Motivational Quotes

Purpose

A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.

- Allen, James

Best Quotes about Purpose

It is essential that we enable young people to see themselves as participants in one of the most exciting eras in history, and to have a sense of purpose in relation to it.

Rockefeller, Nelson

Are we interested in sight seeing or soul saving?

Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life is impossible.

Tolstoy, Count Leo

In a just cause the weak will beat the strong.

Sophocles

The aims of life are the best defense against death.

Levi, Primo

Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose.

Proverb

If we don't stand for something, we may fall for anything.

Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of using it.

The only way you can be successful on a post or win at it is to be at cause over it.

Hubbard, L. Ron

10.

Multitudes of people, drifting aimlessly to and fro without a set purpose, deny themselves such fulfillment of their capacities, and the satisfying happiness which attends it. They are not wicked, they are only shallow. They are not mean or vicious; they simply are empty -- shake them and they would rattle like gourds. They lack range, depth, and conviction. Without purpose their lives ultimately wander into the morass of dissatisfaction. As we harness our abilities to a steady purpose and undertake the long pull toward its accomplishment, rich compensations reward us. A sense of purpose simplifies life and therefore concentrates our abilities; and concentration adds power.

Hildebrand, Kenneth

11.

The meaning of life is to give life meaning.

Hudgins, Ken

12.

A just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor

13.

How could there be any question of acquiring or possessing, when the one thing needful for a man is to become -- to be at last, and to die in the fullness of his being.

Saint-Exupery, Antoine De

14.

Everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves you.

Robbins, Anthony

15.

The secret to success is constancy to purpose.

Disraeli, Benjamin

16.

A purpose you impart is no longer your own.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von

17.

The first principle of ethical power is Purpose. By purpose, I don't mean your objective or intention-something toward which you are always striving. Purpose is something bigger. It is the picture you have of yourself-the kind of person you want to be or the kind of life you want to lead.

Blanchard, Ken

18.

Many men go fishing their entire lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

Thoreau, Henry David

19.

Pep without purpose is piffle.

20.

We know there is intention and purpose in the universe, because there is intention and purpose in us.

Shaw, George Bernard

21.

All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.

Thurber, James

22.

Bring me men to match my mountains: Bring me men to match my plains: Men with empires in their purpose and new eras in their brains.

Foss, Sam Walter

23.

There is no better test of a man's work than time, which also reveals the thoughts which lay hidden in his breast.

Simonides

24.

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end

Hemingway, Ernest

25.

The crowning blessing of life is to be born with a bias to some pursuit.

Tallentyre, S. G.

26.

The secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor

27.

What makes life dreary is the want of a motive.

Eliot, George

28.

Be above it! Make the world serve your purpose, but do not serve it.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von

29.

For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment.

Wooden, John

30.

Anyone can live heroically and successfully for one day. The man who achieves a high purpose makes that day the pattern for all the days of his life.

31.

Why do I not seek some real good; one which I could feel, not one which I could display?

Seneca

32.

I think that a lot of women are made to feel that they have not done the one thing that they were put on the earth to do if they didn't do the normal thing, if they didn't take the most traveled path. And it's unfortunate.

Griffith, Nanci

33.

The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder -- waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.

Carlyle, Thomas

34.

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.

Stone, W. Clement

35.

Man becomes greater in proportion to knowing himself and his faculties. Let him become conscious of what he is and he will soon also learn what he should be.

Schelling, Felix E.

36.

Great minds have purposes; others have wishes.

Irving, Washington

37.

Every man is occasionally visited by the suspicion that the planet on which he is riding is not really going anywhere; that the Force which controls its measured eccentricities hasn't got anything special in mind. If he broods on this somber theme long enough he gets the doleful idea that the laughing children on a merry-go-round or the thin, fine hands of a lady's watch are revolving more purposely than he is.

Thurber, James

38.

What allows us, as human beings, to psychologically survive life on earth, with all of its pain, drama, and challenges, is a sense of purpose and meaning

Angelis, Barbara De

39.

They are not only idle who do nothing, but they are idle also who might be better employed.

Socrates

40.

Men achieve a certain greatness unawares, when working to another aim.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

41.

The purpose in life is to collaborate for a common cause; the problem is nobody seems to know what it is.

Gschwandtner, Gerhard

42.

The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started.