Favorite Quotations

We receive our inspiration from the mountaintops but receive our maturity from the valleys of life.
                                                  Winston Churchill

Getting Help

Though…it is not easy to know oneself, it is clearly possible to grow in that ability.
                         Robert Bolton

 It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.
                               Alex Karras

To the extent that emotions are stifled, people lead dwarfed and stunted lives.
                         Robert Bolton

 There is a cost to masking authentic emotions--by acting like we're feeling something we actually aren't, we may experience emotional dissonance and lose touch with our authentic selves.
      Sigal Barsade & Donald Gibson

The greatest battles of life are fought out daily in the silent chambers of the soul.
                    David O. McKay

We camouflage our true being before others to protect ourselves against criticism and rejection.  This protection comes at a steep price.  
                Sidney Jourard

The most mature human insight comes from one's introspection rather than from exterior research.
                           Hugh Downs

Though we may feel we are "like a broken vessel," as the Psalmist says (Psalms 31:12), we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter.  Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed.  While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind.
                           Jeffrey R. Holland

Helping Others 
Get Help

One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider our problems, can change our whole outlook on the world.
                         Elton Mayo

Very great change starts from very small conversations, held among people who care.
                              Margaret Wheatley

When you can openly discuss weaknesses and problems without fear of rejection or ridicule, you can create a “safe place” in the relationship. Having the safety to explore problems in an emphatic and caring relationship facilitates the kind of self-examination that is necessary for change and growth to take place.
                        Marleen Williams

To listen with empathy is the most important human skill.
                              Stephen Covey

The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need. Being accepted by good people motivates us. It increases our sense of self-worth and self-confidence. 
                       Erich W. Kopsichke

It’s more important to be kind than right.
                              Mike Levitt

Those suffering from depression and mental illness feel sadly disconnected from God and his love, so the caregivers become crucial in keeping them convinced that God cares.
                      Rebecca H. Jackson

Overcoming Challenges

We must be careful that we don't resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature.
                             Paul V. Johnson

You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable.
                             Brian Tracy

The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
                         Albert Einstein

Self-pity is the most negative quality of the human spirit.   Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.
                       Jon M. Huntsman, Sr.

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.
                              Orson F. Whitney

Don’t let the winds blow your dreams away…or steal your faith in God.
                             Vin Scully

Andre Dawson has a bruised knee and is listed as day-to-day. Aren’t we all?
                                Vin Scully

Fighting Stigma

I suspect that (mental illness) may be among our species' deepest biases, more so than even racism and sexism. 
                                 Nassir Ghaemi

Too many Americans who struggle with mental health illnesses are suffering in silence rather than seeking help, and we need to see to it that men and women who would never hesitate to go see a doctor if they had a broken arm or came down with the flu, that they have that same attitude when it comes to their mental health.
                            Barack Obama

Ours is a culture that teaches people to repress their feelings.
                     Robert Bolton

The bearded lady at the circus said, "Everybody's got something wrong with them.  With me, you can tell what it is."
                          Richard Needham

There should be no more shame in acknowledging (mental illness) than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.
                           Jeffrey R. Holland

During this Thanksgiving season, I want to thank you for letting me know it's okay to be a person afflicted (blessed) with depression.
                        Shelley Bennett

No serious politician has ever admitted even to being depressed.  Abraham Lincoln couldn't become president these days, nor could Winston Churchill become prime minister.  Of course, Lincoln and Churchill hid their severe depressions from their respective electorates.  But will we, as a society, ever evolve to the point where we can seek out our Lincolns and Churchills instead of getting them despite ourselves?
                       Nassir Ghaemi

Happiness

The foundation of all happiness is thinking rightly.
                             Benjamin Franklin

Happiness does not depends on what happens outside of you, but what happens inside of you.
                                 Harold B. Lee

Sometimes we forget that our Heavenly Father desires that each of us have this joy.
                             Robert D. Hales

There is a direct correlation between our happiness and our love for others. The more we think of ourselves, the more miserable we are, like the devil. The more we think and focus on others, and strive to develop a sense of lasting love, the more happy we are.
                           Richard H. Ashton

Everything changes when you see the “crisis” as a demand for new skills rather than “I am suffering from a tragedy."
                             Ernest Singleton

I would like to be remembered, No. 1, as a good man. And, by being a good man, I mean as honest as possible. I’d like to be remembered as a great husband, a great father and a great grandfather. But I don’t really care about someone saying, ‘You’re the best broadcaster.’ That just happened. The others are far more important. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. That’s so much more important than anything else.
                           Vin Scully