Inspirational Quotations

Love imposes obligations and these are constant. An intermittent lover is no use to a person of dignity and courage.
—Anita Brookner (English Novelist, Art Historian)

Yet we may constantly do more in what we are than in what we do. We may serve better in the lives we live than in the best service we ever give. The memory of that should bring rest to your spirit when a bit tired, and may be disheartened because tired.
—Samuel Dickey Gordon (American Evangelical Author)

Let every emotion be capable becoming an intoxication to you. If what you eat fails to make you drunk, it is because you are not hungry enough.
—Andre Gide (French Novelist)

At the deepest level people are madder than they want to believe. You will find that they fear being eaten, and are alarmed by their desire to devour others.
—Hanif Kureishi (British Novelist, Screenwriter)

Envy wounds with false accusations, that is with detraction, a thing which scares virtue.
—Leonardo da Vinci (Italian Polymath)

For a long time I found the celebrities of modern painting and poetry ridiculous. I loved absurd pictures, fanlights, stage scenery, mountebanks backcloths, inn-signs, cheap colored prints; unfashionable literature, church Latin, pornographic books badly spelt, grandmothers novels, fairy stories, little books for children, old operas, empty refrains, simple rhythms.
—Arthur Rimbaud (French Poet)

Evil is always possible. Goodness is a difficulty.
—Anne Rice (American Author)

Men are only too ready to be swayed by senseless passion.
—John Macquarrie (British Theologian)

Give it away to get it back. There is a wonderful, almost mystical, law of nature that says three of the things we want most—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained when we give them to others.
—John Wooden (American Sportsperson)

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope; a slight change, and all patterns and configurations alter.
—Sharon Salzberg (Buddhist Teacher)

The man that makes a character, makes foes.
—Edward Young (English Poet)

I count false words the foulest plague of all.
—Aeschylus (Greek Playwright)

Think not that guilt requires the burning torches of the furies to agitate and torment it.—Frauds, crimes, remembrances of the past and terrors of the future, these are the domestic furies that are ever present to the minds of the impious.
—Cicero (Roman Philosopher)

How much better a thing it is to be envied than to be pitied.
—Herodotus (Ancient Greek Historian)

The most intangible, and therefore the worst kind of a lie, is a half-truth.—This is the peculiar device of the “conscientious” detractor.
—Washington Allston (American Artist, Writer)

Variability is one of the virtues of a woman. It avoids the crude requirement of polygamy. So long as you have one good wife you are sure to have a spiritual harem.
—G. K. Chesterton (English Journalist)

Romance has been elegantly defined as the offspring of fiction and love.
—Isaac D’Israeli (English Writer, Scholar)

There are few cases in which mere popularity should be considered a proper test of merit; but the case of song-writing is, I think, one of the few.
—Edgar Allan Poe (American Poet)

The gratitude of most men is but a secret desire of receiving greater benefits.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (French Writer)

The life of reality is confused, disorderly, almost always without apparent purpose, whereas in the artist’s imaginative life there is purpose. … Most people are afraid to trust their imaginations and the artist is not.
—Sherwood Anderson (American Fiction Writer)

The exact measure of the progress of civilization is the degree in which the intelligence of the common mind has prevailed over wealth and brute force.
—George Bancroft (American Historian)

People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any act of Parliament.
—A. P. Herbert (English Humorist, Politician)

Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening, and sometimes they rise from the past. Perhaps it’s the same with people.
—James Salter (American Fiction Writer)

My sad conviction is that people can only agree about what they’re not really interested in.
—Bertrand A. Russell (British Philosopher, Mathematician)

Once we recognize the fact that every individual is a treasury of hidden and unsuspected qualities, our lives become richer, our judgment better, and our world is more right. It is not love that is blind, it is only the unnoticed eye that cannot see the real qualities of people.
—Charles H. Percy (American Businessperson)

Wonder is not a disease. Wonder, and its expression in poetry and the arts, are among the most important things which seem to distinguish men from other animals, and intelligent and sensitive people from morons.
—Alan Watts (British-American Philosopher)

Each day, and the living of it, has to be a conscious creation in which discipline and order are relieved with some play and pure foolishness.
—May Sarton (American Children’s Books Writer)

To embrace suffering culminates in greater empathy, the capacity to feel what it is like for the other to suffer, which is the ground for unsentimental compassion and love.
—Stephen Batchelor (British Buddhist Author, Teacher)

We take love for granted. We assume we are all perfect lovers and all we need do is wait and our love will grow and blossom as readily as a flower in spring. Not so. Love doesn’t grow unless we do. It takes patience, knowledge, experience, determination, and every positive trait we possess. In addition, love is always changing and unless we stay aware and change with it, it eludes us.
—Leo Buscaglia (American Motivational Speaker)

