Inspirational Quotations

I found there was only one way to look thin, hang out with fat people.
—Rodney Dangerfield (American Comedian)

Freud’s prescription for personal happiness as consisting of work and love must be taken with the proviso that the work has to be loved, and the love has to be worked at.
—Sydney J. Harris (American Essayist, Drama Critic)

Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
—Anne Lamott (American Author)

Poetry calls us to pause. There is so much we overlook, while the abundance around us continues to shimmer, on its own.
—Naomi Shihab Nye (Arab-American Poet, Author)

Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.
—George Carlin (American Comedian)

Here shame dissuades him, there his fear prevails, And each by turns his aching heart assails.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (Roman Poet)

In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking but now, God knows, anything goes.
—Cole Porter (American Songwriter)

Don’t fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.
—Bruce Lee (American Martial Artist)

Globalization presumes sustained economic growth. Otherwise, the process loses its economic benefits and political support.
—Paul Samuelson (American Economist)

Blessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God.
—Henry Kissinger (American Diplomat)

Modesty and humility are the sobriety of the mind, as temperance and chastity are of the body.
—Benjamin Whichcote (British Anglican Priest)

There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.
—Nelson Mandela (South African Political leader)

The investor’s chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be him self.
—Benjamin Graham (American Investor)

He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
—Aristotle (Ancient Greek Philosopher)

All power is from within and is therefore under our own control.
—Robert Collier (American Self-Help Author)

Everyone’s quick to blame the alien.
—Aeschylus (Greek Playwright)

You make the best products you can, and you grow as fast as you deserve to.
—Kenneth H. Olsen (American Engineer, Business Executive)

Death not merely ends life, it also bestows upon it a silent completeness, snatched from the hazardous flux to which all things human are subject.
—Hannah Arendt (German-American Political Theorist)

Use thy best vase today, for tomorrow it may, perchance, be broken.
—The Talmud (Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith)

Indifference and inaction must always pay a penalty.
—William Feather (American Author, Publisher)

Little-minded people’s thoughts move in such small circles that five minutes conversation gives you an arc long enough to determine their whole curve.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (American Physician, Essayist)

Bad companies are destroyed by crisis, Good companies survive them, Great companies are improved by them.
—Andrew Grove (Hungarian-born American Businessperson)

Such dainties to them, their health it might hurt: It’s like sending them ruffles, when wanting a shirt.
—Oliver Goldsmith (Anglo-Irish Novelist, Poet)

Never let an inventor run a company. You can never get him to stop tinkering and bring something to market.
—Royal Little (American Businessman)

Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.
—Christopher Hitchens (Anglo-American Social Critic)

A being afire with life cannot foresee death; in fact, by each of his deeds he denies that death exists.
—Marguerite Yourcenar (French Writer)

The foundation of true joy is in the conscience.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (Roman Stoic Philosopher)

In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you’ve just described hell.
—Charlie Munger (American Investor, Philanthropist)

Hope against hope, and ask till ye receive.
—James Montgomery (Scottish Poet, Journalist)

If results are our goal, they must also be our test.
—Peter Drucker (Austrian-born Management Consultant)

I don’t want to work. I want to smoke.
—Guillaume Apollinaire (Italian-born French Poet)

No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed knowing them all.
—Alice Walker (American Novelist, Activist)

What you hear, you forget; what you see, you remember; what you do, you understand.
—T. Harv Eker (American Motivational Speaker)

Rage is essentially vulgar, and never more vulgar than when it proceeds from mortified pride, disappointed ambition, or thwarted willfulness.
—Hartley Coleridge (British Poet)

Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.
—Arthur Ashe (American Tennis Player)

There is too much reason to apprehend, that the custom of pleading for any client, without discrimination of right or wrong, must lessen the regard due to those important distinctions, and deaden the moral sensibility of the heart.
—James Gates Percival (American Poet, Surgeon)

In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments—there are consequences.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Lawyer, Orator, Agnostic)

We are all born for love… . It is the principle of existence, and its only end.
—Benjamin Disraeli (British Head of State)

Happiness is like the penny candy of our youth: we got a lot more for our money back when we had no money.
—Mignon McLaughlin (American Journalist)

Genuine success is to be able to spend your life in your own way; to wear your own hide, not someone else’s; to live according to nature and to recognize infinite power.
—Alfred A. Montapert (American Engineer, Philosopher)

Forgiveness is the final form of love.
—Reinhold Niebuhr (American Theologian)

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.
—Carl Rogers (American Psychologist)

Fish die belly-upward and rise to the surface; it is their way of falling.
—Andre Gide (French Novelist)

There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.
—Colette (French Novelist, Performer)

Success in life is not how well we execute Plan A; it’s how smoothly we cope with Plan B.
—Sarah Ban Breathnach (American Self-help Author)

