Inspired Thinking Quotes & Sayings

Think only of what you desire, and expect only what you desire, even when the very contrary seems to be coming into your life. Make it a point to have definite results in mind at all times. Permit no thinking to be aimless. Every aimless thought is time and energy wasted, while every thought that is inspired with a definite aim will help to realize that aim, and if all your thoughts are inspired with a definite aim, the whole power of your mind will be for you and will work with you in realizing what you have in view. That you should succeed is therefore assured, because there is enough power in your mind to realize your ambitions, provided all of that power is used in working for your ambitions. — Christian D. Larson

When it comes to fashion, I'm just inspired by anyone who has their own flair or piece on anything. I love originality. I love when people bring some bold and don't do what's been done or being done. I don't think I have anyone in particular. Just anyone who's original really inspires me. — Blake Michael

I do feel like my music, in some weird way, is probably better suited for cinema than for anything else - I can't really explain, other than I think that music has been mostly inspired often by soundtracks. — Zach Condon

In life, I'm most inspired by entertaining people and driven by the desire to do it by such a powerful force that I think it influences everything I do. — Brandi Carlile

Even though New York may be a more inspiring city, I get more inspired thinking of L.A., in a way. My life there was so much more simple in mind, and quiet. — Aleksa Palladino

I think when I was getting into directing, or wanting to be a director, when I was a teenager, the two films that really inspired me were Raising Arizona and Evil Dead II. And in the case of the former, I thought, "Wow. Why don't all comedies look like this?" And then as I started doing comedy, particularly when I started doing it on TV. — Edgar Wright

I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that [August] Brill tells himself, one of the stories he tells himself. — Paul Auster

I am really inspired by writers, and weirdly - respect music journalists, which I think makes me the exception amongst most musicians. I think it's a craft. I think it's been really neglected - sadly. I think about the days of the great legendary rock critics. Who's going to become that when magazines and newspapers don't pay anyone properly or don't seem to respect the history or research that is required? — Emily Haines

By the time I was in my early-twenties and was living there on the Lower East Side, I was so surrounded by tragedy that I think that inspired me to try to reflect it in the artwork. — Eric Drooker

I think I was always inspired by seeing a problem, and finding a solution. — Donna Karan

When I think of the people I've worked with, all of them have great passion, and the passion is what keeps people inspired. — Guido Palau

New York has inspired more remarkable music than any other city I can think of. — Moby

In the average home there is much work to be done, and God does not approve of laziness. But beware thinking that your schedule (whether it is a homeschooling schedule or feeding-the-baby schedule) is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Life in our homes should be characterized by joy and thanksgiving so that children are taught and nourished in a way that takes their souls into account. — Nancy Wilson

I do think that Live Aid (1985) (TV) was a great thing, it focused people, I think it showed young kids the way in many respects and I think a lot of people are still inspired by what happened in the mid-Eighties. — George Michael

I think people like Lena Dunham really opened up the door to what was possible, and they've inspired young women to go into filmmaking and writing and directing and acting in a way that maybe they didn't before, because now there is a path and there are jobs. — Judd Apatow

I think my confidence offends a lot of people, but I think people should learn from it and be inspired by it, instead of finding it offensive. — Jon Jones

I think every single point will be important, .. I think more than anything, I'll just have to be able to compete better. When you're playing Serena Williams, you have to compete better than her. I got a lot of tricks from Serena just watching her. She inspired me so many times. I also got motivated by her in the early part of my career, and even now. I just have to compete better, bottom line. — Venus Williams

Sometimes I'm inspired by a certain part of my life - I'm thinking about a place and I'll mix the colors from memory. — Jose Parla

She was incomparable in her inspired loveliness. Her arms amazed one, as one can be astonished by a lofty way of thinking. Her shadow on the wallpaper of the hotel room seemed the silhouette of her uncorruption. — Boris Pasternak

We are all capable! — Lailah Gifty Akita

How can HOW help us repair our faltering global economy?
Only by getting our "hows" right can we ensure that we are sustainable. This can only be achieved when we are rooted in, and inspired by, sustainable values. The global economic meltdown supplied a perfect, but painful, example of how sustainability cannot be guided by situational values. The economic crash occurred because too many financial companies became disconnected from fundamental values and long-term sustainable thinking. Instead of nurturing sustainable collaborations, banks, lenders, borrowers and shareholders pursued short-term relationships founded on situational values. More than ever we need to get out of this cycle of crises and build long-term success and deep human connections so that we achieve enduring significance in today's globally interconnected world. — Dov Seidman