We need to suffer, that we may learn to pity.
—Letitia Elizabeth Landon (English Poet, Novelist)

If we are honest—and scientists have to be—we must admit that religion is a jumble of false assertions, with no basis in reality. The very idea of God is a product of the human imagination.
—Paul Dirac (English Theoretical Physicist)

Without respect, the subtle alchemy that binds an organization or that serves as the impetus for a business transaction would dissolve into mutual suspicion and hostility.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Hungarian-American Psychologist)

Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory.
—Frederick William Faber (British Hymn Writer)

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
—The Holy Bible (Scripture in the Christian Faith)

True modesty avoids everything that is criminal; false modesty everything that is unfashionable.
—Joseph Addison (English Poet, Playwright, Politician)

Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.
—Freya Stark (British Explorer, Writer)

You don’t have to be religious to have a soul; everybody has one. You don’t have to be religious to perfect your soul; I have found saintliness in avowed atheists.
—Harold Kushner (American Jewish Religious Leader)

Forgiveness is a heartache and difficult to achieve because strangely, it not only refuses to eliminate the original wound, but actually draws us closer to its source. To approach forgiveness is to close in on the nature of the hurt itself, the only remedy being, as we approach its raw centre, to reimagine our relation to it.
—David Whyte (Anglo-Irish Poet)

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
—Carl Gustav Jung (Swiss Psychologist)

It is the earnest wish of my heart, that your minds may be well established in the sound principles of religious knowledge, because I am fully persuaded, that nothing else can be a sufficient foundation of a virtuous and truly respectable conduct in life, or of good hope in death.
—Joseph Priestley (English Clergyman, Scientist)

Refraining is very powerful because it gives us an opportunity to acknowledge when we’re caught and then to get unstuck.
—Pema Chodron (American Buddhist Nun)

If it is not tempered by compassion, and empathy, reason can lead men and women into a moral void.
—Karen Armstrong (English Religious Historian)

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.
—Benjamin Disraeli (British Head of State)

Show not your teeth when you are unable to bite.
—Mexican Proverb

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
—William Hutchinson Murray (Scottish Mountaineer)

When evil times prevail, take care to preserve the serenity of your heart.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (Roman Poet)

The aim of life is to attain peace. No one can give us peace. We can’t buy or borrow it. We have to cultivate it by practicing.
—Baba Hari Dass (Indian-American Hindu Yogi)

It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.
—Woody Allen (American Film Actor, Director)

Faults that are rich are fair.
—William Shakespeare (British Playwright)

The theologian considers sin mainly as an offence against God; the moral philosopher as contrary to reasonableness.
—Thomas Aquinas (Italian Catholic Priest)

A political organization is a transferable commodity. You could not find a better way of killing virtue than by packing it into one of these contraptions which some gang of thieves is sure to find useful.
—John Jay Chapman (American Writer)

The reformer for whom the world is not good enough finds himself shoulder to shoulder with him that is not good enough for the world.
—George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright)

When men grow virtuous in their old age, they only make a sacrifice to God of the devil’s leavings.
—Jonathan Swift (Irish Satirist)

The mark of the man of the world is absence of pretension. He does not make a speech; he takes a low business-tone, avoids all brag, is nobody, dresses plainly, promises not at all, performs much, speaks in monosyllables, hugs his fact. He calls his employment by its lowest name, and so takes from evil tongues their sharpest weapon. His conversation clings to the weather and the news, yet he allows himself to be surprised into thought, and the unlocking of his learning and philosophy.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Philosopher)

Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones, but by contrary extreme positions.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (German Philosopher, Scholar)

Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter.
—Edwin Paxton Hood (English Nonconformist Divine)

Every one is the son of his own works.
—Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish Novelist)

Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end results of.
—Eric Hoffer (American Philosopher)

In giving, a man receives more than he gives; and the more is in proportion to the worth of the thing given.
—George MacDonald (Scottish Poet, Novelist)

That load becomes light which is cheerfully borne.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (Roman Poet)

He has no fault except that he has no fault.
—Pliny the Younger (Roman Senator, Writer)

Passions are merely ideas in their initial stage. They are the property of youth, and anyone who expects to feel their thrill throughout his life is a fool. Tranquil rivers often begin as roaring waterfalls, but no river leaps and foams all the way to the sea. Tranquility, however, is often a sign of great, if hidden, power. Intensity and depth of feeling and thought preclude wild outbursts of passion; in sorrow and joy the soul takes careful stock of every situation, and sees that so it must be.
—Mikhail Lermontov (Russian Novelist, Poet)

