22 Great Quotes And How They Are So Relevant Today

Think of it as coffee for your mind...

Each of us, in our own way, are likely going through a rough time right now. Here are 22 great quotes and how they can each be relevant to our lives today.

Enjoy!

A good laugh and a long sleep

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. This Irish proverb seems even more relevant during our times. Let’s always remember to find a silver lining, even in times like these. For example: we get to spend more time with our families and kids; we don’t have to rush to airports, meetings, and events; and we get to focus on the present moment — all these opportunities resulted from the current situation, and we can certainly try to appreciate them. -Luba Pashkovskaya

Failure to plan

A failure to plan is a plan to fail. The times in my life when I have been too busy, too overwhelmed to sit down and to think about what I wanted to do were the times I felt the most disconnected, depressed and out of control. To me a plan is a way of making my life purposeful and a way to make myself accountable to the things I say I want to accomplish and that includes work, household stuff like cooking/cleaning/organizing, exercise, social outings, and family stuff. I also get a ridiculous amount of pleasure from checking a box on a to-do list! - Mychelle Mollot

Regular and orderly

My mother was very artistic and passionate. She used to quote Gustave Flaubert: “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” It stuck with me. I’m a big believer in routines, rituals and living simply to make space for a creative and productive life. I don’t always get it right, but this is a quote I return to all the time. -Jake Sorofman

Don’t mistake movement for progress

When I was coming out of homelessness, I was working with Facebook at their Playa Vista Campus. Facebook’s offices are the opposite of traditional and there are motivational posters all over their walls. One poster in particular literally explained so much of my life, way more than I was ready to receive. It read “Don’t mistake movement for progress.” In the middle of the poster was a rocking horse. I live by the term “Avoid rocking horses” meaning we do so many things that we think are pushing our business forward but in honest its busy work to make us feel productive. I still do it on occasion but now when I catch myself, I get back to the main goals. Another equivalent would be from my unofficial mentor Jim Rohn, “Don’t spend major time on minor things.” -Adrian Rashad Driscoll

What you Resist Persists

What you Resist Persists. The way I stopped resisting was when I learned how to surrender. I am type A, have always been this fighter to do, accomplish, achieve. It was this knowing that I could always do more. I always had this need to put all my effort into something until it worked, even when it clearly just wasn’t working. Whether it was people, project, products, I would keep hammering away until I cracked, it cracked, or it miraculously worked. After living my life this way, for almost 7 + years, I learned to let go, to truly have no fear in what I didn’t know or understand, and trust to surrender to whatever may come. It changed my life, and the trajectory of the business. - Kristy Lewis

It is not the critic who counts

I have three mantras I follow in life. First, my parents taught me, “Leave it better than you found it,” always looking to have a positive impact and to continuously improve. Second, I reimagined the famous quote by Bobby Kennedy, “Some [wo]men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” This quote allows me to say, there is no box I must confine to. It’s led me to try to do the impossible that people said I never could. Lastly, I have a favorite quote from Theodore Roosevelt when he led a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris back in April 23, 1910. “It is not the critic who counts…” speaks to seizing the moment, getting things done. That it might be hard is not the point. -Brenda D. Wilkerson

Persistence

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination along are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has soles and always will solve the problems of the human race.” –Calvin Collidge

The ability to never stop running, never give up, never stop no matter how bad it hurts. This is the story of my life. Since I was a child, I was never the best athlete on the team. In fact, in many cases, I was truly the worst, but in almost every situation the coach would use me to encourage the strongest athletes. I can hear them still, “she is not quitting so you can’t either.” I was named team captain of the Varsity girls’ basketball team and I never played a full quarter. At one time, the fans would even chant “Press On” which has been my slogan since high school. I am by far not the smartest person at our company, nor the funniest, nor the most educated or most well liked. However, it is my shear perseverance that has kept me moving through some of the hardest trials in my life. If I can motivate people to reach their top performance, than I know that we can go places as a company almost unimaginable to most. - Meryl Kennedy

Be RELENTLESS

“Dream BIG. Take ACTION. Be RELENTLESS.” We all have massive dreams when we are children, but as we get older, we let life get in the way of our thoughts. Or, maybe we still have a big dream, but we never take any action to move towards that dream. We let it just stay a dream and wishful thought. Or, maybe we start taking action, but we do it sporadically and stop after a few setbacks. I say, “Dream BIG. Take ACTION. Be RELENTLESS.” It’s something I make my daughters say before they go to bed every night. A friend made some beautiful artwork with that saying, and it hangs on their walls. I had a dream to go out and start my law firm. In reality, I didn’t want to have a “boss.” But, along the way, I realized I started a business and not just some job for myself where I didn’t have to worry about a boss telling me what to do. When you start a business, you have a duty to be a leader and to bring other people along with you to help improve their lives, not yours. So, why not, dream BIG, take ACTION, and be RELENTLESS. -Ross W. Albers

Integrity

“Integrity is hard-earned and easily taken away.” Gaining integrity is no easy feat. Like trust, it cannot be achieved when it is the goal. Time and consistency in doing things the right way makes me a successful leader and investor. I often think of this quote when there is an ‘easy exit’ which reminds me that all I have achieved over the years is not guaranteed for me to keep. -Anthony Denier