You shouldn't strategize your career if you're in a creative realm. You can't either. I love the unknown. I love the element of surprise. I've always felt really inspired by it. I love the spontaneity of the job. I think you can't really fight against it. — Emily Blunt

Great stories happen all around you every day. At the time they're happening, you don't think of them as stories. You probably don't think about them at all. You experience them. You enjoy them. You learn from them. You're inspired by them. They only become stories if someone is wise enough to share them. That's when a story is born. — Paul Smith

Creativity healed me. I don't know that I could think of any word that I get more inspired by than the word healing. — SARK

I can't honestly say where the inspiration for my work came from. I think it came from reading. It came from texts, from Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, it came from, you know, Jean-Paul Sartre. These are the ideas that got me worked up and inspired. It wasn't so much the visual things that inspired me. Although, of course, there were plenty of painters in history that I admired all the way from Brueghel to Goya, to Picasso - because everything visual stimulates me. — Lebbeus Woods

He became a dark paramour, her muse, and she knew that muses had a tendency to kill those they inspired. She could feel him seeping into her, like the chill. She knew she would never be rid of him now. She was his forever, and she didn't even know what he was thinking of. — Jennifer Megan Varnadore

I think that we're a culture that runs away from death, for good reason. Nobody really wants to think about the fact that we're going to be lifeless food for worms in a coffin someday. But at the same time, I feel like knowing that you're going to die can be an incredibly rewarding, powerful knowledge. It inspires us to live in ways that we wouldn't if we were ignorant. I feel like that has inspired me to care about every breath. For me it's not a morbid curiosity, it's just wanting to make sure that every moment I have here on the Earth while I am breathing is accounted for. — Jon Foreman

Even sporting a frown, his upper lip was full with a pronounced 'Cupid's bow' that inspired the image of her nibbling his tender flesh to manifest in her mind. At the thought, her cheeks heated with a blush she knew he saw by the smirk that lifted the corner of his mouth.

"What are ya thinkin' about?" He winked, adding insult to injury where her pride was concerned.

Taking a step back and turning on her heel, Abigail growled, "I was thinking you have the manners of a stable boy but are dressed like knight. — Julia Mills

I've been inspired by films since I started dancing, and I'm married to a filmmaker, and I think it was one of my secret desires, but I was afraid to just say, 'I want to be a director'. But then one day I said, O.K., stop dreaming and do it. But I didn't want to do it the Hollywood way, and talk through agents. I decided it all had to be generated by me, so I wrote it. — Madonna Ciccone

I get inspired with passion, I think. I get inspired by people who are just passionate, and it doesn't matter what they do or what they're passionate about. — Neil Jackson

I know many of you would say "What about the Bible?" The Bible says this, the Bible says that, the Bible is the inspired Word of God. I think the Bible is the inspired word of man - about God, and some of that is now expired. — Carlton Pearson

I was inspired by a question that kept repeating itself in my mind: Could I really change my life? I'd spent so many days, weeks, months, and years thinking about doing things with my life, and now I wanted to know, if I committed to a goal and woke up every single day working hard at it, could I change my life? — Liz Murray

Imagination is a glorious wonder. — Lailah Gifty Akita

I actually prefer to work in as many different genres as possible as often as possible because I actually think the best way to be inspired and avoid any writers block or things like that is actually to be able to go from a comedy to an action to a horror to a adventure, that actually makes it easy for me to start over and get new ideas, and it keeps things interesting. — Christopher Lennertz

I feel more inspired than ever, and think that I will finally achieve what I have long been wishing for: a balance of work and privacy - a harmony. — Kylie Minogue

We all borrow and steal and copy from each other, and that's the way I think people get inspired. — Tom Green

The grey is certainly inspired by the photo-paintings, and, of course, it's related to the fact that I think grey is an important colour - the ideal colour for indifference, fence-sitting, keeping quiet, despair. In other words, for states of being and situations that affect one, and for which one would like to find a visual expression. — Gerhard Richter

Here's how to create an inspired vision for your life: Change the scope of your thinking from seeing is believing to believing is seeing. — DeWayne Owens

The human spirit tries to break free again and again, not in hate like the Dark Revolt. But for love. They don't mimic each other. They aren't inspired by others who come before them. Each is willing to take the leap, thinking they are the first. That's bravery. And that means it's a part of who we are as people. — Pierce Brown

Abraham Lincoln truly inspired me. It wasn't just the freeing of the slaves, he kept the Union together. Some people even forget that today. What I think inspired me was the fact that in spite of being the President of the United States he retained a certain down-to-earth quality. He never got to be a big shot, and he cared about people. — George H. W. Bush

