I would say that a quarter of my Instagram feed is consistently clogged up with quotes plastered over ‘inspirational’ pictures. Facebook is more temperamental – I’ve definitely noticed a rise in quotes in alignment with a rise in activity by certain acquaintances. As a result, I’m pretty immune to quotes. I barely read them and when I do I may, at most, think ‘yep, that’s good advice’ and then promptly forget it.
However, there’s one quote that I came across, funnily enough on an Audible version of Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends & Influence People”. as I drove over Tower Bridge that literally nearly made me slam on the brakes right there and then and rewind it so I could hear it again. However, even at 20 miles an hour, that’s not advised so I had to try and remember what I could until I arrived at my destination 2 hours later.
Here’s the quote. What do you think?
I’ve not attributed it to anyone because on further inspection, there’s a debate around authorship. Some argue that this has been a Quaker saying since 1869 and only attributed to Stephen Grellet in 1893. Indeed, this seem to be such a great quote, perhaps the most fought after one in the whole of history, as it has also been attributed to William Penn, Marcus Aurelius, Robert Louis Stevenson, Thomas Carlyle, Joseph Addison and at least a dozen others.
But who cares who wrote it. It’s beautiful, it’s real, it’s relevant and it’s the only quote that has ever resonated. And for that reason, it naturally sits at the top of my favourites list.
And for that reason, I thought I’d share it with you.
“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”
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