I remember back when I was in 4th grade, we would come in to class to find our handwriting work written on the board. The first thing we did was get out our paper and copy that poem. I remember the day I came in to find this poem (which I memorized because it was so fun):

I never saw a purple cow.
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I’d rather see than be one.

I have no idea who wrote it, or even if I memorized it correctly. I only know that when I decided my kids needed handwriting practice, I wanted to make it fun. But I also want them to learn something good for the soul.

So.

Here is my collection of eclectic quotes – from Abe Lincoln to Yoda. Some of them I found on Pinterest boards, so they could have been painted on a wooden sign, or sewn onto a pillow. I have no idea who wrote most of them. Heck, some could be non-secular for all I know. But I like them all and I love the messages in them. Here they are:

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. ~ C. S. Lewis

There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. ~ C. S. Lewis

Mistakes are proof that you are trying.

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

You are capable of amazing things.

Your mind is a garden
Your thoughts are seeds
You can grow flowers or
You can grow weeds.

Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. ~ Ronald Reagan

Don’t wait for sleep to dream.

You’re off to great places
Today is your day.
Your mountain is waiting
So get on your way.
~ Dr. Seuss

What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Whenever I get sad I stop being sad and start being awesome.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything,
they just make the best of everything.

Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right. ~ Henry Ford

If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.

Please excuse the mess, we are making memories.

It always seems impossible until it’s done. ~ Nelson Mandela

The best way to get things done is to simply begin.

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Whatever you are, be a good one. ~ Abraham Lincoln

We rise by lifting others.

If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney

Be the reason someone smiles today.

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. ~ Zig Ziglar

If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. ~ Roald Dahl

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Do or do not – there is no try. ~ Yoda

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. ~ Walt Disney

By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
~ Edwin Elliot

You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. ~ Martin Luther King

Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.

Collect moments not things.

The best way to predict your future is to create it. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Follow my blog with Bloglovin