of the demands for goods, collective fear of losing out, and greed that results from capitalism. So how can a busy calendar and busy mind destroy your ability to create anything great?
I see it as true because of the shift my life made in the past 6 months and 3 months, from working 4 jobs, and writing, to doing nothing for 5 weeks in my room. The still mind is the wise mind, because it is aware of the vast possibilities. It is aware of the organization of the chaos around us. A wise mind is able to control the waves of thought and does not get caught up in the actions of reality.
15. Sometimes, having fun is better than being serious.
Life is too important to be taken seriously.
Oscar Wilde
I find this quote contradictory at first glance, as I usually associate importance with seriousness. How is life too important to be taken seriously? Interestingly enough, when I ask that question my heart says it relates to beliefs about how the world works. Every belief has some kind of value in it, the reason it exists is for diversity. To show the multiplicity of choices available to us in this human life.
Life is a cruise ship buffet, you’ll think you’ve seen it all until you see the next slate of options.
philosopherontherun
Remember…
All of these people are philosophers because they are sharing their wisdom with others and impacting the world. The philosopher is the wise king who sits with nothing and attaches to nothing, but is aware of all and open to anything. They are the knowledge seekers, and ask the difficult questions.
It took me too long to write this post, and although today was an absolutely incredible day, I found myself reverting to habits I wrote about yesterday.
I guess that’s my philosophical dilemma of theory in practice coming to the surface.
Hope you enjoyed reading my interpretation of these 15 quotes.
With love and light,
~~ stay true, stay weird ~~
~~ Kristi