Quotes from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“I like to believe that you don't need to reach a certain goal to be happy. I prefer to think that happiness is always there, and that when things don't go the way we might like them to, it's a sign from above that something even better is right around the corner.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“I made up my mind not to care so much about the destination, and simply enjoy the journey.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Sometimes when you least expect it, the tables turn and that scary feeling that has taken hold of you for so long somehow turns into hope”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“...I started to realize how many great things could happen by confronting the things that scare you most.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Without inspiration, we’re all like a box of matches that will never be lit.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“The future can be a scary thing. Because it's something that's always left open for anything to happen. It's a total mystery. But at the same time, it's so exciting. Each decision we make can alter how our future will turn out, so how we end up in the future is really our decision. We never know what will be thrown at us, but it's up to each of us as to how we deal with whatever does come. No one else can decide that for us. While I might be wondering about what will happen down the road for me, and gt nervous about it now and then, I am also really hopeful for it because I know there will be so many windows of opportunity that can really change my life if I choose to take hold of them and not be afraid to go for it.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“No one can see your life the way you see it.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“It's really important to do everything that you possibly can to stay true to yourself.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Searching for a perfect love is not easy to find,but having the love of our God is more perfect than what you have found".”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Things never happen exactly how you think they will.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Once you let yourself believe that you've gotten to the top, you've lost sight of the real goal. Which is to keep climbing no matter what. And by climbing, I don't mean trying to out do yourself with even more accomplishments. Instead, what I mean is that just when we think we have done something well, we should start looking at the other areas of our lives that need attention.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Yes, I've worked hard; and yes, I may have achieved a certain level of success-but I'm very clear about the fact that none of it would be worth it without doing the things that keep me close to God.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

“Children laugh 400 times per day... the average adult laughs 15 times per day. Somewhere along the way we lost 385 laughs a day.”
― quote from Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance

Popular quotes

“Then he cradled her face, touching her so tenderly she could scarcely breathe, and brought his face to hers until their lips met in a kiss that burned her mouth.”
― Anne Blankman, quote from Prisoner of Night and Fog

“Dudé mucho antes de convencerme a mí misma de que debía seguir con aquel cometido. Reflexioné, sopesé opciones y valoré alternativas. Sabía que la decisión estaba en mi mano: sólo yo tenía la capacidad de elegir entre seguir adelante con aquella vida turbia o dejarlo todo de lado y volver a la normalidad (…)

Dejarlo todo y volver a la normalidad: sí, aquélla sin duda era la mejor opción. El problema era que ya no sabía dónde encontrarla. ¿Estaba la normalidad en la calle de la Redondilla de mi juventud, entre las muchachas con las que crecí y que aún se peleaban por salir a flote tras perder la guerra? ¿Se la llevó Ignacio Montes el día en que se fue de mi plaza con una máquina de escribir a rastras y el corazón partido en dos, o quizás me la robó Ramiro Arribas cuando me dejó sola, embarazada y en la ruina entre las paredes del Continental? ¿Se encontraría la normalidad en Tetuán de los primeros meses, entre los huéspedes tristes de la pensión de Candelaria, o se disipó en los sórdidos trapicheos con los que ambas logramos salir adelante? ¿Me la dejé en la casa de Sidi Mandri, colgada de los hilos del taller que con tanto esfuerzo levanté? ¿Se la apropió tal vez Félix Aranda alguna noche de lluvia o se la llevó Rosalinda Fox cuando se marchó del almacén del Dean’s Bar para perderse como una sombra sigilosa por las calles de Tánger? ¿Estaría la normalidad junto a mi madre, en le trabajo callado de las tardes africanas? ¿Acabó con ella un ministro depuesto y arrestado, o la arrastró quizás consigo un periodista a quien no me atreví a querer por pura cobardía? ¿Dónde estaba, cuándo la perdí, qué fue de ella? La busqué por todas partes: en los bolsillos, por los armarios y en los cajones; entre los pliegues y las costuras. Aquella noche me dormí sin hallarla.

Al día siguiente desperté con una lucidez distinta y apenas entreabrí los ojos, la percibí: cercana, conmigo, pegada a la piel. La normalidad no estaba en los días que quedaron atrás: tan sólo se encontraba en aquello que la suerte nos ponía delante cada mañana. En Marruecos, en España o Portugal, al mando de un taller de costura o al servicio de la inteligencia británica: en el lugar hacia el que yo quisiera dirigir el rumbo o clavar los puntales de mi vida, allí estaría ella, mi normalidad. Entre las sombras, bajo las palmeras de una plaza con olor a hierbabuena, en el fulgor de los salones iluminados por lámparas de araña o en las aguas revueltas de la guerra. La normalidad no era más que lo que mi propia voluntad, mi compromiso y mi palabra aceptaran que fuera y, por eso, siempre estaría conmigo. Buscarla en otro sitio o quererla recuperar del ayer no tenía el menor sentido.”
― María Dueñas, quote from The Time in Between

“There are three parts to learning: information, knowledge, and wisdom. A mere accumulation of information is not knowledge, and a treasure of knowledge is not, in itself, wisdom.”
― Rachel Caine, quote from Ink and Bone

“Gravity ruled, and gravity did not take into account circumstances, or the unfairness of things, or listen to eleventh-hour petitions before reluctantly repealing its laws. Gravity crushed,”
― Alastair Reynolds, quote from Revelation Space

“I try so hard, and it is still not working. I wear the same clothes as the others. I say the same words at the same times: good morning, hi, how are you, I'm fine, good night, please, thank you, you're welcome, no thank you, not right now. I obey the traffic laws; I obey the rules. I have ordinary furniture in my apartment, and I play my unusual music very softly or use headphones. But it is not enough. Even as hard as I try, the real people still want me to change, to be like them.”
― Elizabeth Moon, quote from The Speed of Dark

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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

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