Inspiration on a locker door

Jane likes quotes. Yes, she does, and it's not uncommon for her to stick them here and there so she can repeat the tidy bit of wisdom whenever she wants. So when Friend of Jane...let's call her, say, Linda...mentioned one of her own favorites and how she has it posted on her locker at work, Jane was happy to add it to her collection. Jane does not have a locker at work, but she has a refrigerator and that serves nearly the same purpose.

The quote? Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket. Keep it in your own. This goes rather nicely with Jane's recent thoughts about responsibility. It's not that you can't share your happiness. That is a dandy thing to do. Share it. Radiate it. Project happiness beams all over the place. But don't rely on someone else to provide your happiness. That's just not going to work out well.

It should be mentioned that Linda also has the Serenity Prayer on her locker. That deserves its very own blog post, so Jane will just add that she loves it, she really truly does. Powerful stuff, that prayer.

But back to lockers and refrigerators and inspiration. Jane wants to share a few of her favorites. They might appeal to you, good reader, or they might leave you scratching your head and wishing Jane's taste were more like your own. That's the thing about quotes. They are special to the mood and the moment of the individual.

A couple about dreams...important to Jane because she believes dreams are the essence of our goals and goals are the essence of our future.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
--Henry David Thoreau

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the pateince, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
--Harriet Tubman

The power of imagination makes us infinite.
--John Muir

And a couple about growth.

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
--Chinese Proverb

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
--Mahatma Gandhi

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
--Guatama Buddha

And something about creativity.

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.
--Grandma Moses

Something about making your own way.

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
--Harold R. McAlindon

And one last one because it makes Jane laugh.

There go the people. I must follow them for I am their leader.
--Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

Whatever quotes are your favorites, think about putting a few of them here and there to remind you. Remind you of what? Well...whatever you need reminding about, that's what. If you need inspiration, encouragement or a laugh, you'll appreciate finding just the right words on your locker (like Linda) or on your refrigerator (like Jane) or on your desk, taped to your mirror, tucked into your purse...you get the idea.

Oh, okay. Just one more.

Remember to light the candle of joy daily and all the gloom will disappear from your life.
--Djwhal Klul