Definition of Success - Inspirational Quotes

I love inspirational quotes and encouraging and motivating words that help keep you on track with life's ups and downs.  Nowadays everyone has a favorite quote or mantra to live by.  One that speaks so profoundly to your spirit that you cannot deny its truth.  For me, that quote is:

"The definition of success--To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one's self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--this is to have succeeded."

Although it is still questionable who actually should be credited for this quote, it has stood the test of time and still speaks volumes to this day.  This quote speaks to me in so many ways.  It gives a totally different perspective of what some or most might define as "Success".  Not cars, clothes, a house in the hills or on the beach, vacations, etc.  But real achievable goals like happiness, laughter, respect, endurance.  Once I read this quote it changed my perspective on success and how I would then define success for myself thereafter.

Another one of my favorite quotes of all time came to me at a somewhat low point in my life.  I had just moved out of the 3-bedroom house that I shared with my twin sister and good friend from high school.  After which, I had to move in with my grandmother who lives next door to my mother.  To say I was mortified by having to move back home would be an understatement.  But one day, as I was in the bedroom that use to house all of my grandmother's nicknack's, I saw a clipping from a Los Angeles Times article that read:

"People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This was just what I needed to hear at the time and I was determined to have my light shine from within, even when darkness had set in.  Another quote that changed my life and helped me at a pivotal point in my life.

I know my readers have some thought provoking and game changing quotes that have inspired them along the way.  I would love for you all to share the quotes that changed your life or gave you a new perspective on life, love, happiness and success, in the hopes that it might inspire someone else.

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