I don’t want life to imitate art. I want life to be art.
—Carrie Fisher (American Actress)

Look important. It helps you think important. How you look on the outside has a lot to do with how you feel on the inside.
—David J. Schwartz (American Self-help Author)

It is perhaps sad books that best console us when we are sad, and to lonely service stations that we should drive when there is no one for us to hold or love.
—Alain de Botton (Swiss-born British Philosopher)

When prayer is a struggle, do not worry about the prayers that you cannot pray. You yourself are a prayer to God at that moment. All that is within you cries out to Him. And He hears all the pleas that your suffering soul and body are making to Him with groanings which cannot be uttered.
—Ole Hallesby (Norwegian Theologian)

There is a brilliant child locked inside every student.
—Marva Collins (American Educator)

Bigotry has no head, and cannot think; no heart, and cannot feel. When she moves, it is in wrath; when she pauses it is amidst ruin; her prayers are curses—her God is a demon—her communion is death.
—Daniel O’Connell (Irish Statesman)

Expert: One who limits himself to his chosen mode of ignorance.
—Elbert Hubbard (American Writer)

In my mind, there is nothing so illiberal and so ill-bred, as audible laughter.
—Earl of Chesterfield (English Statesman, Man of Letters)

Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, not if we enter into the clefts of the mountains, is there known a spot in the whole world where a man might be freed from an evil deed.
—The Dhammapada (Buddhist Anthology of Verses)

Somebody figured it out—we have 35 million laws trying to enforce Ten Commandments.
—Earl Wilson (American Newspaper Columnist)

Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
—Bill Russell (American Basketball Champion)

Hope is your most powerful weapon. Self-confidence is your greatest asset.
—Dhirubhai Ambani (Indian Businessperson)

Grief can take care of itself; but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose; for good books are as scarce as good companions.
—Charles Caleb Colton (English Clergyman, Aphorist)

The Universe knows what it’s doing. So don’t develop a big ego, and don’t be afraid.
—Benjamin Hoff (American Taoist Writer)

The function of gossip is to create an “in group” bond by creating an “out group” enemy.
—Warren Farrell (American Educator, Activist)

The marsh, to him who enters it in a receptive mood, holds, besides mosquitoes and stagnation, melody, the mystery of unknown waters, and the sweetness of Nature undisturbed by man.
—William Beebe (American Biologist)

Faith, if it is ever right about anything, is right by accident.
—Sam Harris (American Neuroscientist, Atheist, Author)

If you want to be popular all the time, you will misgovern.
—Lee Kuan Yew (Singaporean Statesman)

Injustice is not intrinsically bad: people regard it as evil only because it is accompanied by the fear that they will not escape the officials who are appointed to punish evil actions.
—Epicurus (Greek Philosopher)

The only guarantee, ever, is that things will go wrong. The only thing we can use to mitigate this is anticipation. Because the only variable we control completely is ourselves.
—Ryan Holiday (American Author)

The mission of art is to represent nature; not to imitate her.
—William Morris Hunt (American Painter)

They say that the pith of a lady’s letter is in the postscript.
—Anthony Trollope (English Novelist)

When in doubt, disclose.
—N. R. Narayana Murthy (Indian Businessperson)

The stage is actor’s country. You have to get your passport stamped every so often or they take away your citizenship.
—Vanessa Redgrave (British Actress)

The mind can store an estimated 100 trillion bits of information—compared with which a computer’s mere billions are virtually amnesiac.
—Sharon Begley (American Journalist)

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
—Vincent van Gogh (Dutch Painter)

A goal is a dream with a deadline.
—Napoleon Hill (American Author)

Be displeased with what thou art, if thou desirest to attain to what thou art not; for where thou hast pleased thyself, there thou abidest, and if thou sayest I have enough, thou perishest.
—Augustine of Hippo (Roman-African Christian Philosopher)

If we are humble and sincere, God will finish in us the work He has begun. He never refuses His grace to those who ask it.
—Catherine McAuley (Irish Religious Sister)

He that lives in love lives in god, says the beloved disciple: and to be sure a man can live no where better.
—William Penn (English Quaker Leader)

The senses do not deceive; it is the judgment that deceives.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet)

All happiness or unhappiness solely depends upon the quality of the object to which we are attached by love.
—Baruch Spinoza (Dutch Philosopher)

The advantage of living is not measured by length, but by use; some men have lived long, and lived little; attend to it while you are in it. It lies in your will, not in the number of years, for you to have lived enough.
—Michel de Montaigne (French Essayist)

Love can never grow old. Locks may lose their brown and gold. Cheeks may fade and hollow grow. But the hearts that love will know, never winter’s frost and chill, summer’s warmth is in them still.
—Leo Buscaglia (American Motivational Speaker)

