The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Purpose
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.
Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard’s Almanack · 1732-1758

Quotes

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Steve Jobs · Stanford Commencement Address, 2005 · Primary source

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”

Helen Keller · Optimism, 1903 · Primary source

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

Jack London · Jack London’s Tales of Adventure, 1906 · Secondary source

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did.”

T. E. Lawrence · Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 1926 · Primary source

“Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life. Effort means that you care about something, that something is important to you and you are willing to work for it.”

Carol S. Dweck · Self-Theories, 2000 · Primary source

“A life which does not go into action is a failure.”

Arnold J. Toynbee · A Study of History, 1934-1961 · Primary source

“It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal behind it.”

Arnold J. Toynbee · A Study of History, 1934-1961 · Primary source

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

Marie Curie · Madame Curie: A Biography, 1938 · Secondary source

“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”

Marie Curie · Madame Curie: A Biography, 1938 · Secondary source

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Steve Jobs · Stanford Commencement Address, 2005 · Primary source

“I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

Ian Fleming · You Only Live Twice, 1964 · Primary source

“Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Wealth, 1860 · Primary source

“It was for beauty that the world was made.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Beauty, 1841 · Primary source

“Hitch your wagon to a star.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Civilization, 1870 · Primary source

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1849 · Primary source

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

Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1849 · Primary source

“But I have found out that though the ways in which I can make myself useful are few, yet the work open to me is endless.”

Helen Keller · Optimism, 1903 · Primary source

“Life achieves its summit when it does to the uttermost that which it was equipped to do.”

Jack London · White Fang, 1906 · Primary source

“The value of the goal lies in the goal itself; and therefore the goal cannot be attained unless it is pursued for its own sake.”

Arnold J. Toynbee · A Study of History, 1934-1961 · Primary source

“A life of leisure, and a life of laziness, are two things.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Up, sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“I am a poet in deeds—not often in words.”

Ian Fleming · Goldfinger, 1959 · Primary source

“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · The American Scholar, 1837 · Primary source

“Nothing is beneath you, if it is in the direction of your life: nothing is great or desirable, if it is off from that.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Wealth, 1860 · Primary source

“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is so far as I can tell. It doesn’t frighten me.”

Richard Feynman · Horizon: The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, 1981 · Primary source

“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”

Eleanor Roosevelt · The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, 1961 · Primary source

“Life is a journey, not a destination.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · No reliable source

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · No reliable source

Related Tags

Self-reliance 49 Transcendentalism 32 Mortality 30 Resilience 30 Experience 30 Perseverance 29 Risk 29 Responsibility 27 Courage 25 Action 23 Time 20 Nature 20 Uncertainty 20 Persistence 19 Curiosity 19 Effort 18 Commitment 17 Ambition 17 Industry 17 Imagination 16 Achievement 15 Opportunity 15 Diligence 15 Beauty 14 Failure 12 Aspiration 12 Hope 12 Conduct 11 Motivation 11 Agency 10 Human potential 10 Optimism 9 Priorities 8 Leisure 7 Success 7 Self-direction 7 Contentment 7 Survival 7 Idleness 6 Progress 6 Acceptance 6 Determination 5 Instinct 5 Work 4 Vocation 4 Present moment 4 Growth 4 Fulfilment 4 Intellectual humility 4 Vitality 4 Laziness 3 Use of time 3 Service 3 Effectiveness 3 Tenacity 3 Harmony 3 Confidence 3 Deliberate living 3 Doubt 3 Openness 3 Goals 2 Contribution 2 Self-confidence 2 Personal choice 2 Personal direction 2 Ideals 2 Direction 2 Good deeds 1 Unfinished tasks 1 Meaningful work 1 Career satisfaction 1 Self-expression 1 Pattern 1 Life 1 Journey 1 Challenges 1 Practical action 1 Existential questions 1 Usefulness 1 Engagement 1 Natural capacity 1 Intentional living 1 Vision 1 Personal values 1