Be like the Willow Tree

“Be like the Willow Tree.” It essentially means don’t fight the flow. Too many times in my life I have tried to force certain outcomes or fight against things that were already set in stone. It, a) rarely works, and b) is so hard on the mind and body. This quote has become a favorite as it’s a cornerstone for my mental sustainability through the ups and downs of our startup journey. It keeps me optimistic, forces me to see the bigger picture, and enables me to efficiently allocate my energy! - Jeff Zhou

You are the author

“You will never write an extraordinary story until you realize you are the author”. This is an incredible quote because it enables me to enjoy my victories more and bounce back from my failures quickly. For victories, I know that even if there was a bit of perceived luck involved, it was my previous actions to inevitably lead to that event. For my failures, I am able to learn from them immediately because I take responsibility and reflect on how I could have prevented the negative situation so that it never happens again. From there, I change a good thing into a bad thing by approaching the negative situation from a new clever angle. For example, we were disapproved by Google several years ago and lost millions as a result. We responded by improving our screening processes, diversifying our revenue streams and creating invalid traffic detection and suppression technology called Traffic Cop to prevent this issue from happening again. As a result, we have re-built the company to be more sustainable and resilient than ever. It ended up being a blessing in disguise! - Kean Graham

Skilled sailor

My favorite quote is, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,” said by Franklin D. Roosevelt. How can you ever be a true expert in your field if you’re never tested? How can you ever see what you’re made out of if you’re never challenged? You have to want the battles. You have to embrace them. Obviously, nobody wants a battle like a world wide virus because it’s been detrimental to so many people. But, if you are faced with a devastating pandemic like this, you have to realize you’re going to come out stronger on the other end. If you can keep that in mind, at least you have one thing to look forward to. - John Lincoln

Dare!

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” A reminder that daring to do things we are afraid to do, is often the key to building the life that we want. -Valérie Grandury

Behind every great woman is herself

One of my favorite life lesson quotes is “Behind every great woman is herself” There have been times in my career when I was told that I could not do something because I was a woman. This quote reminds me that it is okay to be bold and confident as a woman. The quote also reminds me that if I don’t believe in myself no one else will. -Dr. Terika L. Haynes

You care

My favorite quote is “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It has been attributed to many people including Teddy Roosevelt. I like it and find it inspiring because it is a simple reminder to listen more than talk, show empathy and try to look at the situation from another perspective. The goal is not to wear them down or impress them with your smarts. The goal is to connect, communicate clearly, solve the problem and move on. -Paige Arnof-Fenn

Live the moment. You can’t change the past and future is unknown, the best thing you can do is to give your best wherever you are right now. This doesn’t mean don’t learn from the past, and don’t plan for the future, but appreciate where you are now and make the best out of it. It will lead you to your goal. - Yanyan Ji

Joy

Find joy in the present. It’s not always a big promotion, a new outfit, or some giant accomplishment. It’s simple things: the taste of your first sip of coffee; your dog wagging his tail when he greets you in the morning; a subtle breeze on a sunny day; laughter with friends and family; a juicy burger on your grill. Joy is all around if you just take the time to find it. -Rob Farinella

Possible

“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” My husband gifted me an art print with this quote on it. It perfectly encapsulates entrepreneurship and encourages me to think big and see uncertainty as opportunity. Turns out, that can also be a great perspective to have during a global crisis. - Molly George

Committed

Be committed, not attached.” This means that in everything you choose to do, be committed. Do the steps and learn the lessons along the way. But don’t be attached to a finite outcome, or you’ll be disappointed. Having a goal is good, but the journey to get there could end up being different than what you imagined. Whenever I’ve been attached to an outcome, it has felt hard, demotivating and exhausting. When I have the mindset of commitment and an openness to possibility though, I know that what will unfold from my actions will provide clues to where to head next. This feels freeing and often offers surprising opportunities that I couldn’t have anticipated. - Jennifer Kem

Visualize

It’s cliché but true: “when you fail to plan you plan to fail.” This doesn’t just apply to business though, I think it even applies to visualization. It’s important to visualize the person you want to be, the things you want to do, and the outcomes you want to achieve. It sounds hokey to some — and yet then you realize that pretty much every top performer on planet earth does this. For me personally, almost everything I’ve achieved started out as a vision in my head. So I’d say embrace planning and visualizing and it’ll pay dividends for you. - Stefan Georgi

You’re right

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t ― you’re right.” — Henry Ford. Most of the accomplishments of my life have been a direct reflection of this quote. Belief in yourself is in your control ― nothing can take that away from you. -Ben Gerster

Actions

“Actions speak louder than words”. My entire life I watched my mom work 2–3 jobs just to put food on the table while being taken advantage of by my lazy stepfather who did nothing but watch TV all day and struggle to hold a job. For years I watched her fall for his words and excuses for unemployment while she grinded day and night to support us. Starting at age 10 instead of playing with other kids after school I would go door-to-door selling everything from lawn mowing to egg rolls to candy just to try to help her out. Through that experience I learned two things: 1) always pay attention to what people do rather than what they say they’ll do; and 2) hard work and taking action in your own life is the only way you’ll achieve anything. -Austin Mac Nab