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Inspirational Quotes

• “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
  (Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)- American Author “The Lorax” (1971))
  How do you “stand out?” Describe the positives and negatives about standing out among peers. Are there any mental challenges with this way of thinking? If so, what are they, and how can you overcome them?
• “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
  (Theodor Roosevelt (1858-1919)- 26th President of the United States of America (1901-1909))
  Can you name a time in your life when you struggled but found the means to help someone else? If so, describe the situation and how you helped.
• “Never give up on what you want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.”
  (Albert Einstein (1879-1955)- German Theoretical physicist & Mathematician “Theory of Relativity”)
  What is your biggest dream? How do you hope to accomplish it? Does anyone stand in your way of achieving your goal? How will you convince this person that this is the right choice for your life?
• “Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.”
  (John Wooden (1910-2010)- American basketball coach UCLA (1932-1975))
  What is something you are not particularly good at but love doing? Why do you keep doing something you may not be very good at? Are there any benefits to this kind of perseverance?
• “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.”
  (Henry Ford (1863-1947)- Founder of Ford Motor Company)
  Talk about a time when you had a massive job and thought you could do it yourself but couldn’t. When did you realize you needed help, and how did you ask for it?
• “With great power comes great responsibility.”
  (Spiderman (1938–)- Superhero)
  Was there a time when someone put you in charge of something? What were some of the challenges and rewards you experienced during this time? Did you find it easy or challenging to be in a leadership role, and would you do it again?
• “Be silly, be honest, be kind.”
  (Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)- American Author “Self-Reliance” (1841))
  How should you live your life according to this quote? What essential qualities should a person have, and why are they important?
• “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.”
  (Roy T. Bennett (1957-2018)- Zimbabwean politician & Author “The Light in the Heart” (2016)) (Roy T. Bennett Quotes:minimalistquotes.com)
  Talk about someone you know who has significantly impacted your life or community. What was the effect, and did you help in any way? How could helping one person help change the world?
• “No one is perfect. That’s why pencils have erasers.”
  (Wolfgang Riebe (?)- British Magician & Author (Magic books)
  Discuss a time when you made a mistake. Did your mistake affect only you or others? How did you make things right, and did they forgive you?
• “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
  (Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)- American Leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Famous speech “I Have a Dream” (1963)) & Activist)
  What are some ways that everyday people can make a difference in their community? How do you get the people in your neighborhood to care about your city’s problems? Can one person make a difference?
• “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.”
  (Luna Lovegood (1981–)- Harry Potter (Ravenclaw))
  What type of person are you? Are you the type who is strong-minded and will be yourself no matter what others may say about you? Or are you the type who likes to be in the background and follows the crowd not to stand out?
• “Don’t just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.”
  (Jim Rohn (1930-2009)- American Businessman & Author “7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness”)
  What is the most challenging book you have ever read? Why did you read it? Were you able to finish the book? If so, how were you able to complete it? Why is it important to challenge yourself when reading and in life?
• “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.”
  (Chuang Tzu (Around 369 BC-286 BC)- Chinese philosopher & Author “Zhuangzi” (Unknown))
  How do you deal with tricky situations? Do you stay calm and think through all of your options? Or do you rush in without thinking and figuring things out as you go? Which way is a better way to deal with challenging situations?
• “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
  (Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)- American Author “Green Eggs and Ham” (1960))
  What are some of the most influential books you have read? What did they teach you, and can you apply this knowledge to your life? What do you think would have happened if you had never read them?
• “We all can dance when we find music we love.”
  (Giles Andreae (1966–)- British Author “Rumble in the Jungle” (1996))
  What is something that you are passionate about? How do you share this passion with others around you? How would you help someone who was struggling with finding their passion?
• “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
  (Epictetus (55-135)- Greek Stoic philosopher)
  Can you remember a time when you overreacted to a situation? What would have happened if you had reacted differently?
• “When you know better, you do better.”
  (Maya Angelou (1928-2014)- Author “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) & Civil Rights Activist )
  Have you ever thought you knew a lot about a topic (religion, politics, racism, education, etc.) and then realized you might have been wrong in your initial thinking after talking to others? How did you deal with this situation?
• “Make each day your masterpiece.”
  (John Wooden (1910-2010)- American basketball coach UCLA (1932-1975)
  How do you try to make each day a great day? When you have a bad day, how do you deal with it?
• “You always pass failure on the way to success.”
  (Mickey Rooney (1920-2014)- American Actor “Strike Up the Band” (1940))
  What is something that you tried to do repeatedly and kept failing? How did this failure make you feel? Did it make you want to work harder or quit? Were you able to persevere and succeed?
• “Anything is possible. Anything can be.”
  (Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)- American Author “The Giving Tree” (1964))
  What is something that you thought was impossible but were able to accomplish? What steps did you take to achieve these goals? Did you face obstacles?