Inspired men have been raised up, who have given us our form of government, and the code of laws by which we are controlled, the best ever evolved by man, so far as we are able to judge. The Lord has strengthened the arms of the patriots who have defended us against the assaults of all those who have come up against us, and delivered us until today, from those who would have torn us asunder. Against all opposition, I sometimes think almost against ourselves, the Lord has brought us to our present condition, until this nation, like a city set on a hill, has become the light of the world. — Anthony W. Ivins

I'm just a big believer in 'you must love yourself before you can love anybody else,' and I think for me that breeds the most inspired relationships ... — Scarlett Johansson

The Rhapsody is not a composition at all. It's a string of separate paragraphs stuck together - with a thin paste of flour and water ... I don't think there has been such an inspired melodist on this earth since Tchaikovsky ... but if you want to speak of a composer, that's another matter. — Leonard Bernstein

I think the works of W.D. Gann and Robert Prechter have inspired me more than anyone else. It was from their writings that I discovered cycles, patterns, and psychology dominate the market, and that the news breaks with the cycles, not the other way around. — Jeff Cooper

Write from the heart, what has meaning to you personally; have the patience and discipline to sit down and do it every day whether you're feeling inspired or not; never be afraid to take chances, in fact, make sure you take chances. As soon as you become complacent, you become boring ... Read as much as possible, not simply in the genre, or what you think you're interested in, but other things as well. — Charles De Lint

Wherever you are you have to work to earn your own living. — Lailah Gifty Akita

I have never believed that one should wait until one is inspired because I think the pleasures of not writing are so great that if you ever start indulging them you will never write again. — John Updike

Just as the digital dominance of the recording studio seemed complete, analog had its revenge. Musicians, producers, and engineers searching for the sound of the music that inspired them - roots Americana, blues, and classic rock - began thinking about how the process of recording affected the sound. These artists, including White, Dave Grohl, and Gillian Welch, began experimenting with old tape machines and vintage studio equipment, returning to the analog methods they'd once used. Critics and fans noted that these albums sounded different - more heartfelt, raw, and organic - and the industry began to take notice. — David Sax

I think it's crucial to live, play and work passionately. I'm inspired by my husband, my son and the sense of possibility in the world. — Caroline Leavitt

The philosopher Sir James Mackintosh had said that the powers of a man's mind were proportionate to the quantity of coffee he drank, and Voltaire had knocked back fifty cups of it a day, so Ianto reckoned there had to be something in it. And saving Cardiff from the kinds of things that came through the Rift called for quick, inspired thinking, so Ianto took it upon himself to make sure the coffee was good. Ianto Jones, saving the world with a dark roast. — Phil Ford

What does a ship absolutely need to stay afloat? I'm not a mariner, so I can't exactly say. . . but what I can tell you is that ships don't absolutely need lighthouses - but they sure do help!

When it comes to acting on inspired ideas, it's easy to trick ourselves into thinking we don't really need to do them, but that's like a ship ignoring the beacon of light on a rocky shore. — Richie Norton

The character, therefore, will depend upon the thoughts. I am what I think. I am what I think even more than what I do, for it is the thought that interprets the action. An act in itself good may become even bad by the thought that inspired it. — Basil W. Maturin

If you say how lovely she is, or how beautiful her art is, or compliment anything else her soul took part in, inspired, or suffused, something in her mind says she is undeserving and you, the complimentor, are an idiot for thinking such a thing to begin with. Rather than understand that the beauty of her soul shines through when she is being herself, the woman changes the subject and effectively snatches nourishment away from the soul-self, which thrives on being acknowledged, on being seen. So — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Hough I was creative, I also liked math and science. At Knox College, I studied creative writing and earned a degree in chemistry, thinking I would attend medical school. Ultimately, I decided that a career in nursing would allow more time for pursuing other creative interests. While I worked as an RN, I wrote stories inspired by my patients, designed t-shirts, and made hand-painted sandals. — Mary Pope Osborne

I love a good pop song. I have no problem with the concept of doing that sort of thing. For me, it's usually what I'm inspired by, what I'm thinking about. — Jon Foreman

I don't like weak women and I don't find it interesting to play them. I'm inspired by them, when I see them in dramas, like with Natalie Portman, in almost every movie she's in. It's awesome that chicks can really go there, and it's beautiful to watch, but I don't think I'm interested, in any way, shape or form, in embodying those creatures. — Michelle Rodriguez

But as I wrote the book [Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet], I tried to write it as clearly and directly and passionately as possible just thinking of communicating to readers who might want to learn about this great thinker and be inspired by him as I was. — Jeffrey Rosen