A grown man who can shed tears without embarrassment is like a yogi who has learned to expel toxic matter from his body by consciously speeding up the peristaltic rhythm. He can eliminate many of life’s poisons.
—Christopher Isherwood (Anglo-American Novelist, Playwright)

Drive thy business, let not that drive thee.
—Benjamin Franklin (American Founding Father, Inventor)

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
—Cecil Frances Alexander (Irish Hymn Writer)

Gunning for average is your best shot at finishing above average.
—John C. Bogle (American Mutual Fund Pioneer)

I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.
—George Burns (American Comedian)

There is nothing keeps longer than a middling fortune, and nothing melts away sooner than a great one. Poverty treads on the heels of great and unexpected riches.
—Jean de La Bruyere (French Author)

There are three marks of a superior man; being virtuous, he is free from anxiety; being wise, he is free from perplexity; being brave, he is free from fear.
—Confucius (Chinese Philosopher)

You are strong because you are imperfect. You are wise because you have doubts.
—Clementine Churchill (British Humanitarian)

Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify prejudices, which they have imbibed, they can scarcely trace how, rather than to root them out. The mind must be strong that resolutely forms its own principles; for a kind of intellectual cowardice prevails which makes many men shrink from the task, or only do it by halves.
—Mary Wollstonecraft (English Writer, Feminist)

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.
—Ronald Reagan (American Head of State)

Reductionism is a dirty word, and a kind of ‘holistier than thou’ self-righteousness has become fashionable.
—Richard Dawkins (British Ethologist, Atheist)

The highest result of education is tolerance. Long ago men fought and died for their faith; but it took ages to teach them the other kind of courage,—the courage to recognize the faiths of their brethren and their rights of conscience. Tolerance is the first principal of community; it is the spirit which conserves the best that all men think.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

Love thy neighbor as thyself because you are your neighbor. It is illusion that makes you think that your neighbor is someone other than yourself.
—Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Indian Philosopher, Political Leader)

Charity is really self-interest masquerading under the form of altruism.
—Anthony de Mello (Indian-born American Theologian)

It is our job to make women unhappy with what they have.
—B. Earl Puckett (American Businessperson)

Politeness is the slow poison of collaboration.
—Edwin H. Land (American Inventor)

An enlightened person raises the level of the consciousness of the entire community.
—Phyllis Theroux (American Journalist, Author)

Costs do not exist to be calculated. Costs exist to be reduced.
—Taiichi Ohno (Japanese Manufacturing Engineer)

The key to the behavior of subjects lies not in pent-up anger or aggression, but in the nature of their relationship to authority. They have given themselves to the authority; they see themselves as instruments for the execution of his wishes; once so defined, they are unable to break free.
—Stanley Milgram (American Psychologist)

There is no one envious enough to harm another that is not first a torment to himself.
—Augustine of Hippo (Roman-African Christian Philosopher)

Labor to keep alive that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.
—George Washington (American Head of State)

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.
—J. B. Priestley (British Novelist, Playwright, Essayist)

Jealousy is not at all low, but it catches us humbled and bowed down, at first sight. For it is the only suffering that we endure without ever becoming used to it.
—Colette (French Novelist, Performer)

Hard to put things right. You don’t often get that chance. Sometimes all you can do is not get caught.
—Donna Tartt (American Novelist)

Stealing isn’t so easy, often it’s hard work, otherwise we’d all be doing it.
—Elfriede Jelinek (Austrian Author)

Rashness is the faithful but unhappy parent of misfortune.
—Thomas Fuller (English Cleric, Historian)

You should look into a mirror: if you look fine, do fine things; if you look ugly, correct by nobility the defect of your nature.
—Bias of Priene (Greek Orator)

When you visualized a man or woman carefully, you could always begin to feel pity—that was a quality God’s image carried with it. When you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate. Hate was just a failure of imagination.
—Graham Greene (British Novelist)

If you’re in a relationship and suspect your partner of cheating, you’re not alone. According to one study, approximately 25% of male partners and 15% of female partners cheat in their committed relationships.

Cheating can jeopardize the trust, connection, and closeness you share with your partner. If you think your partner may be unfaithful, here are 10 signs of a cheating partner in a relationship. You can find even more signs on the blog.

10 Guaranteed Signs of Cheating

No one wants to think that their partner is cheating on them, but sadly, it happens to many people. If you’re suspicious and need to know how to tell if your partner is cheating, these 10 guaranteed signs of cheating can help determine the truth of the situation.

