#598 Work as personal growth

We work to become, not to acquire. ~ Elbert Hubbard

- How many acquisitive desires do you have?
- How can you nurture your labours as a vehicle for personal growth?
- How can you help someone around you with this goal provided by Hubbard?

#597 Work your inquisitive side

How do I work? I grope. ~ Albert Einstein

- How do you work?
- What can be learned from Einstein about work?
- How can you apply this quotation to some of your endeavors including your leisure time.

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, quote/thought for the day, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#596 Laughter as liberation

Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. ~Og Mandino

- What is there to laugh about your character and your life?
- How easy/difficult is it for you to enjoy this detachment?
- What possible solutions to your predicaments lie within reach?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, quote/thought for the day, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#595 It's a big world

I do not believe in a simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil. I believe this is a big world full of men, women, and children who struggle to eat, to love, to work, to protect their families, their beliefs, and their dreams. ~ Sean Penn

- In what way does the first sentence logically flow to the second?
- How much gray area is there in your view of good and evil?
- How can this world become a more tolerant and equal place?

#594 Rising above circumstances

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." -- George Bernard Shaw, "Mrs. Warren's Profession," 1893

- What is bothersome about this quote?
- What negative circumstances affect your life?
- What steps can you take to be more resourceful amidst your difficulties?

#593 Serenity amidst the incongruities

The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it. ~Reinhold Niebuhr

- Definition of incongruous: out of place, inappropriate, unbecoming, not harmonious in character, inconsistent

- What observations of incongruity have you found in life?
- What negative feelings can result?
- How can you try to achieve more serenity within and above it?

#592 Everything that isn't me

The environment is everything that isn't me. ~ Albert Einstein

- How is your relationship with those around you: family, friends, colleagues, community?
- How is your relationship with nature?
- What steps can you take to nurture all of these interrelationships?

#591 Keeping your cool

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances. ~Thomas Jefferson

- How composed are you within your daily associations?
- Why is calmness a virtue?
- How can you manage those tumultuous feelings within?

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#590 Restful sleep

A man ninety years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. "I reckon, he said, with a twinkle in his eye, "it's because most nights I went to bed and slept when I should have sat up and worried. ~ Dorothea Kent

- How would you describe your sleep over the years?
- How much does worry interfere with your sleep?
- What steps can you take to improve your sleep? (Many have suggested exercise, improved diet, evening regimens, etc.)

#589 Maintaining your vision

Darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse. ~ Japanese proverb

-How much light do you emanate?
-What shadows lurk within?
-How can you maintain your optimism and vision?

#588 Living is grand

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. ~ Agatha Christie

- What wildly miserable, sorrowful, despairing times have you had?
- How did you regain your hopes?
- How can you cultivate those vital feelings to enhance your enjoyment of life?

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#587 Living with authenticity

While your life is the true expression of your faith, whom can you fear? ~ Julia Ward Howe

- To what extent are you living an authentic life?
- What distractions prevent you from living this life?
- What steps can you take to cultivate your central affirmations?

#585 Lifting the veil of indifference

My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight. ~ Eudora Welty

- To what extent do you live in a veil of indifference?
- What several people in your life could you show some interest?
- What enrichment may result?

#584 Doing nothing

Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves. ~Horace Mann

- In what sense can total selfishness be our own undoing?
- How can some sincere attention to others be fulfilling?
- What small acts or gestures can you offer this week?

#583 It's your move

The golden rule is of no use whatsoever unless you realize that it is your move. ~ Dr. Frank Crane

('Do to others as you would have them do to you.' Luke 6:31)

- What first moves can you make in your life right now?
- How can your overtures result in possible positive developments?
- Why is a mindset of being the initiator a good one?

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#582 Pack up your troubles

What's the use of worrying?
It never was worth while,
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile. ~ George Asaf

- What worries or troubles do you have?
- How do you manage them?
- How can you cultivate more calm in your life?

#581 Secret to longevity

A man ninety years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. "I reckon," he said, with a twinkle in his eye, "it's because most nights I went to bed and slept when I should have sat up and worried." ~ Dorothea Kent

- How much do you worry?
- Worry may not be all bad. What steps can you take to regulate it?
- What can you do to cultivate good sleep?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#580 Fear plays with us

We are largely the playthings of our fears. To one, fear of the dark; to another, of physical pain; to a third, of public ridicule; to a fourth, of poverty; to a fifth, of loneliness...for all of us, our particular creature waits in ambush. ~ Horace Walpole

- What are several of your fears?
- When have your fears ambushed you?
- What steps can you take to diminish your fears?

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#579 The unknown

The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plain sailing. ~ John Lennon

- How much do you need to be sure of everything?
- How open are you to the unknown?
- How can you find more room for acceptance in your life?

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#578 Building foundations

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. ~Henry David Thoreau

- What several dreams about your life have you had?
- To what extent can they be shaped into something more tangible?
- What small steps can you take to nurture them?

#577 Living with good questions

I’d rather live with a good question than a bad answer.—Aryeh Frimer

- For what are you most grateful?
- What sustains you?
- What steps can you take to live an optimal life?

Additional Maxim

What shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think to ask. ~Sam Keen

#576 What is essential

Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are. ~ Anais Nin

- How important are expensive items of luxury for you?
- Reflect on some beautiful things that may or may not be that expensive.
- Reflect on what constitutes the good things in life.

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#575 Finding peace

You cannot find peace by avoiding life. ~ Virginia Woolf

- To what extent do you enjoy solitude?
- To what extent do you enjoy the every day social interaction?
- How can the engagement bring peace and vitality?

