One sentence could alter your thinking forever.
Many of us have that one sentence, spoken or overheard, that keeps replaying in our minds and ends up having a positive impact.
People are sharing online—through blogs, interviews, and across social media—the sentence that altered their perspective, provided comfort in difficult times, or became a personal mantra. Maybe there are few that will impact you similarly. Here are 20 of the top ones we’ve found:
20 Sentences That Stuck
1. “My girlfriend once said to me, ‘I know things are tough, I know you are stressed and you can talk to me, but you can’t bring it home.’ She was right. I owe her a lot.”
2. “Assume ignorance, not malice.”
3. “Don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.”
4. “My father told me, ‘I don’t just love you, I like you’ and it’s made a world of difference in my life.”
5. “‘Every cloud passes.’ My grandpa used to say it to my dad growing up in Spanish. ‘Cada nuble pasa.’ It’s a great reminder every time life gets a bit rough.”
6. “‘Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.’ Heard it once, and it’s basically steered half my life since.”
7. “Everyone, everywhere, at all times is doing the best they can—given where they come from and what they have experienced.” This sentence impacted and inspired psychotherapist Evan Shopper.
8. “My mom has Alzheimer’s and right before she lost the ability to speak she said with complete lucidity one day, ‘You know, I’m not sure what’s going to happen but I’m not afraid.’ I think about this every day.”
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9. “A coworker told me gently, ‘No one is going to name the building after you.’ I was overworking myself, barely eating, not sleeping much, just grinding away. It made me realize that I was harming myself for no reason. I now work no harder than necessary and for the same salary.”
10. “You may be the sweetest peach, but not everyone likes peaches.”
11. “Sometimes you need to be rejected to be redirected.”
12. “‘He’s not there.’ My husband said this to me gently when I couldn’t leave my father’s casket. I will always remember that he’s not there, he’s in my heart and will be forever.”
13. "Recognize that, like sleeping with a big dog in a small bed, things that are uncomfortable can also be comforting." This came from author Gretchen Rubin.
14. “If you were a bad person you wouldn’t worry that you’re bad.”
15. “‘It sounds like you really just want out of your situation, not your life.’ Thanks, suicide hotline lady.”
16. “‘If you make a decision, and it’s wrong, make another decision.’ Yes, I was 22, and yes, I was stoned, but it freed me from the fear of making a wrong decision. Very few choices can’t be reversed, except for having a child.”
17. "’You can't use someone else's map to find yourself.’ - Dad”
18. "If you're afraid of doing something, do it scared."
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19. “When my son died, many people would say ‘You'll get through this’ or ‘Time will heal you.’ But it's not something you can just get past. A wise person told me that ‘The goal isn't to get through it, but to learn how to carry it with you for the rest of your life.' That's when the real healing began for me.”
20. “It’s everyone's first time at life.”
What’s a sentence that’s impacted you for the better? If you have one, share that with others, online or offline. You never know who else will benefit from it, too.