Quotes: Santosh Kalwar

"We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking." 

–– Santosh Kalwar (b. 1982), Nepalese poet, writer, researcher 

via: Sketchbook N 14, 2024, p. 35.

Quotes: W. Somerset Maugham

"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of habit." 

–– W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), English writer

via: Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p. 69. 

Quotes: Sir John Lubbock

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." 

–– Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913), English banker, philanthropist, politician, scientist 

via: Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p. 69.

Quotes: Winston Churchill

"You'll never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks." 

–– Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Prime Minister 1940-1945; 1951-1955 

via: Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p. 69.

Quotes: Milan Kundera

"Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us. We read its messages much as gypsies read the images made by coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup." 

–– Milan Kundera (1929-2023), Czech-born French writer 

Source: Milan Kundera. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Translation by Michael Henry Heim. New York: HarperCollins, 1984; p. 48-49. 

via: Commonplace Book, 2013-2014, 2014, p. 92.

Quotes: Rachel Joyce

"They had offered him comfort and shelter, even when he was afraid of taking them, and in accepting he had learned something new. It was as much a gift to receive as it was to give, requiring as it did both courage and humility."

–– Rachel Joyce (b. 1962), British writer

Source: Rachel Joyce. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Canada: Bond Street Books (Random House Canada), 2012; p. 201.

via: Commonplace Book, 2013-2014, 2014, p. 96. 

Quotes: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

"Your ability to focus on what's important is absolutely fundamental to the life you want to live." 

–– Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, American speaker, author, and consultant 

Source: Erin Anderssen. "Crushed." The Globe and Mail, Saturday March 29, 2014, p. F1, F6-7; p. F6. 

via: Commonplace Book, 2013-2014, 2014, p. 97.