It's been a hard few days for the American people. People are hating people for how they look, what they think, who they are, and why they're here. People are fighting on Facebook and on the streets; life has become violent. And while an Odyssey article can't fix all of that--it can't even begin to try to do that work--it can at least (ideally) brighten at least one person's day. So here are 25 inspirational quotes to make you just a little bit happier.
1) "She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails." -Elizabeth Edwards
2) "She turned her can'ts into cans and her dreams into plans." -Kobi Yamada
3) "Change your thoughts and you change your world." -Norman Vincent Peale
4) "Nothing is impossible: the word itself says, 'I'm possible!'" -Audrey Hepburn
5) "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." -Maya Angelou
6) "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -Edith Wharton
7) "No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." -Robin Williams
8) "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
9) "When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." -Harriet Beecher Stowe
10) "If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it." -Lucy Larcom
11) "Think of all the beauty still left around you, and be happy." -Anne Frank
12) "In a gentle way, you can shake the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
13) "The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." -Bertrand Russell
14) "I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars." -Og Mandino
15) "Give light and people will find the way." - Ella Baker
16) "I get angry about things, then go on and work." -Toni Morrison
17) "Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into Heaven." -Henry Ward Beecher
18) "Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom." -Sandra Day O'Connor
19) "Disappointment and uncertainty are constant companions in life's pursuits. Being a little frightened is natural and unavoidable. But being hopeful and remaining open to... joy... can counterbalance that anxiety and help you meet each new challenge." -Sonia Sotomayor
20) "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
