Words that struck me and stuck

John Akindulureni
Sep 1, 2018 · 2 min read
“fountain pen on black lined paper” by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

There was a time, not too long ago, that I believed I could never memorize statements/lines and reproduce them verbatim. For a long time, I held firmly to the theory and I’d often make effort to prove myself wrong, but confirmation bias wouldn’t let me break the cycle.

That was until I stumbled on the words of Henry David Thoreau in Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits book. There and then, the words stuck!

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

It was as though those words opened the floodgates that had longed been shut, or probably never been opened all my life.

“turned on white YES LED signage” by Julian Lozano on Unsplash

I HAVE THE POWER TO IMPROVE MY LIFE AS LONG AS I CONTINUE TO PUT IN THE EFFORT.

Thanks to the transforming effect Thoreau’s words had, I now find myself open to other sayings capable of the same effect.

Here are some;

No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or by emotional appeal. Marilyn Ferguson

An amateur practices until they can play it correctly. A professional practices until they can’t play it incorrectly. Anonymous

It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life. Jean Luc Picard

On your journey through life, make sure your biography has at least one extraordinary chapter. Unknown

Words are indeed powerful!

If only we used them more productively. The potential impact they would have on us all.

John Akindulureni

Written by

Airman || Earth Scientist || Writer

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