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PURPOSE, DREAMS, AND PASSIONS QUOTES

  1. Byron Stevenson "I want to be empty when I die" (Brian K. Rice: please don't take your dreams with you, please don't take your purpose with you, please give back what has been given to you)

  2. Brian K. Rice: Birth... Childhood... Teenage years... Adulthood... (Life moves fast. What are you doing with yours? Make an impact. Make a difference. Make your ideas come to life. Give your family a great relative. Give your friends a good friend. Give your community a great neighbor. Give God a good steward.)

  3. Vance Havner revised: One member of the coast guard crew was very fearful of the raging storm and waters and was willing to leave the potential survivors: “Captain,” he moaned, “if we go out into this storm, we will never get back.” The captain replied “We don’t have to come back! We only have to go.” (Brian K. Rice: There are a lot of people who don’t live out their purpose or assignment because of fear)

  4. Brian K. Rice: "If your life was tied to great purpose that positively affected the lives of others, how would you live differently? What would you be doing now to prepare for this great purpose?" (Pause for a second, now think about your reason for living. I hear you thinking & saying "I don't think that quote is for me." Why would you think less of yourself? Why would you think HE gave you such a little purpose?)

  5. Jawanza Kunjufu "If a man is unable to achieve his purpose, then he will wreak havoc upon all the other people around him" (A man's purpose is to provide and protect his family & if he isn't able to accomplish that, you will see men creating havoc on themselves, their family and others. The longterm effects to the lack of real & perceived opportunity; high unemployment, underemployment, hopelessness)

  6. Dr. Seuss was rejected by the first 27 publishers he approached, BUT GUESS WHAT, he did not give up and almost every child since has read his books

  7. Howard Schultz founder of Starbucks: "Dream more than others and think practical" (Quote 2: "I was turned down by 217 of the 242 investors I initially talked to. You have to have a tremendous belief in what you're doing and just persevere.") [Quote 3: Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise.] (Brian K. Rice: You have to believe in yourself even when 217 people of 242 don't believe in you)

  8. Brian K. Rice: "All too often people don't live for purpose and they settle & live for self. You were given the sky & you stop at your glass ceiling" (What do I mean? Many people do just enough to live the life they want to live, which is selfish when the Lord gave you more ability & opportunities but you turn them down because you have enough. If you live for His abundance then you have more to give to help others.)

  9. Dr Myles Munroe: "the wealthiest places in the world are not gold mines, oil fields, diamond mines or banks. The wealthiest place is the cemetery. There lies companies that were never started, masterpieces that were never painted... In the cemetery there is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential. There is a treasure within you that must come out. Don’t go to the grave with your treasure still within YOU"

  10. Brian K. Rice: "There is going to come a time when your ears will stop hearing, your eyes will stop seeing, your voice will no longer be heard, your arms will fall limp, your heart will stop pumping, your fingers will no longer touch nor grip, your legs will no longer walk, your feet will no longer balance you & all you will have left is the faith within you. Live in purpose & make the most of your day"

  11. The time men spend in trying to impress others they could spend in doing the things by which others would be impressed (by Frank Romer)

  12. "The purpose of life is a life of purpose. If a person can determine their purpose, then their life becomes centered on focus. Too many of us are just existing, just living, just waiting for the weekend, just waiting to get off work in the evening, just shopping, just going on vacation, just dating random people, just making ends meet,... it is time to live a life of focus" by Brian K. Rice

  13. Richard Wright: "Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread." (I believe it is always time to re-evaluate yourself. There is always something you can fine tune and make your character, your situation, your relationship, your future outcome better. Don't be too selfish to sacrifice a little bit of you to make something work. ~ by Brian K. Rice)

  14. Jesse Jackson: "We live on the dash between our birth date and our death date." (You cannot control the end dates but you can control the dash. What are you doing for your dash this year? ~ by Brian K. Rice)

  15. Benjamin E Mays: "it is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for, it is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled but it is a calamity not to dream" (I have a dream in me so large that most people would prophesy failure because their faith and belief in the miracles of God is not truly strong enough. If God put the vision in you, then He has a miracle for you. ~Brian K. Rice)

  16. Audre Lorde: "If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive." (Life is a constant grind, remolding, and reshaping of who we are as long as we are willing to be open to our weaknesses and constructive opinions of others. ~ by Brian K. Rice)

  17. Henry David Thoreau: "Dreams are the touchstones of our character" (Brian K. Rice; It is time to light that match & add some fuel to those ideas you have in your head. What are you waiting on? I hope you are not waiting on someone else to do the work for you. Better now than later. Just put some time aside every day to work on you, 30 mins a day can change your world.