• “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
  (Margaret Mead (1901-1978)- American cultural anthropologist (She studied the people of the Pacific Islands))
  How does it make you feel when trying to figure out how to do something yourself, and someone comes up and tells you what to do? How do you deal with this kind of situation?
• “When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”
  (George Washington Carver (1864-1943)- American agricultural scientist (Discovered over 300 uses for peanuts)
  Can you name a time when you or someone else thought “outside the box” and achieved something amazing? How did others treat you during this time, and how did it make you feel?
• “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
  (Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)- Indian Activist & Leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement against British rule)
  Can one person make a difference in the world? How would they accomplish this change? What would be the best way to get their message out? What if others stand in their way? Should they give up or try even harder?
• “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
  (Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)- 64th United States Attorney General (1944-1946) & U.S. Senator)
  Talk about a time when you wanted to do something and failed, then gave up. Did you learn anything from this failure? What could you have achieved if you had not given up? How did it make you feel?
• “Judge your success by what you had to give up to get it.”
  (Dalai Lama XIV (1935–) – The 14th highest Tibetan spiritual leader (1950) )
  Have you ever had to give something up to follow your dreams? What was it, and were there any consequences? Was giving up something worth what you got in return? Would you do it again?
• “Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.”
  (Joyce Brothers (1927- 2013)- American psychologist, Author of “How to Get Whatever You Want Out of Life,” and TV star)
  How does one start to think of themselves as successful if they haven’t achieved anything yet? What kinds of steps could a person take to start thinking this way? What is the importance of a positive frame of mind?
• “If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.”
  (Roald Dahl (1916-1990)- British Author “James and the Giant Peach” (1961))
  What is the importance of always having a positive attitude, even in a bad situation? Is it hard to have this kind of attitude even during dark times? What do you think of people who can do this?
• “We know what we are but know not what we may be.”
  (Shakespeare (1564-1616)- English Playwright, Actor & Poet “Romeo and Juliet” (1595-1596))
  What kind of life do you want to have in 10 years? Do you think you will be in a corporate job, traveling the world, or famous? What kind of relationships will you have with people? Will you be married with kids or single? Where will you live, and what type of home will you have? Is it important to consider what you want your life to be like later in life or just live in the moment?
• “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it The Present.”
  (Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)- Political Activist & First Lady of the United States, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945))
  How do you view your past, present, and future? Do you dwell on your history and consider how you could have changed it? Do you live in the present every day like it could be your last? Or do you focus on the future and what is ahead of you? Is there one way of thinking that is better than another? Or is it better to live in all three?
• “We grow great by dreams.”
  (Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)- 28th President of the United States (1913-1921))
  Why is it important to have goals for your future? What would our world look like if no one ever followed their dreams? Is it essential to support others in their dreams?
• “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
  (Colin Powell (1937-2021)- 65th United States Secretary of State (2001-2005) & Politician)
  Who is the most successful person you know? Why are they successful? How did they get to where they are, and was it easy or hard? Would they follow the same path, or would they get there differently? Do you look up to this person?
• “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
  (Margaret Mead (1901-1978)- American cultural anthropologist (She studied the people of the Pacific Islands)
  What kind of difference can you make in one person’s life? What type of action would you take to help them? What if you couldn’t help them? Then what steps would you take?
• “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
  (Aesop (620 BCE-564 BCE)- Greek Author & Storyteller “Aesop Fables”)
  Have you ever made a difference, good or bad, in someone’s life and not even realized it until maybe months or years later? How did you find out what you did? What did you do, and what feelings did it give you? Do you regret what you did?
• “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you On have imagined.”
  (Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)- American Philosopher & Author and Poet “Walden” (1854))
  What if no one supported you in what you wanted to do and tried to stop you? What would you do? Would you try to explain and reason with these people about your decisions? Or would you go ahead no matter what anyone said or tried to do?
• “Always keep a positive mindset. It will improve your outlook on the world.”
  (Roald Dahl (1916-1990)- British Author “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (1964))
  How do you look at life? Are you a “glass is half full” or a “glass is half empty” kind of person? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each of these frames of mind? Is one better than the other?
• “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
  (Eleanor Roosevelt- Political Activist & First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt)
  How do you deal with someone who makes you feel inferior? Do you confront that person and tell them you will not tolerate this treatment? Or do you endure their treatment and never engage them?
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
  (Mark Twain (1835-1910)- American Author “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876))
  Are you willing to work hard now and complete any tasks so you can relax and enjoy yourself later? Or do you relax, finish your responsibilities, and hope you finish in time? What are the pros and cons of working these ways?
• “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
  (Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)- German Philosopher)
  Talk about a time when something devastating happened, and you were able to persevere. What steps did you take to overcome the event? How did this event change you? Did you learn anything from what happened?