Wise words are an important foundation of our growth. It is a source of inspiration and reflection, serving as helpful signs when we are at a crossroads… Hope we don’t sound too poetic so far, as we’re trying to get you in the mood for this month’s challenge. Now, we’re highlighting the value of inspiring quotes that we keep in our minds!
Share the most important quotes that are a first-hand source of wisdom in your life. What were the most iconic words you’ve heard so far? Who is the author of this quote? How has it helped you and what message would you like to spread to the world? We can’t wait to hear your examples! Be an inspiration for others!
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Every participant receives a unique “Iconic Quote Badge”
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I have a lot of them, as a great nerd, most of them are from the Comic-books. I always liked Anti-heroes instead of Heroes, because I think they are more “real”, they know the taste of the pain and the sadness, stopping giving context, here you go:
“I’m not locked in here with you. You’re locked in here with me!”Rorschach
“You can lie to yourself all you want, but some demons don’t need summoning. They live in your head.”John Constantine
“Ah, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it.”Bane
I’ll break the pathos of the topic: “It depends.” Fits almost everywhere
On the serious hand, I really appreciate Asimov’s “The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing.” It reminds me to enjoy the process rather than rush into the final effects.
Ok, now I also think of Reiner Kunze’s poem “Carlina” (my translation): Stay close to the earth Do not cast shadows on others In the shadow of others, shine
This plant - Carlina - is known for its ability to thrive in harsh conditions, growing in rocky, mountainous terrains with limited resources. In folk traditions, this represents perseverance through hardship. Despite its resilience, it remains close to the ground.
To me, this poem is about the humble yet powerful stance of remaining grounded while radiating one’s own light without imposing it on others. And this is how I want to go through life
I was actually thinking of a quote this morning, so I will stick to that one.
“You Either Die a Hero or Live Long Enough to See Yourself Become the Villain”. It is a quote by Christopher Nolan’s brother and is from my favorite movie of all time, The Dark Knight.
I was thinking about it based on trying to stay as good as I can for as long as I can, and never take things for granted in my professional life. Trying to stay a hero/role model as long as possible.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find.For those to whom much is given, much is required.Do. Or do not. There is no try.May the Force be with you.I have a bad feeling about thisHello there!It’s a trap!I find your lack of faith disturbing.Never tell me the odds!Go ahead, make my day.
“Was man ernst meint, sagt man am besten im Spaß.” - Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908)
It means, if you mean it seriously, it is best said jokingly. While this might not sound very honest/direct, I think it can be seen in a different way. We all have our faults and shortcomings, so why not have a laugh at them once in a while. Not all feedback has to be communicated in a negative and strict way.
“Progress, not perfection, is the path to success.” - Unknown
One of my favs, an excerpt appropriate to our work in Observability:
Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night."
All of the quotes below come from a book that really blew my mind this year - “Educated” by Tara Westover.
“We are all of us more complicated than the roles we are assigned in the stories other people tell” “Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were.”
“To admit uncertainty is to admit to weakness, to powerlessness, and to believe in yourself despite both. It is a frailty, but in this frailty there is a strength: the conviction to live in your own mind, and not in someone else’s.”
Plus some extra from my all-time favorite Brene Brown: “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”
Mine is a bit more internally motivating than worldly wisdom, but my regular mantra at yoga is “Today, I am the greatest of all time” - a quote by the late, great professional baseball player, Rickey Henderson.
I use this to ground me when I am feeling uncertain about myself or need that extra bit of stability. Not every day is going to be my best day, but I am going to make the most of every single day and tomorrow I will start right over and try to have a great day again.
Perhaps this isn’t what Rickey meant, as he probably really was the greatest of all time, but I use it tell myself there’s nothing I can’t do if I try. It just might not be today.
[did I know how to put to words what this quote meant to me before today? absolutely not lol - thanks for making me think about it!]
"Se ni’ mondo esistesse un po’ di bene
e ognun si considerasse suo fratello,
ci sarebbe meno pensieri e meno pene
e il mondo ne sarebbe assai più bello"
that could be translated as:
“If everyone treated each other as brothers and embraced goodness, the world would be a much better place with less worry and suffering.”
This quote was said in an unusual context, which likely contributes to its iconic status.
For me, no doubt, especially in professional terms, but also in personal terms:
You cannot manage what you cannot measure
Attribution is not easy, normally attributed to Peter Drucker, but goes way behind, with the famous words of Lord Kelvin (1883):
I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind: it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be.
Now, we’re highlighting the value of inspiring quotes that we keep in our minds!
Be an inspiration for others!
Every participant receives a unique “Iconic Quote Badge”
