Quotes About Motivation

Boredom can be a very good thing for someone in a creative jam.

Greed in a good cause is still greed.

Tyler rolls out of bed, sniffs the armpits of yesterday's T-shirt, tosses it aside, gets another out of the drawer. His dad sometimes asks him why he sets his alarm so early -- it's summer vacation, after all -- and Tyler can't seem to make him understand that every day is important, especially those filled with warmth and sunlight and no particular responsibilities. It's as if there's some little voice deep inside him, warning him not to waste a minute, not a single one, because time is short.

stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.

When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away—even if it's only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.

Productivity is the only path to confidence.

The only way to begin is to begin, and begin right now. If you like, begin the minute you finish reading this paragraph. For sure, begin before you finish reading this book. I have no doubt the day is coming when you will be wiser or better informed or more highly skilled than you are now, but you will never be more ready to begin writing than you are right this minute. The time has come.

there are three essential requirements for learning lucid dreaming: adequate motivation, correct practice of effective techniques, and excellent dream recall.

There's neither need nor justification to wallow in the trough of mediocrity.

Self-trust is the first secret of success . . . the essence of heroism.

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.

people are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren't getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope...with all of their might.

It's sometimes a painful process. It's a change that has to be motivated by a higher purpose, by the willingness to subordinate what you think you want now for what you want later.

Leadership is communicating people's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves." Is that not also the essence of good teaching?

Your attitude determines your altitude

what we believe about ourselves and our purpose has a powerful impact on how we live, how we love, and what we learn.

Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience, and it doesn't preclude the necessity to train and develop people so that their competency can rise to the level of that trust.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

I am the creative force of my life.

But knowing I need to listen and knowing how to listen is not enough. Unless I want to listen, unless I have the desire, it won't be a habit in my life. Creating a habit requires work in all three dimensions.

Trust is the highest form of human motivation.

You see your competition as a learning source, as friends who can keep you sharp and teach you where your weaknesses are.

Satisfied needs do not motivate.

Leadership is affirming people's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.