Why do people find quotes and wise thoughts by great thinkers so interesting? Words of wisdom can touch the soul, make one think, and create a shift in one's life view.

There are many quote sites online and books full of great words from both humble folks and those considered great thinkers. Some are uplifting, some are funny, some make us think, some make our day.

Following are especially interesting quotes from a variety of people. Perhaps one will end up posted on the refrigerator, made into a plaque, used in scrapbooking or a greeting card, written in a letter to a friend, or memorized for enjoyment or inspiration.

Thoughts and Quotes on Life and Living Well

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."

- Danny Kaye (Comedian, Old Classics Movie Actor)

"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

- Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist)

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Winston Churchill ((British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II)

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences."

- Eleanor Roosevelt (American United Nations Diplomat, Humanitarian and First Lady)

Quotes about Self, Personal Success, and Self Esteem

"Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness."

- Publilius Syrus

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

- Henry Ford (American industrialist)

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."

- Carlos Castaneda (Brazilian-born American author)

(Fine art prints with the quotes above are available on art.com)

"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures."

- William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet)

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

- Eleanor Roosevelt (American United Nations Diplomat, Humanitarian and First Lady)

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

- Thomas Jefferson (3rd U.S. President)

Great Thoughts on One's Effect on the World and Others

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

- Mahatma Gandhi (Philosopher from India)

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first."

- Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer)

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

- Pericles (Ancient Greek)

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart."

- Helen Keller (American Author and Educator who was blind and deaf)

Resources:

Art.com, ThinkExist.com, and Brainy Quote

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