As a company grows from 25 to 50 to 100 to 200 to 500 to 1000 people, the characteristics of who is the very best talent in leadership roles will change. It’s rarely the case that your leadership team at 1000 people is the same leadership team you had at 25 people.
—Brad Feld (American Entrepreneur, Investor)

The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.
—Demosthenes (Greek Statesman, Orator)

One cloud is enough to eclipse all the sun.
—Thomas Fuller (English Cleric, Historian)

Religion divides, creates discord, but spirituality unites.
—Dada J. P. Vaswani (Indian Hindu Philosopher)

When we do not expect anything we can be ourselves. That is our way, to live fully in each moment of time.
—Shunryu Suzuki (Buddhist Monk, Author)

Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well.
—George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright)

If politics is the art of the possible, research is surely the art of the soluble. Both are immensely practical-minded affairs.
—Peter Medawar (British Immunologist, Writer)

No eyes will raise to heaven. The pure will be thought insane and the impure will be honoured as wise. The madman will be believed brave, and the wicked esteemed as good.
—Hermes Trismegistus (Greek-Egyptian Author)

Speech emanating from a pure heart and mind of learned men and scholars are naturally pure just like water of a river.
—The Vedas (Sacred Books of Hinduism)

Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be.
—Carrie Fisher (American Actress)

A grievance is most poignant when almost redressed.
—Eric Hoffer (American Philosopher)

Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong.
—Daniel O’Connell (Irish Statesman)

Economic independence doesn’t set anyone free. Or it shouldn’t, for the higher up you go, the more responsibilities become yours.
—Bernard F. Gimbel (American Businessman)

Money is a result, wealth is a result, health is a result, illness is a result, your weight is a result. We live in a world of cause and effect.
—T. Harv Eker (American Motivational Speaker)

Although one may fail to find happiness in theatrical life, one never wishes to give it up after having once tasted its fruits.
—Anna Pavlova (Russian Ballerina)

We all have to be concerned about terrorism, but you will never end terrorism by terrorizing others.
—Martin Luther King III (American Human Rights Advocate)

My bad habits aren’t my title, my strengths and talents are my title.
—Layne Staley (American Musician)

Crime butchers innocence to secure a throne, and innocence struggles with all its might against the attempts of crime.
—Maximilien Robespierre (French Revolutionary)

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.
—Agnes de Mille (American Dancer)

To rule by fettering the mind through fear of punishment in another world, is just as base as to use force… Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.
—Hypatia of Alexandria (Greek Philosopher, Mathematician)

Freedom is no heritage. Preservation of freedom is a fresh challenge and a fresh conquest for each generation. It is based on the religious concept of the dignity of man. The discovery that man is free is the greatest discovery of the ages.
—C. Donald Dallas (American Industrialist)

There’s as much risk in doing nothing as in doing something.
—F. Trammell Crow (American Businessman)

In the racial picture things will never be as they once were. History has reached a turning point, here and over the world.
—Medgar Evers (American Activist)

We have no right to say that the universe is governed by natural laws, but only that it is governed according to natural laws.
—William Benjamin Carpenter (English Biologist)

An actor is at most a poet and at least an entertainer.
—Marlon Brando (American Actor)

The perfect way is without difficulty, for it avoids picking and choosing. Only when you stop liking and disliking will all be clearly understood. Be not concerned with right or wrong, for the conflict between right and wrong is the sickness of the mind.
—Jianzhi Sengcan (Chinese-Buddhist Monk)

The only menace is inertia.
—Saint-John Perse (French Poet)

The course of human history is determined, not by what happens in the skies, but by what takes place in our hearts.
—Arthur A. Kent (American Inventor)

Reality is, after all, too big for our frail understanding to fully comprehend. Nevertheless, we have to build our life on the theory which contains the maximum truth. We cannot sit still because we cannot, or do not, know the Absolute Truth.
—Subhas Chandra Bose (Indian Nationalist Leader)

Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you.
—Jack LaLanne (American Fitness Guru)

The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.
—Matsuo Basho (Japanese Poet)

There is more similarity in the marketing challenge of selling a precious painting by Degas and a frosted mug of root beer than you ever thought possible.
—A. Alfred Taubman (American Businessman)

For national leaders it is sometimes easier to fight than to talk. Impatient cries for total victory are usually more popular than the patient tolerance required of a people whose leaders are seeking peaceful change down the intricate paths of diplomacy.
—Harlan Cleveland (American Diplomat)

Opportunities are seldom labeled.
—John Augustus Shedd (American Author)

Dream big and dare to fail.
—Norman D. Vaughan (American Sportsman, Explorer)

Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition in which your eyes aren’t producing an adequate amount of tears necessary for lubrication. As a result, this may lead to inflammation and damage to the eye’s surface.

