Quotes
One of the fondest memories of my Granddad Nelson was trading quotes regularly over email. Sadly I lost the email archive when I went on my mission, but it has continued to be an interest of mine. I hope you enjoy my collection of quotes. A bit of everything from religion to politics to leadership.
I forgive people but that doesn't mean I accept their behavior or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life.
Your words start to lose value when your actions don't match.
When I say I'll figure it out I mean I'll just adapt to whatever new level of hell is coming.
Message to our Adult Kids
My children ask me each year...
“What do you want for Christmas?”
After thinking about it, I decided to give them my real answer:
I want you to keep coming around.
I want you to ask me questions. Ask my advice.
Tell me your problems.
Ask for my opinion. Ask for my help.
I want you to come over and rant about your problems, rant about life. Whatever.
Tell me about your job. Your worries. Your classes.
I want you to continue sharing your life with me.
Come over and laugh with me, or laugh at me.
I don't care, hearing you laugh is music to me.
I want you to spend your money making a better life for you.
I have the things I need. I want to see you happy and healthy.
When you ask me what I want for Christmas I say nothing because you've already been giving me my gift all year.I want you.
Adulthood is like looking both ways before you cross the street and then getting hit by an airplane.
Never blame someone else for the road you are on.
That is your own asphalt.
The aggressive person fights. The passive one runs away. But the assertive person stands ground, assesses the situation, adapts, and acts with purpose and passion. Be that person.
What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
Don't confuse my personality with my attitude. My personality is who I am. My attitude is based on how you treat me.
The only thing you can do about awful people is not be one of them.
Do things for people not because of who they are, or what they do in return, but because of who you are.
My muscles are sore, but they work. I did not sleep well last night, but God woke me up. My wallet is not full but my belly is. I may not have it all, but God gives me what I need. My life is not perfect, but my life is good.
I've truly been blessed. Thank you Lord. Amen.
The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you're made of, not the circumstances.
Supervisor to employee: "Don't think of me as the boss. Think of me as a co-worker who's always right."
You will spend the majority of your life knowing your children as adults, but for a brief moment you will get to know them as kids.
Pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake.
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.
But it, too, seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.
And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.
From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.
Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.
Obesity is hard. Fit is hard. Choose your hard.
Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard.
Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard.
Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard.
Choose wisely.
Choose Joy!
Don't wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you‘ll run out of time.
Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.
Confidence isn't walking into a room thinking you're better than everyone; it's walking in and not having to compare yourself to anyone at all.
Being an introvert is confusing.
We like going out, but not too often.
We like talking, but not to everyone.
We like company, but need alone time.
We hate small talk, but love deep chats.
We are outgoing, but not with everyone.
We find people intriguing, and exhausting.
Don't take criticism from people you would never go to for advice.
When a group of tourists visited a crocodile farm, the owner of the place launched a daring proposal;
"Whoever dares to jump, swim to shore and survive, I will give 1 million dollars."
Nobody dared to move, suddenly a man jumped into the water and desperately swam towards the shore while he was chased by all the crocodiles.
With great luck he arrived, taking the admiration of everyone in the place, then the owner announced;
"We have a brave winner."
After collecting their reward, the couple returned to the hotel, upon arrival, the manager told him; he was very brave to jump, then the man said;
"didn't jump, someone pushed me!"
His wife smiled.
Moral: Behind every successful man, there is a woman who pushes him.
People can only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves.
Sometimes our prayers have to change from asking for complete deliverance, to asking for strength and comfort until deliverance comes.
Don't get lazy now, remember the days you were desperate to be where you're currently at.
Great leaders are not the best at everything. They find people who are the best at different things and get them all on the same team.
Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.
Everybody has a testing environment. Some people are lucky enough to have a totally separate environment to run production in.
A fact is information minus emotion. An opinion is information plus experience. Ignorance is an opinion lacking information. And stupidity is an opinion that ignores a fact.
A guy looked at my airplane the other day and said I wonder how many people I could have fed for the price of that airplane...
