It’s been quiet here in my virtual home – a reflection of more struggle and uncertainty that has come my way. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but I think it’s important to say something – anything – rather than nothing. So here I go. I’m okay and I’m going to be okay. It’s strange to know that with such certainty when the situation I’m currently in would have broken me apart in the past. I have become so resilient which is ironic because I thought I was already pretty resilient – but I suppose you never really know your true strength until it is put to the test. I know I’m enough even though my “enough” isn’t their “enough” in my current situation. I apologize for being so vague, but something is better than nothing.
I won’t ramble on too much more because a) I know you’re not here for the Carolyn Soap Opera … b) what I want to say is not fully known to me – and I want to share knowledge with you, not just personal feelings … and c) I want to open up to you about what I’m saying between the lines – what has this struggle been about? And I know that time is coming soon.
In the meantime, I want to share some quotes I’ve been collecting recently on change and uncertainty. Hopefully, for those of you who may be living between the lines, some of these words will resonate with you.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. – Alan Watts
You have to fight a battle more than once to win it. – Margaret Thatcher
When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen. Either there will be something solid for you to stand on or you will be taught how to fly. – Patrick Overton
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ – Eleanor Roosevelt
There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth. – Maya Angelou
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. – Albert Einstein
So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about. – Marilyn Monroe
You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. –Maya Angelou
If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living. – Gail Sheehy
We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. – Harrison Ford
Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken. – Frank Herbert
We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. – Maya Angelou
Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. – Arnold Bennett
Do you have any favorite quotes or words of wisdom? Let’s dance together.
image: lucy snowe {etsy | blog}



{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Carolyn – I saw this quote twice over the weekend in totally unrelated contexts, once as a quote by Nelson Mandela, once as a quote by Marianne Williamson (when I looked it up, this quote apparently is often attributed to Nelson Mandela but is originally from Marianne Williamson). I love this quote, maybe it will resonate with you as well. Take care!
xo
An
““The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
I love this quote, An, thank you so much for sharing it with me. I’m going to put it on a little post-it note on my inspiration board :).
What a beautiful post filled with such encouraging words in such a time of uncertainty.
thank you, ben. so much uncertainty and of course, i’m scared… but trying to stay strong at the same time.
hello Carolyn,
perseverance & resilience are cornerstones of my life – with a very healthy dose of faith -
each
and
every
day.
Know that you are not alone in your journey. May God be your dance partner during this time of uncertainty and change.
Terri Conrad
Terri Conrad Designs
Thank you, Terri — perseverance and resilience are cornerstones of my life as well.
Hang in there Carolyn and thanks for sharing these quotes. I hope they provide strength for you, too.
Alex
Thank you so much, Alex. I really appreciate your kind words.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
great quote! simple yet very powerful :)
You know that darn old saying that ‘everything happens for the best’? I can tell you that I totally loathe that expression – until, amazingly, it comes true! There really is a ‘better’ floating around out there waiting just for you!
(Having the patience to wait for the good stuff is the awful part. I’m not so talented in that regard.)
oh so true, robin. i wish we could skip all of the crazy mind games and realize that everything does happen for a reason. walking the talk is the difficult part!
Here’s a great quote that I certainly keep close to me. Hope it resonates with you as well.
“Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things – with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope. ” –Corazon Aquino
I love that quote, Darnita. Thank you so much for sharing it – definitely resonates with me and I’m sure many others as well.
Thank you so much for this post, I really needed it! Going through a lot right now, some may call it a “quarter-life crisis” and I am for sure battling a lot of uncertainty.
I’m so happy that this post helped an itty bit for you — for some reason quotes tend to be my go-to source for hope and inspiration when I need it the most. It’s nice to put words to what you’re feeling and realize that others have gone through this uncertainty as well — the quotes are like little messages from others. Oh goodness I’m getting sappy today! I’m in the same crisis mode but it happened a bit abruptly so I’m trying to recalibrate — but definitely know you are not alone in this “crisis” and just recognizing this period for what it is … is incredibly empowering.
Carolyn,
I’ve collected quotes since high school, and I really appreciated this group. As a reader and a blogger, I’m glad that you’re taking the time to meet your own needs!
Warmly,
Ann
I’m a total quote nerd and I love all these! I sprinkle quotes all over my blog. What a beautiful collection. Thanks for sharing!
oh i love quote nerds (myself being one as well!) — can’t wait to spend time looking at your beautiful collection :)
Here are two brief but powerful comicbook quotes -
“There’s always a way.” – Kal-El/Superman
“Don’t forget.Survive. ” Bruce Wayne/Batman
Whatever your crisis may be, hope you get through and emerge stronger – as I believe you will.
Live Long and Prosper :)
Thanks for sharing in the midst of uncertainty and struggle, Carolyn. Always lovely to read your thoughts on where you’re at, there is such a graciousness about you even as you’re going through hard time.
I love the quotes you shared, here’s one that I love:
“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
Maya Angelou.
Good luck with whatever it is you’re facing – hold on to that certainty that things will be okay for you. xx
Beautiful list, Carolyn, I admire you, one thing and then another, isn’t it? One of my favorite quotes: “Victory won’t come
to me unless I go
to it;
….
What is there
like fortitude! What sap
went through that little thread
to make the cherry red!”
Marianne Moore, Nevertheless
http://rinabeana.com/poemoftheday/index.php/2009/03/23/nevertheless-by-marianne-moore/
“There are a lot of lies going around… and half of them are true.” – Winston Churchill
A wonderful collection of inspiring quotes! Thank you so much for sharing!
I love this quote:
“Clever men are good, but they are not the best” Thomas Carlyle.
Great blog!!
Thank you, Joy!
Even though your comments about your current situation are vague, I have a feeling we are going through the exact same thing.
Here are my recent inspirational quotes that I have hanging in my office for the rough times.
“Live in this moment, in the not knowing, and have faith that it is working out for the best.”
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
And sometimes, I just need this reminder…
“You Can Do This.”
Forgot this last one!
“Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.”
“It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear… It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.”
These quotes are amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for these, Carolyn!
Also, where is the image from? I would love to have something like it framed, in my study.
Best,
Nicole
Thank you, Nicole! The image is by lucy snowe. There should be a link at the bottom of the post :).
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