Unfortunately, more Americans may be suffering from this condition than we think. According to a recent dry eye survey from eye health products company Bausch + Lomb, there has been an increase in the prevalence of dry eye, particularly among younger demographics due to modern lifestyles and heavy digital device use. Of 2,003 survey participants, 461 were considered “sufferers” of dry eye disease symptoms.

Worse, most of the participants lacked awareness of the symptoms associated with eye dryness, which includes redness, fluctuating vision, scratchiness, and a gritty, tired, or heavy feeling in the eye. Additionally, 70% stated they knew little about preventing or treating dry eye. 44% of participants were also unaware that untreated DED can lead to vision loss, among other complications.

The treatment of dry eye disease and its associated symptoms start with routine visits to eye care providers. Unfortunately, about two in five participants stated they do not visit their eye care provider at least once a year. As a result, early symptoms of the disease are often misunderstood, underestimated, or ignored.

Dry eyes and other diseases

While findings from recent years have associated dry eyes with the increased use of digital devices, it’s important to note that dry eyes can also point to other diseases and health conditions. Illnesses like lupus, Graves’ disease, and diabetes are considered causes of dry eye, and women who experience hormonal changes after menopause and during pregnancy also tend to experience heightened dry eye symptoms.

Similarly, staying or spending long periods in dry, indoor environments can lead to dry eyes or decreased production of tears. Regular contact lens wearers are also no strangers to dry eyes, as most modern contact lenses can partially block oxygen from properly entering the eye.

Meanwhile, other health conditions can also cause dry eye and associated symptoms due to the medications required to treat them. This includes tranquilizer, antihistamines, certain heart medications, diuretics, birth control pills, and ulcer medications.

Prevention and treatment of dry eye

As mentioned, despite the rising prevalence of dry eye disease and its various symptoms, many people lack awareness about available treatment and prevention methods. One of the best ways to prevent dry eye symptoms, of course, is to visit an eye doctor regularly.

Routine eye checkups can help eye care professionals detect eye conditions as early as possible, including vision changes out of the ordinary or even hidden medical issues. Fortunately, the Internet has made it much easier for people to access eye exams carried out by qualified eye care professionals. A simple search for “eye exam near me” will lead to online stores or clinic locators that will help connect you with the nearest optometrist. Target Optical, for example, offers eye exams provided by Independent Doctors of Optometry in most states.

Nowadays, there are different tests eye doctors can do to test for dry eye. This includes the slit lamp test and Schirmer’s test to see if your eyes are making enough tears. There is also the tear break up time (TBUT) test that checks how long your tear film lasts after you blink. Once your eye doctor confirms dry eye symptoms or problems, they will be able to provide recommendations for treatment.

Aside from scheduling routine eye tests, consistent treatment is also crucial for providing dry eye relief. Over the years, researchers and manufacturers have released highly effective new treatments for patients suffering from dry eye disease and symptoms. Some of the latest FDA-approved options for dry eye include prescription eye drops like Miebo, which targets excessive tear evaporation and is highly effective in mimicking meibomian glands to produce lipid-rich secretion and maintain a healthy ocular surface. There is also nasal spray like Tyrvaya, which helps kickstart your body to produce its own natural tears.

Other ways to treat and prevent dry eyes

Aside from seeking help from eye care professionals, certain daily habits can also help prevent dry eyes and provide relief. A 2024 Frontiers in Pharmacology study explored the use of nutrient supplementation in antioxidant therapy for preventing and treating dry eye disease. Previously, studies have demonstrated the value of nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, microelements, and phytochemicals for preventing DED.

Another good practice for preventing dry eyes and getting relief, of course, is to stay hydrated. Studies have shown that dehydration can cause eye irritation and lead to blurry vision and other dry eye symptoms. While drinking more water is certainly helpful, it can also help to avoid potentially dehydrating beverages like caffeine or alcohol.

Finally, putting in regular exercise in your daily life can help provide eye comfort for those suffering from dry eye disease or its associated symptoms. In a previous post, we highlighted “exercise snacks”, which are a short little bite of physical activity you can do anywhere. Doing these regularly can help you build the healthy routine of exercising to keep your body fit and boost ocular health. Over time, you can build up to longer or more intense exercises. A 2022 study suggests that better physical fitness and longer periods of exercise can help enhance eye moisture.

Eye health experts have also long recommended eye and blinking exercises to help keep the eyes lubricated, preventing dry eyes. Most recently, clinical trials suggest that laughter exercise can be an initial treatment for relieving the symptoms of dry eye disease. Previously, laughter therapy has been found to alleviate depression, anxiety, stress, and chronic pain while strengthening immune function and is considered an add-on treatment for conditions like mental health disorders, cancer, and diabetes. Researchers deem laughter exercise as a safe, environmentally friendly, and low cost intervention for people with symptomatic dry eye disease and limited corneal staining.