I replied I am not sure, it fed a lot of families at the Dassault factory where it was built. I'm sure it fed a bunch of families that rolled the aluminum at the Alcoa factory. It surely fed a lot of people at the Honeywell factory where the experts built the turbines. It fed a whole company for a few weeks when I had them build me a new interior. It feeds the families of the linemen that fuel it.
That's the difference between capitalism and a welfare mentality. When you buy something, you put money in people's pockets, and give them dignity for their skills.
When you give someone something for nothing, you rob them of their dignity and self worth.
Capitalism is freely giving your money in exchange for something of value.
Socialism is taking your money against your will and shoving something down your throat that you never asked for.
Strive to be first: first to nod, first to smile, first to compliment, and first to forgive.
I used to think I could fix anything in my life if I just tried a little harder or gave it more time. But, some things aren't meant to be fixed. Sometimes, all you can do is make peace with it and move forward, knowing you did the best you could.
You can lie down for people to walk on you and they will still complain that you're not flat enough.
True friends are those who lift you up when no one else even noticed you were down.
Just because someone carries it well does not mean it isn’t heavy.
The gospel doesn't produce a Hollywood version of happily ever after, but its covenants do give us the assurance that all will be well in the end!
Sometimes you have to hug the people you don't like so you know how big to dig the hole in your backyard.
The razor blade is sharp but can't cut a tree; the axe is strong but can't cut the hair.
Everyone is important according to his/her own unique purpose. Never look down on anyone unless you are admiring their shoes.
If you can't intelligently argue for both sides of an issue, you don't understand the issue well enough to argue for either.
I used to think I was introverted because I really liked being alone, but it turns out that I just like being at peace, and I am very extroverted around people who bring me peace.
Kindness is loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weakness.
Laziness has some people believing they have an unfair life. If you do nothing, you will get nothing.
I love public libraries because they are built on the principle that books are so important and so necessary to human flourishing that access to them cannot depend on your income.
If satan can talk angels out of heaven, he can talk you into hell. Be careful what voices you listen to.
Manipulation is when they blame you for your reaction to their disrespect.
Read that again.
Someone who uses your anger against you when your anger is justified due to their bad behavior is a person who is manipulative to their core.
There is a time and place for stupidity, the problem is stupid people can't tell time or read maps.
Taking care of your mental health is so hard because when you need help the most is the hardest time to ask.
I am a Military Brat. My hometown is nowhere... my friends are everywhere. I grew up with the knowledge that home is where the heart and family are... with no dependence on the dwelling.
Mobility is my way of life. Some would wonder about my roots, yet they are as deep and strong as the mighty oak's. I sink them quickly absorbing all an area offers... hopefully giving enrichment in return. Travel has taught me to be open... shaking hands with the universe, I find brotherhood in all men.
Farewells are never easy. Yet, even in sorrow comes strength and ability to face tomorrow with anticipation... if I leave one place feeling that half my world has been left behind, I also know that the other half is still waiting to be with me.
Friendships are formed in hours and kept decades. I will never grow up with someone, but I will mature with many. Be it inevitable that paths part... there is constant hope that they will meet again.
Love of country, respect, and pride fill my being when Old Glory passes in review. As I stand to honor that flag, so also do I stand in honor of all military people, most especially those whose life created mine... my parents. Because of them, I have shared in the rich heritage of military life.
Never fight until you have to. But when it's time to fight, you fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's Ark... and brother, it's startin' to rain.
My life got better when I realized I didn't have to be nice. Nice got me ran over, stressed out and disrespected.
I'm not nice. I'm a good person. There's a difference.
It doesn’t matter if you are tall, short, thin, fat, rich or poor because at the end of the day, it’s night.
Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, but what you do consistently.
An unhealed person can find offense in pretty much anything someone does.
A healed person understands that the actions of others has absolutely nothing to do with them.
Each day you get to decide which one you will be.
You don't know pain until you're staring at yourself in the mirror with tears in your eyes, begging yourself to just hold on and be strong.
That is pain.
Don't be a part-time Christian, who demands a full-time God.