I tend to listen to the artists that originally inspired me to start playing music in the first place, because there is a multitude of wisdom that can be gained by bands like Black Sabbath, Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd and the Cure. I think if we were to pay close attention to what's on the radio right now then we'd lose our identity entirely. — Jason C. Miller

If it has to be put in a box, it's a country record. But it's hard to do that, because it is inspired and influenced by the history of music in two different people's backgrounds. I think the focal point for many is the harmonies, and I think that is what is special and unique about it. — Jessica Harp

Never get impressed by others, this will influence your thinking and decision. Dont get impressed rather get inspired. — Chetan Suthar

I grew up thinking the only scriptures on earth were those inspired by the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament, the words and letters of Jesus and his apostles, and the scriptures of the Restoration. But how could the God I believed was the loving God of all the earth not speak somehow to everyone else? For years I wrestled with this idea. Having now read the Chinese classics, certainly Confucius, but others as well, I believe I have found the scriptural infusion God gave the Chinese nation. Mencius is my favorite, I must admit, and I do not hesitate to call what he bestowed upon the world scripture--some of the most optimistic, holy writing the world has. — S. Michael Wilcox

You know if I see a work that really I am very affected by and inspired by then it makes me want to try things with my work that maybe I hadn't considered trying before and I think that is the biggest complement that you can pay somebody. — PJ Harvey

Encouraging words are life-giving fountain. — Lailah Gifty Akita

Minds think with ideas, not information No amount of data, bandwidth, or processing power can substitute for inspired thought. — Clifford Stoll

The more time you invest in thinking about the project - where to begin and how to pull it all together - the more original, successful, and enjoyable the project will be. There is always an element of fear here - everyone is afraid of failing. Don't be! The truth is that you are going to fail in some way, but this is something to be embraced and viewed as a learning experience. There is freedom in recognizing you will fail - you'll be inspired to push yourself. With every finished project you will probably have a list of things you would do differently next time. Expect this from the beginning and the journey will be more rewarding. — Nathan Smith

With different scenarios and different places, I think it's easier for me to get inspired; I'm seeing different things. — Alessia Cara

The Soul of Money is an inspired and utterly fascinating book. It will change the way you think about money ... It is a book for everyone who would like to make the world a better place. — Jane Goodall

To be inspired is to be moved in an extraordinary manner by the power or Spirit of God to act, speak, or think what is holy, justand true; [Enthusiasm is] A Full, but false persuasion in a man that he is inspired. — Henry More

I think the artist's job throughout history has been to tell - to say things that people are inspired by. — Russell Simmons

Religion: A lot of fanciful ideas inspired by wishful thinking. Science: A lot of logical ideas based on the best evidence available. Which should we have faith in? — David Alan Harvey

Poetry is inspired by the elements of random thoughts, an overflow of gazing at the unseen. — Michael Bassey Johnson

The Beatles meant everything to me growing up, and John was part of that. I loved Lennon's persona. He knew who he was, and he knew what he represented to a worldwide public ... I think he incited and inspired a whole group of youth to speak out and say what they felt. — John Travolta

You can develop positive mindset with reading of awe-inspired writings. — Lailah Gifty Akita

Going to the school to meet the visually impaired was special. I thought I was inspiring them. I was thinking what I could possibly say to inspire them. Instead of me inspiring them, I felt they inspired me. They showed me how much courage they have, and how hard these teachers are working for these children. They made me feel like I don't have any problems in life. It gave me uplift. They made me feel so great. — Yanni

Embrace faith, hope and love. — Lailah Gifty Akita

The artists who have inspired me the most in my life are the ones who have really had something to say and stand up for. That, to me, is part of being an artist-having the voice to express things that need to be verbalized and brought to light. Unfortunately, I don't think that's a priority for people, because the few artists who do have the nerve to take a stand for what they believe get shut down in a way. — Alicia Keys

It really helps you to go through difficult situations by just thinking about it as being a big amount of work which you have to solve how to do. For example, I don't feel very inspired when I act, I just act. That's it. — Isabelle Huppert

You think back to Tele players, and James Burton was the one who started it all. He inspired Roy Nichols (guitar for Merle Haggard & the Strangers), Don Rich (guitar for Buck Owens & the Buckaroos), and guys like that to push the envelope and expand on that sound ... I really identify with that kind of thinking ... those guys to me are the reason why any of us do this.. — Brad Paisley

I always want to keep things unwritten. I'm inspired by Bob Dylan, who's kept evolving and changing his sound. I think that's what you should do as an artist. Why be comfortable? — Lykke Li

