Things You Should Always Remember

Quotes, sayings and proverbs to remind you what’s important

Let’s try something a little different. This isn’t the post that I intended to publish today, but some other things have come up in the past week that demanded my attention. Nonetheless, there are some valuable lessons in it that I could use right now more than ever. In fact, I guarantee that there’s something for everybody in this one. So, if you too have found yourself in a predicament, or the week has been tougher than usual, then you’ve come to the right place. Take a seat and read along, my friend.

I keep a list of proverbs that I’ve interpreted from books, songs, films, and many different people in a notebook so that I can turn to them in times of need. Some are cliché, some are unique, and some are my own. Some are subtly profound and some are blatantly obvious, but all have served me in one way or another. I’m sharing them with you in the hope that they offer the same comfort, should you need it. These are some of my favourites.

Eric Draven, The Crow (1994)

The goal in life is happiness, not success

Time and energy are your most valuable resources

Busy is not the same as productive

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take

Knowledge is power

Love conquers all

Ask for forgiveness, never permission

Pain is inevitable, but to suffer is a choice

“It can’t rain all the time.” – Eric Draven

A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts

You can’t please everyone

To the world you might just be one person, but to one person you might be the world

Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right

The things that we live and die for are the same

Don’t accept criticism from someone you wouldn’t go to for advice

“No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.” – William Blake

Becoming is better than being

You don’t have to be the best, but rather the best you can be

You are not your mistakes

Failure is an excellent teacher

A goal without a plan is just a wish

The easiest person to fool is yourself

Assume every person you talk to knows something you don’t

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

I’ll leave you with a final word from some of the wisest people ever to have lived: the Stoics. Stoicism offers a carefully considered philosophy built on centuries of experience that continues to teach us today. They say that you can only control your character, your actions and reactions, and how you treat others. In other words, don’t worry about what you can’t control. And if you can control it, then you have nothing to worry about.