  18. Brian K. Rice: "Be thankful, don't worry, trust in Him & in you, be diligent & disciplined, avoid negativity, keep your eyes on the prize, reach for the moon, maintain a strong base with your feet, fly with your dreams, imagine & perform, love as hard you can, let go of hate, live with purpose & passion, step out of that box, plan for the future, be an optimist, your breakthrough is coming, speak it to existence"

  19. Mitch Thrower revised by me: "Turn to your friend, point to the moon, pause for a second, think long and hard, and then say, ’Let’s go THERE’ " (Brian K. Rice: bold thinking and bold actions will take you to that place that holds your dreams)

  20. Norman Cousins: "Death is not the greatest loss in life, The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." (Brian K. Rice: This sounds like a case of: Well, I guess I will do that later, but later never comes; Well, I don't love you anymore, let's get a divorce; Well, it's just a dream of mine, not a reality; Well, I was so excited about my adult life in my youth, but now that it's here, it's not that special)

  21. Brian K. Rice: "The idea maker is at work again, we just have to pay attention. Is there anything in your life that concerns you so much that tears flow within you because you can see & feel the pain that others go through. That may be the door opening up to your purpose. Does it hurt you to see poverty, adult illiteracy, a kid struggling, seeing the homeless, senior citizens, abused animals, domestic violence..."

  22. Oprah Winfrey: "With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice." (Brian K. Rice; Paint your canvas with all types of colors and designs. Paint it with education. Paint it with diversity. Paint a picture you will be proud of. Stencil clear sketchings of what you want out of life. Make sure your picture is clear to you even if it is not clear to anyone else.)

  23. Hank Aaron: "You can only milk a cow for so long, and then all that is left is you holding the pail" (Brian K. Rice: How many of us are just holding the pail? How many of us have stop growing, stop learning, stop advancing? It's time to find a new cow & a bigger pail. There are a lot of people that get older but they are no wiser or smarter; their position has not changed; they only learn from what they did not do)

  24. Mary O'Connor: "It's not so much how busy you are but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted." (Brian K. Rice: Is your life's work to be praised or to be swatted? You decide. What are you doing for others?)

  25. Haitian Proverb: "If it is God who sends you, he'll pay your expenses." (Brian K. Rice: This statement has lifted me up this morning and I hope it lifts you. Do you feel like God is nudging you to go in one direction over the other? Are you concerned with anything? He has shown that He can make a way out of no way. Do you really believe? Have you been sharpening your sword and straightening your walk?)

  26. Henry David Thoreau: "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after" (Brian K. Rice: What are you fishing for? Life can become a routine. We educate ourselves against our natural gifts. We work in careers that do not fit us best. We chase paychecks for self gratification and in the process we live without purpose.)

  27. David Wittman: "Something that did not exist before you, will now exist because of you" (Brian K. Rice: What are you going to leave behind? Some of us travel from city to city trying to find a true home and leave nothing behind. What will you change? You have one life to make a difference and you control that difference. I hear people saying they want to help others all the time, but they never do.)

  28. Brian K. Rice: "You know something is a passion of yours when you wake up on your off days and the first thing you realize is how important and how urgent it is for you to complete your task for those you are helping or want to help. If you wake up knowing there are things that need to be done, just do them. If you have a lot to do, just piece it together one day at a time, but most importantly, just do it."

  29. ‎(DETERMINE YOUR GIFTS & USE THEM) Romans 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

  30. Inspired from the book Crush It (if you did not wake up excited to go to the job that laid you off, why are you looking for the same type of job? Brian K Rice: it is time for a new beginning)
    Brian K. Rice: "do not let anyone SHRINK your dreams" (people think they are giving you good you advice but often they are shrinking your own belief in yourself.)

  31. Brian K. Rice: (Work your job with excellence during the day. Work towards your dreams, passions, and purpose in the evening and through the night. Sleep when you have too.)

  32. Brian K Rice: LIVE YOUR CALLING! (If you feel like you are just living day to day without any true purpose, you probably are just living & passing up good time & wasting good talent. Take time out & meditate on why you are here & think about the gifts you have in you & think about what makes your heart drop when you see or think about certain things & then think about what pumps your heart with real excitement & true joy.)  [I betcha if most people thought about their true purpose and then lived out their true purpose and not some desire you created from this material world, I guarantee, most people would be giving back in some form and some fashion]

  33. Brian K. Rice: find your own way, find your own truth (beware of living a false life)
    Brian K. Rice: "If you do not like what you are doing, you are not likely to work hard at perfecting what you do" (This statement should be true for your job, your business, your major, your volunteer services and so on.)

