Quotes

Transformation always takes time, but time does not always bring transformation. Transformation into something greater takes a pilgrimage.

— Gary Barkalow, It’s Your Call: What Are You Doing Here?

When you are connected with God and other people in life, you have a healthy soul.

— John Ortberg, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You

When we get lazy and stop investigating the facts behind our opinions, we’re prone to taking on the views of whoever we like reading or listening to at the time.

— Jenny Brown, Growing Yourself Up: How to bring your best to all of life’s relationships

We are often pursuing the renewal of our circumstances, but God is pursuing the renewal of our entire identity.

— David Lomas, D. R. Jacobsen, and Francis Chan, The Truest Thing about You: Identity, Desire, and Why It All Matters

When you feel the need to apologize or explain who you are, it means the voice in your head is telling you the wrong story. Wipe the slate clean. And rewrite it.

— Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

As long as we stay in the dark about how we see the world and the wounds and beliefs that have shaped who we are, we’re prisoners of our history. We’ll continue going through life on autopilot doing things that hurt and confuse ourselves and everyone around us.

— Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery

All of us would like to believe that we could accomplish one brave, selfless act for God and for His kingdom. But it takes greater courage to faithfully accomplish the daily, thankless tasks of everyday life for Him—being a father to our children, a good husband to our wives, building His temple one laborious block at a time.”

— Lynn Austin, Among the Gods (Chronicles of the Kings Book #5)

I don’t think I’m really listening unless I’m willing to be changed by the other person.

— Alan Alda, Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Unless we get to know our neighbors beyond their labels, we cannot make the most of our spiritual conversations with them.

— Dale Fincher and Jonalyn Fincher, Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk

One cannot change another person, though the temptation to try is always there. Change must come from within the self, for one’s own reasons. Differentiation in the other may be stimulated by one’s own efforts to differentiate a self, but the other cannot be encouraged, prodded, or advised in this respect. The impetus must come solely from within the self.

— Roberta M. Gilbert, Extraordinary Relationships