Inspiration

“I have created nothing really beautiful, really lasting, but if I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work.”

~ Augusta Savage

Portrait Head of John Henry by Augusta Savage, c. 1940.

Augusta Savage was a sculptor, art teacher, and art program director who moved from Florida to Harlem. She was the first Black person to be a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors and was also the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center. Teaching was her lifelong passion. Despite the humility shown in the above quote, she created many beautiful and lasting things.

More quotes on inspiration:

“Motivating others leads to success whereas inspiring others leads to greatness.” 
― Ken Poirot

“May your message to the world be the music that inspires the listener’s soul to dance.” 
― Nanette Mathews

“There will be many people whose lives you have enriched who may never tell you it – or that you’ve never even met – but you will have enriched them none the less.” 
― Rasheed Ogunlaru

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Inspiration /ˌinspəˈrāSH(ə)n/ noun

  1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. “Helen had one of her flashes of inspiration”
  2. a sudden brilliant, creative or timely idea. “then I had an inspiration”

Control

“Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.”

Jack Kornfield
Ventriloquist Puppet Charlie McCarthy, 1936, Smithsonian National Museum of American History

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it. ~Chris Pine

Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself. ~Pythagoras

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny. ~ Albert Ellis

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Control /kənˈtrōl/

noun – 1. the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events. “the whole operation is under the control of a production manager.” 2. a group or individual used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment. “they saw no difference between the cancer patients and the controls”

verb – 1. determine the behavior or supervise the running of. “he was appointed to control the company’s marketing strategy.” 2. take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect results) when performing an experiment. “no attempt was made to control for variations”

Why Be Normal?

“If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”

Maya Angelou
Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, 1889

“There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.” ~ Patrick Rothfuss

“Our lives are mere flashes of light in an infinitely empty universe. In 12 years of education the most important lesson I have learned is that what we see as “normal” living is truly a travesty of our potential. In a society so governed by superficiality, appearances, and petty economics, dreams are more real than anything anything in the “real world”. Refuse normalcy. Beauty is everywhere, love is endless, and joy bleeds from our everyday existence. Embrace it. I love all of you, all my friends, family, and community. I am ceaselessly grateful from the bottom of my heart for everyone. The only thing I can ask of you is to stay free of materialism. Remember that every day contains a universe of potential; exhaust it. Live and love so immensely that when death comes there is nothing left for him to take. Wealth is love, music, sports, learning, family and freedom. Above all, stay gold.” ~ Dominic Owen Mallary

“Normal is an ideal. But it’s not reality. Reality is brutal, it’s beautiful, it’s every shade between black and white, and it’s magical. Yes, magical. Because every now and then, it turns nothing into something.” ~ Tara Kelly

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Normal /ˈnôrməl/

adjective – 1. conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected. “it’s quite normal for puppies to bolt their food. 2. (of a line, ray, or other linear feature) intersecting a given line or surface at right angles. “a single plane of symmetry with a diad axis normal to it”

noun – 1. the usual, average or typical state or condition. “her temperature was above normal” 2. a line at right angles to a given line or surface. “the view is along the normal to the surface”

Patience

“With love and patience, nothing is impossible.”

~ Daisaku Ikeda
Painting by Evelyn Morgan

“How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” – William Shakespeare

“Sometimes heroism is nothing more than patience, curiosity, and a refusal to panic.” – Leif Enger

“I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.” – Edith Sitwell

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams

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Patience ˈpāSHəns

The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. “You can find bargains if you have the patience to sift through the dross”