hey everyone.. am thinking of finding a quote to keep me going during my PhD. What quote usually works for you - motivation wise. lets all post our quotes!!

This is not a PhD quote in particular--but it IS my all time favorite quote!!!!

" It is not getting any brighter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity and make it work for you." Frank Zappa

"I have seen flowers come in stony places
And kind things done by men with ugly faces
And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,
So I trust, too."

John Masefield

F. Scott Fitzgerald: You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say.

ps Juno - I love yours! How inspiring...

"Since coming back to uni I've had a revelation. Why do stuff sitting up, when you can do it lying down." - my friend Abi

The Gold Cup is never won by the worst horse in the race.

It's not PhD-related, but still works for me when I feel down or disheartened:

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us." Charles Bukowski

By the way, I'm new (though have been around for a while, but always only read threads - they've been a great help), so hello everybody!

"A Ph.D is an exhausting, emotional struggle. You are forced to confront all of your fears, insecurities and doubts you have about yourself and somehow overcome them. It's terrifying. A lot of bravery is required, which often goes unrecognised and unrewarded.

Facing your own personalised set of fears (or demons, if you want to be dramatic) is where the feeling of isolation comes from - the fact that they are YOUR fears.

Be brave. You know what you have to do - you know the right thing to do. Good luck."

(Author unknown but quoted befor in this forum)

It's on my wall next to my PC - it's getting me through the tough times.

"a PhD should come with a government health warning"

A few quotes from Carlos Castenda:

http://www.knowprose.com/node/11924

"Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore, a warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions. His decision to keep on that path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There is a question that a warrior has to ask: 'Does this path have a heart?'

and

"Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use."

http://www.knowprose.com/node/11924

A few more from Carlos Castenada...

"A path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy— it does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it."

"If a warrior is to succeed at anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession."

"Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges."

http://www.woopit.com/quotes-by-Carlos-Castaneda.html

this is my favorite Carlos Castaneda quote--it helped me make the decision on how to pursue my Phd!


"A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesnt it is of no use."

I don't know where this one is from (could be a movie even???) but I like it...

Nothing worth having comes easy

the first of my favorites: 'determination in every way,' which is a line in a poem i've got on my wall. it doesn't just say be determined, it says be determined in every way. even when you don't feel like it.

am keeping them coming. so watch this space.

when am writing, i tend to always think, ' the darkest hour is before dawn.'