Anyone who pursues an objective will feel disappointed somewhere down the road. Who hasn’t felt despair, concern, or doubt at some point in life?
The truth is that modern life can be challenging in many aspects. If we think about this, most of our time goes by trying to survive and fulfill our obligations. This means paying the bills, covering our children’s education, and providing a roof upon our heads. In such a context, achieving something beyond all this, that will give our lives meaning seems almost impossible, hence, we tend to idolize others. Usually, we see those who have made it as superheroes, but is it really that way?
Looking at the finished model is always easy, but we don’t know what the person had to undergo to achieve the result. For this reason, at QuotesBlog we present 5 inspirational phrases from high achievers.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffet
The first one on our list is Warren Buffet. Since he doesn’t need an introduction, we only say that he was chosen because of his high-achieving career. Considered one of the greatest investors, Warren is the sixth wealthiest person in the world. He is currently the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and his worth value is estimated to be 117 billion dollars. Curiously, the company’s website design hasn’t practically changed since the 90s.
Through this quote, Buffet teaches us a valuable lesson in which patience is key. You may trip or make mistakes along the road, but this is no big deal as long as you keep walking. Solid and rewarding results are achieved through patience and hard work.
“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” – Nelson Mandela
Born in 1918 in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest figures of the past century. With an anti-apartheid and revolutionary vision, he managed to be the first black president and the first head of state to be chosen in a fully representative election.
His government was mainly dedicated to eliminating institutional racism and fostering reconciliation. For this, he is known as one of the greatest achievers when it comes to human rights and egalitarian policies. Through this quote, he inspires us to seek greatness in everything that we do.
Mandela was recognized internationally with many awards including:
- Harvard honorary doctorate
- Africa peace award
- Anne Frank medal
- Nobel Peace Prize
- International Gandhi peace prize
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
Contrary to what one may believe, many of these achievers didn’t have it easy. Steve Jobs, for example, talked about his story at a speech in 2005. In front of several Stanford graduates, he shared meaningful perspectives about his life and work, saying this sentence which is now a famous inspirational quote.
In this speech, Jobs talks about his birth, his arrival into a foster family, his first steps creating the Mac computer, and his cancer diagnosis.
When he ponders about death, he leaves his audience with a deep message in which self-development becomes key. Here is a fragment of the Stanford speech in 2005, in which Steve Jobs encourages graduates to follow their dreams.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
Considered one of the greatest minds of the 20thcentury, Albert Einstein surprises us with his wisdom. He is mainly known for his contribution to science through the development of the theory of relativity. His work was also key to the discovery and further evolution of quantum mechanics.
Albert Einstein is an example of genius, but also taught us the importance of thinking outside the box. This is only one of his many quotes that inspire us to keep going despite the mistakes that we might make along the way.
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”- Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky into a poor family and raised mainly in Indiana. He is one great example of perseverance and achievement. Even though he was self-taught, he managed to become a lawyer and a successful politician. Lincoln was a party leader, legislator, and congressman before he became president of the United States in 1861.
Being a key figure in the abolishment of slavery, Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest characters from the 19th century. Thanks to this quote, we can see his deep insight into the human soul.
What do we learn from this?
Not all achievers have it easy from the beginning. On the contrary, many of them struggled with poverty or similar difficulties at some point in their lives. These quotes show the vision of great historic and social figures so we can take a peek into their souls. Maybe this can help us figure out what makes people great.