Part of me was saying if you say that she's alive, what would everybody think? What are you gonna tell everybody who follow you, who you've inspired? What are you going to say? And on that time on December 8th two days after I just found out that she's alive. As a 21-year-old I wasn't ready for that. — Manti Te'o

I don't think I have ever been as inspired by any character that I have played. I was deeply moved by Temple's courage and her resourcefulness.. She is really pioneering in both the world of autism and animal rights. She has encouraged an incredibly positive change in the world. — Claire Danes

I think one artist to another artist, the best compliment you can pay one another, because the part of you that is inspired or creates something, to write a joke or a song, that's like the God-like part of a person. — Dave Chappelle

I hate that people think it's wrong to say you're inspired by Jaws or by Raiders Of The Lost Ark. You're allowed to be. — Steven Spielberg

I will never be able to read my mothers favourite books without thinking of her - an when I pass them on or recommend them, I'll know that some of what made her goes with them; that some of my mother will live on in those readers, readers who may be inspired to love the way loved and do their own version of what she did in the world. — Will Schwalbe

I really do think of them as post-minimalist sculptures, inspired in large part by some very early spacecraft that NASA built. — Trevor Paglen

I think I'm very easily inspired. People, wildlife, nature, music, art. I think that I'm lucky that I have this great sense of wonderment about life in general. — Jorja Fox

To engage the written word means to follow a line of thought, which requires considerable powers of classifying, inference-making and reasoning. It means to uncover lies, confusions, and overgeneralizations, to detect abuses of logic and common sense. It also means to weigh ideas, to compare and contrast assertions, to connect one generalization to another. To accomplish this, one must achieve a certain distance from the words themselves, which is, in fact, encouraged by the isolated and impersonal text. That is why a good reader does not cheer an apt sentence or pause to applaud even an inspired paragraph. Analytic thought is too busy for that, and too detached. — Neil Postman

Senator Kennedy inspired so many with his decades of service, so I can't think of a more fitting tribute then working to educate and motivate future generations of citizens and public servants alike. — Hillary Clinton

Even when I rehearse down in the bowels of the Metropolitan Opera, you can't help but think why The Phantom of the Opera was inspired by what happens in the bowels of the opera house. — Susan Stroman

I just like the idea of looking back at my life and feeling like I made different choices than everyone else, you know? Most people are inherently boring if you really dig deep. They don't want much, they don't veer from their chosen path, and they're generally scared of change. I don't know, at least that's how my grandfather tells it. I don't want to be like fifty and realize that I was one of those people who didn't bother to think outside the box. — Margaux Froley

I think what inspires me or what keeps me inspired is my curiosity. — Lela Loren

I think we grew up thinking that the funniest things on TV were the old, serious movies. I always liked the Marx Brothers, but the thing that always made us laugh were movies like Zero Hour. That's what inspired us. — David Zucker

I think the biggest influence for me is when I hear a great piece of music, whatever the style, I'm kind of inspired by that greatness and I'm inspired to try and obtain something that comes close to that greatness. — Paul Weller

I'm really inspired by the interplay of visual art and music, a total artistic environment where there's sound and visuals. When I think about that I get stimulated and excited. It's a feeling that you can't label with words. — Black Francis

In fact, I think every book I've written has been inspired by a real event. — Laura Lippman

I don't really care for or that much about Chat Roulette. I think the phenomenon of it and like the first wow factor which was so absolutely insane about Chat Roulette. Certainly that's what inspired me to make that movie but I think that's true for everyone that used Chat Roulette which is why it was such an explosion. Now it's just kind of disappeared. You don't hear much about it anymore. — Casey Neistat

As much as I think I've inspired people in the world, I'd like to be more involved bringing about world peace. — Madonna Ciccone

I think you go through different phases when you do albums, and I think that they change according to where you are in your life and what you're inspired by at the moment. — Sune Rose Wagner

The creative process requires more than reason. Most original thinking isn't even verbal. It requires 'a groping experimentation with ideas, governed by intuitive hunches and inspired by the unconscious.' The majority of business men are incapable of original thinking because they are unable to escape from the tyranny of reason. Their imaginations are blocked. — David Ogilvy

No one knows of these people," she says. "No one but a handful of Golds with access. The human spirit tries to break free, again and again, not in hate like the Dark Revolt. But for love. They don't mimic each other. They aren't inspired by others who come before them. Each is willing to take the leap, thinking they are the first. That's bravery. And that means it's a part of who we are as people." Bravery. — Pierce Brown