  34. Brian K. Rice: A calling is not just a church calling. We all have a purpose and many of us deny it and push it off to later, but later never comes. The principles we learn at church should transform our everyday lives and give us confidence in what we do and the principles we learn in church should make us model examples of imperfect men and women who are improving through life

  35. Brian K. Rice: "Live with purpose or die without living" (We can go through life spinning our wheels chasing after meaningless things or we can find something that truly means something to us. Its your choice. How many people including yourself do you know that are just living and working without purpose)

  36. Iyanla Vanzant: "Your life speaks to you, it tells the story of your choices, your priorities, and the vision you hold for yourself. It takes a great deal of courage to ask yourself, WHO AM I?"

  37. Brian K. Rice: "Meaningful awards do not come from what you get, but what you give" (Be a go giver, be a blessing to someone else. Compliment someone, extend your hand, what if you gave 10% of your time as a form of your tithe to helping others. Oh, my bad you are too busy with TV, nap, and phone. There are children, teens, adults, and seniors in your city that would love for you to walk in the room)

  38. Steve Jobs: "I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been No for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." (Brian K. Rice: so few of us wake up doing what we really want to do and all it takes, is a good plan and some good effort)

  39. Tippi Hedren: "Run if you have legs, swim if you have fins, fly if you have wings" (Brian K. Rice: You are distinctly different than any of your friends. You were given at least one ability that you can use to excel in life. Are you using it? Do you know what it is? Think about it and then run with it.)

  40. Julia Cameron: “What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, doors open for us, we feel useful, & the work we do feels like play to us.” (Brian K. Rice: I don't know everything HE has planned for me but yesterday HE opened a new door. Friend, I advise you to keep knocking, to keep turning knobs, to keep looking through peep holes & kick the door in if you have too)

  41. Oprah Winfrey: "I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling thats as unique as a fingerprint" (Brian K. Rice: Whatever your calling is accept it. If your calling is to be a good mate & homemaker so your mate can achieve his or her personal calling, accept it. If your calling is to minister, to teach, to inspire others, to help others, to be a trailblazer... then accept it & do your duty which is best)

  42. NLT Esther 4:16; "though it is against the law, i will go in to see the king. If I must die I am willing to die" (Esther was placed in a tough predicament but because she knew her purpose, she was willing to risk her life. The death of all Jews was bound to happen as a decree was signed by the king, because Mordecai would not bow to the kings officials. OUR PURPOSE MUST GROW LIKE ESTHER AND OUR FAITH LIKE MORDECAI)

  43. Brian K. Rice: "I have been given this day to do as please. I have two choices, to either waste it or use it. I know you may be working your regular job as you always do, but the question of today is are you working enough for you. There is still a little time left to maximize, before or after work, if your job is not working for you."

  44. Kenneth Blanchard: "There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.” (Brian K. Rice: Identify your commitments. It may be a relationship, job, competition, business, kids, elderly parent, a personal dream & goal, losing weight, eating right.)

  45. Seal, 'Crazy': "In a sky full of people, only some want to fly... In a world full of people, only some want to fly, Isn't that crazy?" (Brian K. Rice: He gave us wings, He gave us all great minds, He gave us all options to use and only a few of us in this world try to maximize those options and our minds. It is up to you if you want to fly.)

  46. Brian K Rice: "it is time to tune in to your God given strengths and focus on what has gotten you to where you are and what you can use to take you where you are going"

  47. Brian K. Rice: "You may not be born with a silver spoon, but you have the ability to use your mind to come up with a golden idea" (poverty, trying times, loss of a job, lack of interest in a job, among many other things forces the mind to think beyond the box, so keep thinking, keep fighting, and keep trying until you come up with that golden idea and you make it.~ by Brian K. Rice)

  48. H. M. Shelton 1962 "We are all born originals, but so many of us die carbon copies." "Society turns us on its educational lathe and molds us into a stereotyped mold. We have been placed on a mass production line, being painted and polished to resemble uniformity" (Many lack real separation from their circles or production plants and continue with no expression of self and thus die a carbon copy ~by Brian K. Rice)

  49. Booker T Washington: "The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts." (You can read a lot books & get several degrees but if you do not maximize your knowledge & ability to make things happen then you will miss out on what you can have. Many have set small goals & have accomplished them & then they do nothing else for years & years. ~ by Brian K. Rice)

  50. Maya Angelou: "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential." (I believe many people stop the potential within them when they become comfortable with their job early in their career and they attempt no more to improve their situation. This is bigger than a job, I believe a lot of people want more, but only few will work hard enough to get what they want ~by Brian K. Rice)

  51. Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread. by Richard Wright 1908-1960 (how many people really know there true worth? How many people are being led day to day and do nothing to better themselves or their situation? It is time realize who you are, from your desires to your strengths to your weaknesses and do whatever you need to do to better your outlook. ~by Brian K. Rice)

  52. Warren Buffet: “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” (Don't wait until you are about to retire to plant your tree, plant your tree today. Your tree may be purchasing a solid investment, it may be starting a business, it may be getting the right education, whatever it is, don't wait. Do it for you, your family and your future family ~by Brian K. Rice)

  53. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." by Gandhi 1869-1948 (I have heard Pres. Obama repeat this next statement multiple times and I thought he was the originator until I looked up the Mahatma Gandhi of India; "We must become the change we want to see." How hard is it, to live everyday like it is your last? How hard is it, to continue learning?)

