From the category archives:

Inspiration

Individuality

February 26, 2013
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If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to Very Smart Girls RSS feed or Email. Thanks for visiting!Enjoy! “If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.” Billie Holiday (1915-1959) “A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose.  It would [...]

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Quotes by Great Artists

July 28, 2012
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“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” Auguste Rodin “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Edgar Degas “Art washed away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may [...]

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Peace on My Mind

May 17, 2012
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Peace on My Mind by Jo-Ann Downey No smothering details Ignoring who, what, when, where, why, how, how come Absent of assumptions, expectations, fears, past, future I invite infinite time and space Welcoming the divine sweetness that I do not know as I jump into peace I welcome you to enjoy these quotes. “The only true wisdom is [...]

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Quotes about Compassion

April 19, 2012
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Self-compassion is the first step in cultivating compassion.  To be conscious of your own divine humanness, to accept yourself, and to be unconditionally kind to yourself evokes the inner peace necessary to extend compassion outward.    What a way to live! Enjoy these quotes about compassion. “What comes from the heart goes to the heart.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge “A good [...]

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Quotes about Actions Speaking Louder Than Words

December 14, 2011
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Enjoy! “Well done is better than well said.”  Benjamin Franklin “Be content to act, and leave the talking to others.”  Baltasar Gracian “The shortest answer is doing the thing.” Ernest Hemingway “Action is eloquence.”  William Shakespeare “The vision must be followed by the venture.  It is not enough to stare up the steps – we [...]

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Quotes about Money and Life

October 16, 2011
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Enjoy! “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it.  The more a man has, the more he wants.  Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) “Man…Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.  Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.  And then he is so anxious [...]

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Acceptance Poem

August 17, 2011
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I am experiencing an abundance of self-acceptance and acceptance of others.  I hope you enjoy the poem I wrote.  As discussed in, “Acceptance and Patience”, acceptance rides on the calming energy of knowing that everything is exactly as it should be.  Your current life situation may not be your preference, and you may want to change [...]

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Quotes about Forgiveness

July 15, 2011
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 “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Mark Twain (1835-1910)  “The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) “Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)  “The truest joys they seldom prove, [...]

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I’ll Take That Bet

May 18, 2011
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This poem was inspired by my teachers, my soul-friends, my experiences, and this inspirational quote:  “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) I’ll Take That Bet by Jo-Ann Downey I’ll take the bet that every human being is a miracle. [...]

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Quotes about Listening

March 20, 2011
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Enjoy! “The first duty of love is to listen.”  Paul Tillich “If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.”  Albert Einstein “I like to listen.  I have learned a great deal from listening carefully.  Most people [...]

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