Books
15 life-changing pieces of advice from books
We all have those days where we feel unmotivated, uninspired and like we’ve got no one to turn to. In these moments, there are few things better to do than turn to a good book. Here are 15 powerful pieces of advice from some of the world’s best authors, and we guarantee you’ll feel immediately better after reading them.
- “Not being heard is no reason for silence.” – Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” – A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
- “It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you.” – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- “Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” – Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- “Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.” – Antigone by Sophocles
- “Once you’ve decided that something’s absolutely true, you’ve closed your mind on it, and a closed mind doesn’t go anywhere. Question everything. That’s what education’s all about.” – Belgarath the Sorcerer by David Eddings
- “It’s impossible to go through life unscathed. Nor should you want to. By the hurts we accumulate, we measure both our follies and our accomplishments.” – Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
- “People don’t complete us. We complete ourselves. If we haven’t the power to complete ourselves, the search for love becomes a search for self-annihilation; and then we try to convince ourselves that self-annihilation is love.” – Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
- “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
- “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- “You are bored. And I’m going to let you in on a little secret about life. You think it’s boring now? Well, it only gets more boring. The sooner you learn it’s on you to make life interesting, the better off you’ll be.” – Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
- “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” – A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
- “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” – The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Which of these quotes inspires you the most? Tell us in the comments below.
Related links:
10 lessons from children’s books to rediscover as an adult
What your book organisation reveals about your personality
What I learnt after reading over 500 self-help books