Quotes About Action

I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.

In fact, although she had no idea where to go or what kind of work to do, she felt compelled even before considering such matters to throw herself into action. Telling the union man Yamada (or Sasaki) that she wanted to work and had to do it came from an idea that surprised even Yasuko.

How much do I really believe that will happen? • What do I think is the most likely thing to happen? • What is the most unlikely thing to occur? • What could I do if that happened? Tell yourself: • Ideas can sound frightening, but that doesn't make them true.

On the collective level, human passion, rightly directed, can change the world.

Historians and critics too often overlook the state of mind of the commanders in judging a military or naval action.

Anybody can be a victim, and anybody can flog themselves. Big fucking deal. But you put one foot on a ladder and climb to the next rung. Then you've done something. Then you've made a difference. And then what happens matters. Otherwise, it's just old news, and nobody wants to hear about it.

Even when throwing in the river, measure what you throw

Make hay while the sun shines.

Many religions say to their followers, "The world is corrupt, but you can escape it." Islam said to its followers, "The world is corrupt, but you can change it." p.49.

It's not always pleasant to do necessary things. But part of being adult, of being independent, means that you see what needs to be done and you do it. No muss, no fuss. Right?

If you just do what you're doing, you're going to do what you do. Time to interrupt patterns.

When in doubt, shoot the wizard.

But give me more credit than that. Someone else may have dealt the hand, but I picked it up off the table, I played every card, and I had my reasons.

She wants to leap up and do a handstand, or get someone to race her fast and far to wreck them both: anything that will turn her body back into something that's about what it can do, not all about how it looks.

ready to start pushing. What-if-maybe crap is for weak people. It belongs to the ones who don't have the strength to make actual situations go their way, so they have to hide away in daydreams where they can play at controlling what comes next. And that makes them even weaker.

In Cal's view, morals involve something more than terminology. Ben damn near lost his mind over the importance of using the proper terms for people in wheelchairs, and he clearly felt pretty proud of himself for doing that, but he didn't mention ever doing anything useful for one single person in one single wheelchair

Success commence within self. Non one is coming to transform your life. You are the merely architect of your life. Therefore, rise up, hope for the best and act forthwith.

That's the difference between us and white folks, she told herself. They don't stop to say "I can't" or "Should I," they just do.

Madness. I did not get myself born to die. I have better things to do.

It's true what they say … it's never the things you did that haunt you most … it's the things you didn't do, but wish you had.

Zoe dropped the towel back onto the floor, glancing at the bedroom clock: 3:52. Twenty-three minutes

God grant me the serenity to not fuck the things I cannot stand, courage to fuck the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.

Learning builds daily accumulation, but the practice of Tao builds daily simplification. Simplify and simplify, until all contamination from relative, contridictory thinking is eliminated. Then one does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it. One who meddles with the world loses it.

Poet Gary Lawless writes: When the animals come to us, Asking for our help, Will we know what they are saying? When the plants speak to us In their delicate, beautiful language, Will we be able to answer them? When the planet herself Sings to us in our dreams, Will we be able to wake ourselves, and act?