Today’s quote of the day
From a Nike commercial
Do not suffer from loneliness.
Go outside.
Go away.
It’s all the people making you lonely.
Pick a spot on the horizon and head straight for it.
Weave your way through a stand of Redwoods.
Kayak an island chain.
Peer over your toes at the edge of a canyon.
Go to your favorite place.
Again, and again.
This is what you need to do.
Not just because it fuels your independence,
But because it reminds you you’re a part of something bigger.
And although it may not occur to the baffled onlookers
who can’t take their eyes off
your smiling mud-covered wired-up insane self,
it will occur to you.
You aren’t the one who’s lonely.
What’s your favorite inspirational quote? Leave it in the comments.


February 10th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
You are an Occasion. Rise to it.
–from “Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium”
February 10th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking. (attributed to Gen. George Patton)
February 10th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” -Sudan Polis Schutz
February 10th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
“What a pity for winged creatures to die on the ground.” Sally Cheek
Jack Goldenberg
America’s Best UnderEmployed Creative Director
February 10th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
February 10th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Peter – good quote. Here’s one that inspires me when I’m a bit intimidated:
“Do what you’re afraid to do. When you run away because you’re afraid to do something big, you pass opportunity by.” W. Clement Stone.
February 10th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present. Albert Camus
February 10th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” – -St. Augustine
February 10th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Everything is either an opportunity to grow, or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose. Dr. Wayne Dyer
February 10th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
“And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
- Anais Nin
February 10th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
yes, in deedie do. Good one. You got to go in to get out.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Nike has had a few gems in their arsenal Peter! Here’s another-
Monuments are a hoax.
A conspiracy designed by bureaucrats and construction companies to draw you away from the important places.
The ones found off the roads, atop the mountains, amidst the rivers, and mostly by chance.
Marked not by placards and statues, but by epiphanous moments that give you the sense that no one, including yourself, may ever find this place again.
These are the places worth seeking out.
So as you pass the landmark-makers putting up their guardrails and snack shops, give a friendly wave.
And walk on to the place they’ve never been.
But Teddy Roosevelt spoke the greatest words ever-
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
My fave quote…and the one that convinced me to jump ship on the corp. gig & start something of my own! “The man who goes the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do & dare. The sure thing boat never gets far from shore.”
- Don’t know who said it first
February 10th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Inspirational! Thx for sharing. One quote I like lately: “History Shapes, Choice Defines.” (Of all things… from a video game. But true just the same.)
February 10th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Peter – I love the quote and very deep and meaningful. Here is a quote that I truly believe in, especially when it comes to building confidence within the workplace: “There is nothing else that kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise.” Charles Schwab
February 10th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
“Fear nothing, think on things you want to become and you shall become them, never doubt, you are your thoughts so make them count!
February 10th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
change is inevitable
February 10th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Louis Pasteur.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:15 am
Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or you can channel your life so that it will be clean, vibrant, useful, progressive, colorful, and rich.”
— Spencer W. Kimball
http://jorgstyle.blogspot.com/2009/11/choice.html
February 11th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Louis L’Amour: “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.”
February 11th, 2010 at 9:09 am
“There are two ways to live your life – one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
February 11th, 2010 at 9:52 am
I’ll add to Mark’s (another Teddy Roosevelt quote) “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at his best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither vicotry nor defeat.” And, from Philippians, 2:3-5, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to th einterests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”
Thank you Peter for the great quote!
February 11th, 2010 at 10:03 am
For all that has been, thanks; to all that will be, yes!
- Dag Hammarskjold
Awake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of living.
- Kahil Gibran, paraphrased
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
February 11th, 2010 at 10:19 am
@ Lori — thanks for leaving the Anais Nin quote. It is my new favorite!
February 11th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Leave people in a better place than you found them. ~John Morgan
Never miss an opportunity to be FABULOUS. ~Tina Seelig
February 11th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Karen,
The quote about: The sure thing boat” is from Dale Carnegie.
By the way, your blog is excellent, but i tried to contact you through it and I couldn’t find your name anywhere. I might have missed it or you maybe you did not want to post it. I just think you should because your name is your personal brand. That’s true in any field, but even more so when expert advice is involved. Just a suggestion.
Jack Goldenberg
February 11th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~ Thomas Alva Edison
February 11th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I probably take this advice too literally, but I love it: “When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap.” – Cynthia Heimel
February 12th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
wow, that’s a pretty good one!
What about Wayne Gretsky: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
or my Bubby: “You make plans and God laughs.”
Or this one I got from some email chain:
Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit!
February 12th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
[...] http://shankman.com/todays-quote-of-the-day/ [...]
February 12th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Wow, what a collection of uplifting words – thank you to all! I don’t know if Peter had any idea of what he’d started here, but if he did, he’s a genius. This has truly made my day. Hell, my month!
February 13th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
“Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune’s always there.” — Goethe
February 13th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
“People will forget what said or what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
February 17th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Oh this quote has me caught, and I love it from every angle:
Oh no, I lost the quote. It’s a journey – no, not to find the book but the book is entitled The Journey Ahead and everyone, I mean EVERYONE must have one! Now for the quote, I will keep you posted, sorry – no not a post but I will find it and promise to come back and write down the quote. You can quote me on that. I promise.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:41 am
This is one of the most inspirational quotes I have ever read.
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture, or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de –escalated, and a person humanized or dehumanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
- Goethe