  54. Chinese Proverb: "The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth." (Take advantage of your miracle, sometimes we are amazed at so many other things but the expected things we do not appreciate until we see someone handicapped. Things could be different for every one of us. ~by Brian K. Rice)

  55. "Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake." by H.D. Thoreau (my thoughts: all of us would love to live out our dreams and only so few actually do. I am tired of just dreaming, I want to experience the feeling of being awake in my dream ~by Brian K. Rice)

  56. Langston Hughes: "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly" (To me, this quote is saying that without a constant desire to achieve new & old goals whether childhood or adult dreams or de...sires, you end up breaking your own wings by settling as you are. So keep dreaming and keep striving to accomplish them ~by Brian K. Rice)

  57. "To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are" (We all want more of something. We all admire others. Some complain about what they don't have and others change what they will have. You can't change the cards that you were dealt but over time with good choices you can replace your bad cards with good cards through continuous education, hard work, patience, discipline, and positive thinking.) ~by Brian K. Rice

  58. Brian K. Rice: Think about your legacy & I guarantee you will be forced to try harder & you will be forced to think differently about what you will leave behind. Legacy is before death. It is what you leave behind after every conversation, after every act. ...Someone is watching you. Change somebody’s life, change your life, affect someone positively, make someone better, and leave something encouraging for people to talk about. Stand Out

  59. "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali once said while in his prime that Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision.”

  60. Steve Jobs: "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered" (Brian K. Rice: Real talk, every last one of us will breathe one last breath. Every last one of will say bye to our parents, friends, family, significant other, associates, co-workers, teammates, job, career, and so on. It is easy to get into a purposeless routine. It is easy to live a life of little to no meaning. I plead with you to look at your life and your routines. I plead with you to identify the weekly moments of importance. If there are few to no moments of importance in your weekly routines, then I plead with you to rearrange your routines going forward. Don’t wait until New Years to change your routines. Follow what is important now. Be valuable. Be significant. Be worthwhile.)

  61. E. B. White : I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. (Brian K. Rice: Both of these are important in my mind and when the week is over, when the month is over, when the year is over, just make sure there is appropriate balance.)

  62. Brian K. Rice: “However long you are blessed to walk this earth, you must realize that the same amount of time you have left to do NOTHING is the same amount of time you have left to do SOMETHING THAT MATTERS. You choose.”

  63. Doug Smith Barry: "One never knows where life takes us. It may take us north, south, east, or west and it may bring us right back here." (Brian K. Rice: take advantage of the opportunities before you and see where they take you. Who knows!)

  64. Brian K. Rice: I woke up with purpose on my mind. It is clear what I must do. It is time to work. I am not talking about the job, but the passion, the purpose, the reason I am alive in this season. We all have gifts, some use them to help others, some use them to help self, and some don't use them at all. (Please dig deep and identify the reason for the season you are in. It is not always about you.)

  65. Deion Sanders: "That's why you can't give up on your dream, your promise," he said. "Because 14 years later, this dream, this promise came—that I was able to allow my mama to go into a job and say, 'I'm not doing it anymore. My son has blessed me.'"

  66. "Lose Yourself" Eminem: Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?...[Hook:] You better lose yourself in the music, the moment. You own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo (Brian K. Rice: Prepare for your one shot)

  67. C. Gardner: "You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you, you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period." (M. Laister: "After almost losing my mom on yesterday I have learned 2 things: Life is too short to be stressed over anything and to live everyday to the fullest!!! Drive towards your dreams and don't let anything or anyone sidetrack you!!!")

  68. Katherine Dunham: "I used to want the words "She tried" on my tombstone. Now I want "She did it." (Brian K. Rice: What are you going to do with the time you have left? Our earthly end will be here before you know it.)

  69. George Eliot: "It is never too late to be what you might have been." (Brian K. Rice: Another year has passed and this year moving just as fast. What have you done to help yourself reach what you want?)

  70. Brian K. Rice: Define what is in your unique DNA. Be led by your unique purpose. Be encouraged by your unique vision. Be directed by your unique goals. (If you don't do you, then you will do what others want you to do. Do you!)

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