1. Quotes about Personal Change
- “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts. Philosopher, speaker, and writer known for his interpretations of Eastern philosophy for Western audiences.
- “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale. From his book “The Power of Positive Thinking”. Peale was an American Protestant minister, author, and speaker.
- “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou. From various public speeches. Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
- “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore. From his collection of poems. Tagore was a Bengali polymath – poet, writer, composer, philosopher, and painter.
- “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey. From her many public appearances and interviews. Winfrey is a media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist.
2. Quotes about Social Change
- “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Theodore Parker. Sermon given in 1853. Parker was an American Unitarian minister, transcendentalist, and social reformer.
- “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” – John F. Kennedy. From a speech. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States.
- “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr. From various lectures. King was an American Baptist minister and activist, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.
- “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi. From his teachings and writings. Gandhi was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British – ruled India.
- “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” – H.E. Luccock. Luccock was an American clergyman and author.
3. Quotes about Change in Business and Innovation
- “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs. From various interviews. Jobs was co – founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc.
- “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin. From “The Origin of Species”. Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist.
- “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins. From his self – help books and seminars. Robbins is an American author, coach, and speaker.
- “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker. From his management books. Drucker was an Austrian – American management consultant, educator, and author.
- “Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch. From his leadership teachings. Welch was the former chairman and CEO of General Electric.
4. Quotes about Change in Nature and Life Cycles
- “Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” – Doug Larson. Larson was an American newspaper columnist.
- “The only constant in life is change.” – Heraclitus. Ancient Greek philosopher.
- “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” – Rabindranath Tagore. From his collection of poems.
- “The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.” – Henry Beston. From “The Outermost House”. Beston was an American author and naturalist.
- “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu. From “Tao Te Ching”. Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer.
5. Quotes about Change in Literature and Art
- “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare. From “Julius Caesar”. Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor.
- “All art is a reaction against nature.” – Oscar Wilde. From his various essays and conversations. Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet.
- “The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” – Pablo Picasso. From interviews. Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer.
- “A work of art is never finished, only abandoned.” – Leonardo da Vinci. From his notebooks. Da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance.
- “Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.” – Fernando Pessoa. From his poems and essays. Pessoa was a Portuguese poet and writer.
6. Quotes about Change in History
- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana. From “The Life of Reason”. Santayana was a Spanish – American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist.
- “The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom.” – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. From his lectures on the philosophy of history. Hegel was a German philosopher.
- “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss. From “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”. Dr. Seuss was an American children’s author, political cartoonist, poet, animator, and filmmaker.
- “History is not what you thought. It is what you can remember.” – W. Somerset Maugham. From his works. Maugham was an English playwright, novelist, and short – story writer.
- “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” – L.P. Hartley. From his novel “The Go – Between”. Hartley was an English novelist, short – story writer, and essayist.
7. Quotes about Change in Relationships
- “Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.” – Peter Ustinov. Ustinov was a British actor, writer, dramatist, filmmaker, theater and opera director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster, and television presenter.
- “Change is the end result of all true learning.” – Leo Buscaglia. From his books on love and relationships. Buscaglia was an American author, professor, and public speaker.
- “In a relationship, the little things are the big things. It’s not about the diamond ring, but the thoughtfulness, the romantic gestures, the kindness, the little things that make up the big things.” – Gary Chapman. From his book “The 5 Love Languages”. Chapman is an American author and counselor.
- “A healthy relationship is one where two people accept each other’s differences, support each other’s growth, and communicate openly and honestly.” – Unknown (but widely cited in relationship self – help literature).
- “Relationships are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost.” – Unknown (but often used in relationship advice).
8. Quotes about Change in Education
- “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats. From his various writings. Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th – century literature.
- “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle. From his works on ethics and politics. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist.
- “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle.
- “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” – Abigail Adams. Letter to her son John Quincy Adams. Adams was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States.
- “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X. From his speeches. Malcolm X was an African – American Muslim minister and human rights activist.
9. Quotes about Change in Technology
- “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” – Bill Gates. From various interviews. Gates is an American software developer, investor, and philanthropist.
- “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” – Bill Gates.
- “The best technology is the one you don’t even notice.” – Douglas Adams. From his works, especially in relation to his humorous take on technology in science fiction. Adams was an English author, humorist, and dramatist.
- “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” – Marshall McLuhan. From his book “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man”. McLuhan was a Canadian philosopher of communication theory.
- “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.” – Steve Jobs.
10. Quotes about Change in Spirituality
- “The kingdom of God is within you.” – Jesus Christ. From the New Testament (Luke 17:21).
- “Let go of the familiar. Let go of the known. Let go of the past. And step into the unknown with faith and courage. For it is in the unknown that the greatest blessings await.” – Unknown (but often cited in spiritual self – help).
- “The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” – Caroline Myss. From her books on spirituality and self – growth. Myss is an American author, lecturer, and intuitive.
- “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer. From his many self – help and spiritual books. Dyer was an American self – help author and motivational speaker.
- “The only journey is the one within.” – Rainer Maria Rilke. From his poems and letters. Rilke was a Bohemian – Austrian poet and novelist.