Dads hate stopping on road trips because then all of the vehicles they worked hard to pass for the last hour get back ahead of them.
You can’t truly call yourself “peaceful” unless you’re capable of great violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless. Important distinction.
There is nothing worse than people who only see things from their point of view and refuse to try to understand anything from someone else's perspective.
Life is like a piano. The white keys are happy days, and the black keys are sad ones. Remember that you need both to make music.
The neat thing is that you are always in charge of your mood so pick a good one
I never want to forget this is the life I prayed for. Every messy, loud, busy part of it. It's not always easy, but it's so good. I’m so very grateful for this family, this journey, this life prayed for.
Never be a prisoner of your past, it was just a lesson, not a life sentence.
Common sense is not a gift, it's a punishment. Because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it.
The only one ever qualified to throw a stone didn't.
The word queue is ironic.
It's just a 'q' with a bunch of silent letters waiting in a line.
When thinking about life, remember this: No amount of guilt can solve the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future.
Chinese word in the book of Mormon for repentance is "change your heart every day" in the bible it is punishment.
You are not responsible for the programming you received in childhood. But as an adult, you are 100% responsible for fixing it.
Being rude is easy. It does not take any effort and is a sign of weakness and insecurity. Kindness shows great self-discipline and strong self-esteem. Being kind is not always easy when dealing with rude people. Kindness is a sign of a person who has done a lot of personal work and has come to a great self-understanding and wisdom. Choose to be kind over being right, and you'll be right every time because kindness is a sign of strength.
The scale will ONLY tell you the numerical value of your gravitational pull. It will NOT tell you how beautiful you are, how much your friends and family love you, or how amazing you are.
Common sense is not a gift, it's a punishment. Because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it.
It’s easy to look sharp when you haven’t done any work.
What kind of ship are you?
Barge? Need a tug boat to pull you around.
Yacht? Do well but only in good weather and ideal conditions
Rescue Boat? Able to go out in the any conditions even the worst.Are you ready to be the rescue boat?
At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
There is a very good reason for this sign being here and you standing there reading it.
It is here to keep you busy.
We realize how annoying it can be, just standing around doing nothing, trying to find someone to help you.
So we have this sign here for you to read and hope that by the time you finish, one of our people will have found you.
P.S. If not, please read it again
Adulthood is saying ‘But after this week things will slow down a bit’ over & over until you die.
If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
Reading is how you install new software!
“Happy Wife, Happy Life” is destroying many marriages... it should be “Happy Spouse, Happy House” because a good marriage consists of TWO Happy People.
Some people never understand what you bring to the table until they watch you in action at another table.
I read something that said
'God, why haven't you taken this away yet?' And He responds-
'It is not mine to take away, but for you to give up?’
And I haven't stopped thinking about that since.
When I shut my mouth and turn to walk away, it doesn't mean you've won. It simply means your stupidity isn't worth any more of my time.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
God will help you walk through the unthinkable. You were never meant to handle it alone.
Lazy people do very little work and believe they should be winning. Winners work as hard as possible and still worry about being lazy.
Daddy, what if you are wrong about God and Jesus and the Church? What if it's all for nothing?
Sunday church meetings, Monday family home evenings, Thursday night activities, Saturday temple sessions, every day scriptures, visiting the lonely, feeding the hungry, and blessing the sick.
Well... If I am wrong, I wasted my life engaged in a joy that can only be found in service.
If I am wrong, I needlessly kept the commandments that blessed me with health, safety and happiness.
If I am wrong, I blindly followed an imaginary Savior, that made me more kind and more forgiving.
If I am wrong, I have felt a fake comfort when loved ones passed away, provided by a false hope of eternity with them again.
In other words... Even if I am wrong...
My 'error' made me a better man.
A better husband and father. A better brother and friend. I have lived a life of fulfillment. I have learned to respect and serve others. To be kind and generous. To donate if I have extra. To ask for help, when I don't have enough.
In short...
If I am right, my Eternity is beautiful.
If I am wrong, my Life is beautiful.
