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Quips and Tips From Smart Women in History

Here’s a collection of quips and tips from smart women in history, from Anais Nin to Zora Neale Hurston. Each comes quip comes with a life tip….

Quip: “And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin.

Tip: Every accomplishment starts as a dream. Not long ago, I dreamed of creating a website to help people achieve their goals for so long that it finally became painful not to be working on it! What are you thinking about creating, doing, experiencing? What goals do you want to achieve? Don’t push yourself if you’re not ready now…but be open to taking the leap when the planets align and the timing is right.

Quip: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face,” said Eleanor Roosevelt. “You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Tip: What are you facing that you think you can’t do? Break it down into small, easy-to-swallow doses. Get strength from the knowledge that strong, smart women in history have faced similar obstacles and fears, and have succeeded wildly. Read 10 Ways to Build Self-Confidence – Queen Latifah.

Quip: “One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.” – Jane Austen in Emma.

Tip: We all have our own unique likes and dislikes in our activities, fashion sense, taste in men, ways to raise kids, choice of music or houses or cars or books. Let people be who they are without condemning or mocking. Read 5 Tips for Overcoming Perfectionism.

Quip: “After all, it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life.” – Evelyn Underhill, writer of spiritual books such as Mysticism.

Tip: Do you find yourself snapping when the smallest things go wrong? Consider the possibility that something else is wrong or missing. Are you living your life the way you really want? Read Do What Comes Naturally – Rachael Ray.

Quip: “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” – Zora Neale Hurston, freelance writer and journalist.

Tip: What do you want to know about your future? Relax into the knowledge that you’ll someday live into the answer. Maybe not today or next week or in six months…but someday.

Quip: “I don’t believe makeup and the right hairstyle alone can make a woman beautiful. The most radiant woman in the room is the one full of life and experience.” – Sharon Stone.

Tip: Your beauty isn’t dictated by how you look. A woman is made beautiful by her personality, how she treats others, and her how she carries herself. And, of course, how she’s lived her life.

Quip: “Once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.” – Margery Williams, author of The Velveteen Rabbit.

Tip: You may feel like you’ve lost touch with your authentic self, but she’s in there somewhere. Free her by trying new things, accepting your ideas, and trusting your instincts. Read How to be Authentic – Diana Princess of Wales.

Quip: “Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world.” – Helen Keller.

Tip: Are you feeling sorry for yourself because you’re an orphan, or you’re overweight, or you’re too short, or you’re not educated or pretty or healthy enough? Don’t succumb to those negative, “poor-me” feelings. Instead, focus on the best parts of your life. Practice gratitude. And, read 10 Tips for Improving Your Luck!

Quip: “Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and …try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them,” said Rainer Maria Rilke. “Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without knowing it, live into the answer.”

Tip: Even if you knew the answers to the questions in your life (Will I get pregnant? Who will I marry? Are we headed for divorce? Will I get that degree, that job, the raise?) – you may not be able to live with them. So, learn to be comfortable with mystery and unanswered questions.

Quip: “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people fail more.” – Martha Beck, life coach and author.

Tip: Failing is part of being a successful, self-confident woman. If you can fail with grace, self-assurance, and the knowledge that you’re on the road to a wildly successful life, then you’ll bounce back to be healthier and more productive. Read How to Fail and Bounce Back – Rachel Naomi Remen.

Do you have a quip or tip from a smart woman in history? Please comment below – I’d love to hear from you!