#574 What I need right now

As I go through all kinds of feelings and experiences in my journey through life -- delight, surprise, chagrin, dismay -- I hold this question as a guiding light: "What do I really need right now to be happy?" What I come to over and over again is that only qualities as vast and deep as love, connection and kindness will really make me happy in any sort of enduring way. ~ Sharon Salzberg

- What delights, surprises, chagrins, dismays have you had?
- Focusing on the present moment is important for Salzberg. How can you try to nurture more love, connection, and kindness in your life?
- What do you need right now to be happy?

#573 Life's three important questions

Leo Tolstoy writes a story/parable that concerns a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers the three most important questions in life. The thought came to him that he would never fail if he knew three things:

- What is the best time to do each thing?
- Who are the most important people to work with?
- What is the most important thing to do at all times?

In his quest the king journeyed to see a wise hermit who only saw common people so the king dressed up as a peasant. Eventually the hermit replied.

-The most important time is now. The present is the only time over which we have power.
-The most important person is whoever you are with.
-The most important thing is to do good to the person you are with.

#572 Education

The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas. ~ George Santayana

- When have you had the opportunity to apply/practice what you were taught?
- Why are hands on applications so important?
- Think of a way to teach someone a skill that you know.

Companion site: quoteflections - a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: quote of the day, reflection, quoteflections, life, renewal, self-help, 365 blogs, how to, forum, blogging, writing tips, social media, searching, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, meditation, self-discovery, philanthropy, health, wellness

#571 Careers

The secret of long life is double careers. One to about age sixty, then another for the next thirty years. ~ David Ogilvy

- How ready are you for retirement?
- What second career might engage you in the next 30?
- What other meaningful pursuits might take the place of a second career?

Companion site: quoteflections - a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: quote of the day, reflection, quoteflections, life, renewal, self-help, 365 blogs, how to, forum, blogging, writing tips, social media, searching, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, meditation, self-discovery, philanthropy, health, wellness

#570 The secret of happiness

What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life. ~ Leo Buscaglia

- Why can happiness be so illusive?
- What is the best way to achieve it?
- What aspects of life can you cultivate more to nurture the secret?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#569 My Own Unique Door

The world is a living and self-creating mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself, my own unique door. ~ Thomas Merton

- What do you find mysterious about the world?
- How do you see yourself within it?
- What potential lies within you to shape the world in a unique way?

#568 Our common needs

Human beings by nature want happiness and do not want suffering. With that feeling everyone tries to achieve happiness and tries to get rid of suffering, and everyone has the basic right to do this. In this way, all here are the same, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Easterner or Westerner, believer or non-believer, and within believers whether Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and so on. Basically, from the viewpoint of real human value we are all the same. ~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

- How does this quote foster inclusive and not exclusive thinking?
- What common aspirations do all of humankind have?
- How does this quote motivate people to seek a common secular ethics?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#567 Eccentricity

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. ~ Bertrand Russell


- An eccentric person has unconventional and slightly strange views. What important, unique thoughts have you had?
- How do you cultivate them?
- How can you shape them into something meaningful for your life?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#566 Wonders amidst survival

Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention. ~ Salman Rushdie

- Rushdie makes it clear that life has its challenges. What are some of yours?
- How have these challenges affected you?
- Despite the obstacles, there are wonders to which we need to be attentive. What wonders have you enjoyed lately?

#565 Laughter

He who laughs, lasts. ~ Mary Pettibone Poole

- What are your sources for laughter?
- How can you try to cultivate more of it?
- What sustains you?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#564 More love, hope, and optimism

My friends,
Love is better than anger,
Hope is better than fear,
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic
And we'll change the world. ~ Jack Layton (Recently deceased political party leader in Canada.)

- When have you felt anger,...fear,...despair...?
- How do you try to cope?
- What steps can you take to try to cultivate more love, hope, and optimism in your life?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#563 Simplicity, patience, compassion

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. ~ Lao-tzu

- To what extent do you embrace simplicity in your life?
- Patience?
- Compassion?
- Why are these three considered ideals to which one should aspire?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

Recommending this blog is appreciated.

#562 Creativity nurtures discovery

The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ~ Alan Alda

- What creative activity have you last accomplished?
- How challenging and engaging was this activity?
- What did you discover about yourself, about life?

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#561 Life is beautiful

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

- How much beauty is in your life?
- In what areas do you see this beauty?
- How can you nurture this beauty and wonder from day to day?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

#560 Seeking personal triumph

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

- When have you attempted something grand but became frustrated or hurt?
- Why is showing some daring better than remaining too subdued or careful?
- What small, optimistic initiative could you begin to undertake?

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#559 Opening up

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~ Anais Nin

- In what contexts have you been afraid of opening up?
- What pains have you experienced in your struggles?
- What small steps can you take to begin to flourish?

Tags: select, top, best quotes, quotations, reflections, meditation nugget, life, renewal, self-help, how to, searching, discovery, healing, truth, enrichment, application, questions, answers, quest, caring, uplifting, inspiring, self-discovery, philanthropy, personal health, wellness, quoteflections

Thanks for any sharing or recommending of this blog.

#558 Live, Live, Live

Live, let live, and help live. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

- How is your life progressing?
- What steps can you take to enhance your life?
- What can you do to enhance the lives of others around you?

I'm Back

Dear Readers,

After a six month hiatus and merge with my main blog quoteflections, I am moving forward with 365 Quote Quest.

I have realized that the practice of asking reflective questions for select quotes fulfills a need for me and perhaps for others. We can sometimes be bombarded by so many quotations that often we may feel more confusion than inspiration. What this blog offers is a regular meditation nugget to enhance one's life.

Thanks for following as I continue with quote and meditation #558.