THE INSPIRING QUOTES WEBSITE often lives up to its name. Indeed, its February 14, 2025, posting caught my eye: “Reframing the Way You Look at Change.”
I’d have to think hard to imagine a time I’ve confronted change more than I do these days. What’s more, several of its quotes perform a double-duty of getting me thinking of related matters. Here are tidbits related to several of them.
“Above All, Don’t Fear Difficult Moments. The Best Comes From Them.” Inspiring Quotes says, “Italian neurologist and Nobel Laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini is known for her groundbreaking contributions to the field of neuroscience, including the discovery of the nerve growth factor (NGF), which plays a critical role in the growth and survival of nerve cells. With this quote she encourages individuals to face challenging situations without fear, as these moments can lead to positive outcomes and ultimately shape us into better, more well-rounded human beings.”
I am reminded of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1940 Inaugural Address in which he paraphrased Henry David Thoreau, “… the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” It’s in marked contrast, I note, with Trump’s “I am your retribution” comment to his supporters and his immediate actions, some (withdrawing security protection of perceived enemies??) bordering on pettiness.
“Words Empowered by Justice Can Never Be Silenced.” “Isabel Ibañez,” describes Inspiring Quotes, “is a Bolivian American author of powerful historical fantasy novels such as ‘What the River Knows,’ ‘Together We Burn,’ and ‘Woven in Moonlight,’ in which this quote appears…. It’s a subtle call to action for all of us, emphasizing the importance of standing up for our fellow humans so that they may do the same for us.”
These days, such calls to action motivate my occasional politicizing here at the website.
“Do Not Fear to be Eccentric in Opinion, For Every Opinion Now Accepted was Once Eccentric.” “One of the most prominent intellectuals of the 20th century,” Inspiring Quotes observes, “Bertrand Russell was a polymath who believed that ideas could change the world. In addition to being a mathematician, philosopher, and preeminent logician, he was also a humanist and a pacifist whose ideas at times proved controversial….”
Bertrand Russell, 1872–1970, English philosopher, writer, mathematician, social critic, political activist, Nobel Laureate in Literature, 1950. Photo from 1938.
Russell has made several appearances here at SimanaitisSays, including “A Close Shave With Set Theory” and “1981 Lotus 88—Bertrand Russell Would Have Loved It.”
“Muddy Water is Best Cleared by Leaving It Alone.” Inspiring Quotes describes, “Few people did more to popularize Eastern philosophy in the West than the British writer, speaker, and philosopher Alan Watts. From the late 1930s through to the 1970s, Watts wrote more than 20 books and published numerous articles that helped interpret and popularize Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophies among a wider Western audience. He became particularly popular in the 1960s, especially among members of the emerging hippie counter culture.… As Watts points out, sometimes the best way to deal with a go-go-go world is simply to take a break and think deeply rather than acting rashly.”
I was busy in the 60s with college and grad school, but in my spare time was also a post-era beatnik, sorta, and Watts’ influence was recognized.
To this day, I have adopted a similar view in discussions of personal politics. I follow a dictum attributed to George Bernard Shaw: “Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
“When You Come Out of the Storm You Won’t be the Same Person Who Walked In.” “Experiences have the power to transform us,” says the website, “as this quote from Haruki Murakami’s renowned 2002 novel Kafka on the Shore vividly illustrates…. Even in the most unsettling moments, there are opportunities for growth and brighter days ahead—by embracing the transformative power of these moments, we can build resilience and adaptability in the face of just about any adversity.”
Illustration by Seymore Chwast in The New Yorker, September 6, 2021.
See “On Spaghetti and Murakami” for more about this author.
“The Chief Prevention Against Getting Old is to Remain Astonished.” Inspiring Quotes recounts, “Kevin Kelly’s decades-long career as a writer, tech thinker, and founding executive editor of Wired magazine is living proof that there’s no age limit on curiosity or education…. Too often, society equates aging with a decrease in progress, novelty, and innovation. Per Kelly’s advice, the best way to push back against this is to remain open to the possibilities of surprise, wonder, and astonishment.”
I suspect this is why I consider SimanaitisSays the world’s best retirement hobby for me. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025