5 Quotes To Get You Through A Tough Day

From Dita Von Teese to Seneca, here are some quotes and thoughts for when the going gets tough.

I’ve lost count of the number of articles quoting this or that, so without any shame, I’m adding to the vast ocean of ‘quote articles’ on Medium; five of which I’ve found especially comforting over the past few years that I’d like to share, along with some of my personal experiences.

I’ve found these have acted as a comfort blanket on some of my most arduous days. Maybe write one or two on a card and stick in your wallet, or create a small note in your phone you can sneak a glance at when the going gets tough.

‘You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.’

— Dita Von Teese

I’ve had patients outright lie about me to the receptionists, to get a discount or some other favor; often after I’ve bent over backward to help them. It really got to me. When someone insults your core values and personality it’s hard not to take it personally. But you’ll probably never know the real reason why they did what they did.

You’re not responsible for anyone else’s actions — or how they interpret yours — you can simply do your best, be your best and that’s that.

‘Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.’

— Émile Coué

Repeating positive affirmations such as this one have been proven to lift your mood. Specifically, going all Bart Simpson and writing or saying the same thing twenty to thirty times, in order to ‘flood’ the mind, according to Joy Baldridge, is more effective than saying a positive affirmation once or twice.

Baldridge has examples of other positive affirmations, but I particularly like this one, because no matter what happens each day, we are growing. In fact, after a shitty day, we’re likely to have learned more.

This next one is not really a quote, but a collection of four smaller ones: The Four Agreements, from Don Miguel Ruiz.

‘Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.’ — Don Miguel Ruiz

These four agreements can be essentially used as a guide to a way of living your best life. The First Agreement is basically saying that the spoken word is very powerful. It can be used for good (praise, for example) or bad (such as gossip). In addition to not speaking ill of anyone else, it is important not to use the spoken word against yourself, i.e. in the form of negative self-talk.

With the Second Agreement, Ruiz cleverly plants the seed that you can view anyone’s personal slight on you as their way of trying to send their own ‘emotional poison’ your way. If you take it personally, that poison then becomes yours. So you can think of not taking things personally as not being willing to taking on anyone else’s poison. How nice is that?

In the Third Agreement, Ruiz argues that sadness, drama, and gossip are all rooted in the fact that we make assumptions all the time when we should be asking questions instead.

When you think of the almost infinite reasons that could justify someone’s behavior, you’re less likely to take things personally and be more compassionate. The next time you catch yourself assuming something about an interaction with a fellow human, try to think of at least five ways they acted the way they did, that does not involve a personal attack on you. Notice how your mood changes.

The Fourth Agreement — always do your best — can be misinterpreted. Ruiz points out that you must remember that your best will vary from one moment to the next. It is important not to beat yourself up if you feel that your best today is not as good as yesterday because you’re tired or run down. It’s about forgiving yourself, but being honest. By doing your best, it removes the need for guilt-tripping.

It’d be a crime not to include a stoic quote on this list, so here’s one from Seneca:

‘Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit, such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature’s’. — Seneca (Letters from a Stoic.)

Highly relevant in today’s climate with bush fires and pandemics raging war on humankind, wise old Seneca reminds us that these circumstances are here to test and develop our character. Having observed a surge in stoicism on channels like Medium, it’s easy to see why.

There is something comforting knowing that way before our time, we can relate to the similar or worse struggles of others, and that their lessons are still as relevant today as they were back then.

‘Adapt, adjust, accommodate. Bear insult. Bear injury. That is the highest sadhana’.

— Sri Swami Satchidananda

This is in the commentary of the translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This is in the discussion of the forty-third sutra, translated as: “By austerity, impurities of body and senses are destroyed and occult powers gained.”

Satchidananda likens purification of the mind to laundering a cloth, in that the mind must also be ‘…washed, squeezed, tossed, dried and ironed.’

Importantly, he tells us to thank those who have hurt our feelings, as it is helping us to become pure. He takes it a step further and states we should ask for more. He argues, much like in Buddhism, that if someone causes us pain, it’s not because they hate us, but they are teaching us a lesson and are aiding in our purification.

Though this sounds a little odd at first, by cultivating this mindset, we’re less likely to find fault with anyone who insults us. He makes the salient point that if we’re happy to receive compliments (or ‘flowery words’, as he describes) but not insults, then our minds aren’t yet strong enough.

Ultimately, we cannot change what comes our way, but we can change how we react to it. By accepting pain and realizing its benefits — in whatever form — it is no longer pain, and it is how we grow our resilience and inner strength.

References

• The Joy in Business, Joy Baldridge, Wiley, New Jersey, USA, 2019.
• The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz. Amber-Allen Publishing Inc. California, USA, 1997.
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Integral Yoga Publications, Yogaville, Virginia, USA 2009. (Book Two: Sadhana Pada: Portion on Practice)