1. Changes in communication: If your partner suddenly starts using their phone more often or takes extra steps to hide the content of their conversations and texts, it could be a sign they’re hiding something.
2. Changes in appearance: Does your partner seem to have a renewed interest in physical appearance? Are they buying new clothes and showing off a fresh look even when no special event is coming up? Pay attention to these changes.
3. Decreased intimacy: Has physical affection decreased significantly between you two? Do you find that sex is now scarce or non-existent? This can be one of the tell-tale signs your partner is cheating.
4. Unusual schedule changes: Is your partner working late more frequently than before without a clear explanation? Or have they started traveling often without you? Changes in routine can be a sign of cheating.
5. You’re being kept in the dark: Has your partner suddenly taken to hiding their phone or laptop from you? Are they shutting down any conversations that involve details about their day-to-day activities? If so, this could indicate something more is going on.
6. They’re defensive and secretive: Does your partner seem overly defensive and quickly become guarded when you ask simple questions about their whereabouts? Do they seem determined to keep things private even if it hurts your relationship? This could be one of the signs your spouse is cheating.
7. Avoiding family and friends: Has your significant other suddenly stopped hanging out with your friends and family? Have they started to avoid events or outings involving both of you? If so, this could signify they’re running away from something in the relationship.
8. They’re emotionally distant: Has your partner recently become emotionally disconnected from you? Have even simple conversations about day-to-day matters become dull and superficial? This could be a sign that their attention is now devoted elsewhere.
9. You can’t trust them: Do you find yourself constantly questioning how to tell if your partner is cheating when it comes to their behavior away from you? Or do they seem secretive when asked about their activities while apart from each other? These are red flags that something may be off.
10. They neglect you: By now, it should be clear that a partner who is cheating will show signs of psychological withdrawal from the relationship. They likely won’t spend as much quality time with you and could make excuses to avoid spending time together altogether.

How to Confront Signs Your Partner Is Cheating

No one wants to discover that their partner has been cheating, but how do you know if they are? It can be difficult to spot the signs of unfaithfulness, but there are steps on how do you know if your partner is cheating you can take

First, you must collect any evidence or insights you may have related to your partner’s behavior. Don’t jump to conclusions until you have documented enough evidence.

Pro-Tip: Hiring a private investigator can be an effective way to know for sure if your partner is cheating. However, if you don’t want to go down that route, there are other methods you can use. Spy apps are a great place to start, as they can reveal hidden conversations or activities on their phone.

Second, confront your partner about the guaranteed signs of cheating and how their behavior has made you feel; be sure to maintain a level voice throughout the conversation.

Lastly, if the accusations prove true, it can be difficult emotionally; allow yourself time to process and ultimately move on from the situation as best as possible.

Conclusion

Cheating is an emotionally charged topic and can be hard to acknowledge; however, if you’re suspicious of your partner’s behavior, it is essential to take the necessary steps to investigate further.

Look for tell-tale signs of a cheating partner in a relationship, such as changes in their routines or behaviors and use spy apps or confront them directly. Even if the accusations prove true, remember to give yourself time to process the situation and move on from it.

Ultimately, trust your gut and notice the clues that may indicate a cheating partner. If something doesn’t feel right in your relationship, chances are there is a reason for it – trust yourself!

There is no week nor day nor hour when tyranny may not enter upon this country, if the people lose their roughness and spirit of defiance.
—Walt Whitman (American Poet)

I used to be afraid I wouldn’t make enough money; now I’m afraid I won’t make enough difference.
—Bob Goff (American Philanthropist)

A high-school teacher, after all, is a person deputized by the rest of us to explain to the young what sort of world they are living in, and to defend, if possible, the part their elders are playing in it.
—Emile Capouya (American Essayist, Critic, Publisher)

If we were to ask the brain how it would like to be treated, whether shaken at a random, irregular rate, or in a rhythmic, harmonious fashion, we can be sure that the brain, or for that matter the whole body, would prefer the latter.
—Itzhak Bentov (Israeli American Scientist)

When we are no longer able to change a situation … we are challenged to change ourselves.
—Viktor Frankl (Austrian Psychiatrist)

Men simply copied the realities of their hearts when they built prisons.
—Richard Wright (American Novelist, Short-Story Writer)

In marriage, a man becomes slack and selfish, and undergoes a fatty degeneration of his moral being.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish Novelist)

Your mind is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it grows.
—Carol Dweck (American Psychologist)

Consistency is a virtue for trains: what we want from a philosopher is insights, whether he comes by them consistently or not.
—Stephen Vizinczey (Hungarian-Canadian Writer)

Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.
—George W. Bush (American Head of State)

A man who makes trouble for others is also making trouble for himself.
—Chinua Achebe (Nigerian Novelist, Poet)

Curiosity is the engine of civilization. If I were to elaborate it would be to say read, read, read, and don’t forget to talk to people, really talk, listening with attention and having conversations, on whatever topic, that are an exchange of thoughts. Keep the reading broad, beyond just the professional. This helps to develop one’s sense of perspective in all matters.
—Peter Cundill (Canadian Investor)