Finding Your Purpose – Quotes to Ponder
In January on Tending the Holy Thursdays, we have been exploring finding your purpose. I encourage you to reread the first two blog posts about this topic and if you haven’t already and download the Spiritual Autobiography Resource Guide to complete to help you in your search. (See button at end of this post)
Next week I will summarize this topic and add some of my lessons learned and will invite you in the comments to reflect on what you learned.
Today I am going to simply list thoughts/quotes what others have written about finding your purpose. It is my hope these words guide you to clarity, stimulate your imagination of what could be and motivate you to keep searching.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.”
Rumi
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“Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it.”
Brian Tracy
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“Uncovering purpose helps to refine passion, focus efforts, and sharpen commitments.”
John Maxwell
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“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand.
Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”
Og Mandino
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“The purpose of life seems to be to acquaint a man with himself and whatever science or art or course of action he engages in reacts upon and illuminates the recesses of his own mind.
Thus friends seem to be only mirrors to draw out and explain to us ourselves; and that which draws us nearer our fellow man, is that the deep Heart in one, answers the deep Heart in another – that we find we have a common nature – one life which runs through all individuals, and which is indeed Divine.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.”
David Viscott
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“Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs.”
Frederick Buechner
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“The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.”
Irene C. Kassorla
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“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”
Leo C. Rosten
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“When you see what you’re here for, the world begins to mirror your purpose in a magical way. It’s almost as if you suddenly find yourself on a stage in a play that was written expressly for you.”
Betty Sue Flowers
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“We seek purpose when we are not in touch with who we really are. When an apple tree discovers who it is, the question ‘what must I do?’ disappears. When you discover who you are (at the deepest place of your being) you will find your purpose.”
Colleen-Joy Page
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“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life and don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Steve Jobs
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“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”
Oprah Winfrey
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“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
Malcolm Forbes
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“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”
William James
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‘He who has a why can endure any how.”
Frederick Nietzsche
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“Everyone has a purpose in life… a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.”
Deepak Chopra
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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain
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“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
Michelangelo
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“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Harold Whitman
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“The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.”
Thomas Carlyle
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“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”
Richard Bach
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“There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Nelson Mandela
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“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”
Leo C. Rosten
If you would like a free copy of the Spiritual Biography Resource Guide just click the button here. And invite your friends and family to join in our discussion here on Healthy Spirituality by following the blog or sharing it on social media. Thanks so much and blessings on your digging for the treasures in your heart.
Which quote resonated the most with you?
Click Here to Receive the Spiritual Autobiography Resource Guide
Jean,
So many good quotes…hmm, which one resonated most with me? Maybe this one from Mark Twain: ““Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” If I had listened to fear, I would have never blogged, and I wouldn’t have met you or any of my other wonderful online friends 🙂 Praying joy for you as we’re joy buddies this year 🙂
You know me, Dolly, I love great quotes. That Mark Twain one has always been special to me. Met a young high schooler years ago, very dynamic young lady who first told me this saying. I think of her every time. Inspirational in more than one way. Fear can be quite a show stopped can’t it? So glad we met and continue to stay in touch. blessings, Joy friend
I especially appreciated Leo C. Rosten’s words, perhaps because I’m now retired. One day I’m writing, seeking to make a difference with my words. Some days I’m babysitting our granddaughter, seeking to be useful. And soon I hope to be mentoring a young woman, seeking to be compassionate AND useful to her. Then again, all those adjectives could be applied to any activity that’s done in Jesus’ name. No matter the task, we can be useful, responsible, honorable, and compassionate. Thank you for this thought-provoking collection, Jean!
I love the Richard Bach one and the one about gladness meeting others needs. Great collection!
I found it hard to pick out a favorite one. and also the one about gladness meeting others needs. I really believe God wants us to be joyous and find delight in our work. Hope you are having a great weekend, Dawn. Blessings
These are all wonderful, Jean, but I find myself favoring the one by Frederick Buechner. Blessings!
Frederick Buechner is pretty special. I find myself quoting him often. I do like that quote too
Hi Jean! Oh, I think Nelson Mandela’s really hit home. How many people could contribute to the world if they read those words? It’s not that what we do that has to be big, but just that we do what we can.
I did download your Spiritual Biography, and will be looking at it next week. Can’t wait to see what you put together!
Blessings,
Ceil
I had to go back and reread the Mandela quote. I wrote this then forgot how powerful it was! WOW that is inspiring and should probably be posted in our offices and class rooms. Let me know if the spiritual biography made any impact or needed something else. I am leading a retreat in November and thinking of using it as part of the activities. Hope you are having a great weekend.
It’s hard to choose which one I like best! So many great quotes here. But I’ll pick this one: “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away,” by David Viscott. There’s something beautiful in it about the cycle of love and living–we receive, we give, we receive, we give. Thanks for sharing these, Jean.
Yes I agree, Lisa, I couldn’t chose just one favorite. It has been fun though reading what people chose and amazed at only one duplicate. I do like what you observed with the Viscott quote about the cycle of giving, living and receiving. Good point. Happy weekend, Lisa.