Skip to content

Connection Quotes

    “Our common stories of oppression should unite us much more than our fears of each other can ever separate us.  My high school classmates and I feared something because we were told to.  Fears download themselves through generations, not always in explicit ways.  Our parents may not always be directly telling us who we can and can’t love, or who we can and can’t accept in our lives.  More often, such messages are unspoken, and never updated.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 163)

      “We judge people because it’s easier than what we should be doing:  trying to understand them.  When we understand, we’re less reactive and more compassionate. Trying to understand someone or something requires much more effort than judging, but it’s so much more enriching in the long run.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 163)

      Gregory Stock Quote on Friendship—and What Your Friends Say About You

        “What could someone figure out about you by the friends you’ve chosen? …Do your close friends tend to be older or younger than you?  Less or more talented and successful than you?  Do they share your values?  Ambitions?  Interests?”

        Gregory Stock, The Book of Questions

        Beyond the Quote (62/365)

        You could probably learn a lot about someone by the friends they’ve chosen.  In fact, I’m a firm believer in the idea that you are a product of who you surround yourself with the most.  How could you not be?  Your close friends are the ones who have the greatest influence over you.  They’re the ones who you spend the most time with, who you challenge to games and do activities with, who you poke around with intellectually, who you have deep conversations with (or at least conversations beyond the superficial), and who you measure (and ultimately align) values, ambitions, and interests with.  While this certainly isn’t always the case, I feel like it is more often than it’s not and can definitely provide noteworthy insights that will help you better understand your current situation.

        Read More »Gregory Stock Quote on Friendship—and What Your Friends Say About You

        Brené Brown Quote on Perfectionism and How It’s Unattainable and Self-Destructive

          “Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect.  Perfection is an unattainable goal.  Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception – we want to be perceived as perfect.  Again, this is unattainable – there is no way to control perception, regardless of how much time and energy we spend trying.”

          Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

          Beyond the Quote (58/365)

          What a gift it would be if we were able to drop all of our desires for perfection.  And I’m not just talking about some of our desires for perfection—I mean all of them.  The desire to look perfect; to have perfect grades/ outcomes/ performances; to be perceived as perfect by others; to have perfect answers to questions; to be the perfect mother/ father/ spouse/ sibling; to have the perfect circumstances; to live the perfect life…  Why?  Because every single one of these desires creates suffering.  They create unattainable, unrealistic goals that lead to constant disappointment, self-judgement, and less acceptance of your self and others.  And in this world—in this reality—there is no such thing as perfect.

          Read More »Brené Brown Quote on Perfectionism and How It’s Unattainable and Self-Destructive

          The Minimalists’ Quote on Changing The People Around You

            “You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you.”

            The Minimalists, Everything That Remains

            Beyond the Quote (34/365)

            Sure we might influence or inspire the people around us to change, but we certainly can’t force them to change.  Change is an inside-out job.  It’s something that a person has to want themselves and something they have to manifest from within.  The outside-in approach simply doesn’t work.  You can yell and scream and shout and argue with a person until the veins in your neck pop out—a person won’t change until they decide they’re ready, willing, and capable of change.

            Read More »The Minimalists’ Quote on Changing The People Around You

              “You know yourself mostly by your thoughts.  Everyone else in the world knows you only by your actions.  Remember this when you feel misunderstood. You have to do or say something for others to know how you feel.” ~ James Clear, Blog

                “You can inspire, influence, help, support, advise, and love others.  But you can’t control how any of it is received or understood.  You have no say over what gets internalized, what gets triggered, or how the other person will react.  Your work is to offer your best; their work is to receive it as best they can.” ~ Emily Maroutian