Who doesn’t love famous quotes? Even if you don’t spend hours each day reading the encyclopedia of inspirational sayings, it’s still very likely that you enjoy browsing a few good sources containing fabulous adages. One good maxim can change your entire outlook on life, and motivate you to develop a new and improved paradigm shift in both your thinking and conduct. However, not all quotes should be regarded as helpful. In fact, some of them could be mentally toxic, and possibly make your life miserable. Here are examples of five famous quotes that could inadvertently do you more harm than good.
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” –Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, is credited as the originator of this famous quote. It means that you should convert a bad experience into something positive and gratifying. However, the harm in this quote is that it applies to only a handful of people who like and can stomach lemonade. It excludes those who are medically allergic to lemonade, and would become very ill if they were to even dip a finger in it. The way that this quote could be corrected is to say instead that, “When life gives you lemons, devise a course of action that will best tackle the problem.” Making lemonade doesn’t work for everybody. Some people might have to throw the lemons away, and cook rice instead.
“Nice guys finish last.” –Leo Durocher
This is one of the many famous sports quotes that you may have heard several times. Its origin is attributed to Leo Durocher, baseball manager of the Brooklyn Dodger. The full quote is “Take a look at them. They’re all nice guys, but they’ll finish last. Nice guys finish last.” Durocher was originally referring to the opposing team in 1939. Today, it insinuates that friendly, kind, and courteous men don’t stand a chance at winning a woman’s affection when competing against jerks and bad boys. However, this phrase is potentially harmful to the” nice guy”, because it suggests that his self-worth rides on his egotistical and playboy attitude towards women. In truth, a guy can be nice and still earn the love and affection of a decent woman. Hence, a better quote would be that, “Nice guys finish after they’ve crossed the finish line like everybody else.” It doesn’t matter where they place. In fact, it doesn’t matter where anyone places.
“Men are born to succeed, not fail.” –Henry David Thoreau
This inspirational quote comes by way of American author, poet, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau. It suggests that we are all born with the natural inclination to become successful; even if we come from humble beginnings. It implies that we are not born to fail, and we shouldn’t think along those lines. Unfortunately, the harm in this famous quote is that it seems to insinuate that success is our birthright and that we are entitled to succeed, because it’s God’s will. It implies that regardless of how we behave and treat others, success is always assured. In truth, success is neither a birthright nor a righteous inheritance. It’s a privilege. It’s a benefit that we receive for our good deeds and intentions. Therefore, a better quote would be, “Our success is determined not by our birth, but by our good deeds and intentions.”
“The love of money is the root of all evil.” –Paul the Apostle
Paul the Apostle (often referred to as the Apostle Paul or Saint Paul) is the influential early Christian missionary who is credited with this famous bible quote. It conveys the message that enjoying money is the gateway to malicious conduct and destruction. However, the problem with this quote is that it suggests that if you love money, you will inevitably commit wicked acts and hurt others. More accurately stated, it’s not our love of money that gets us into trouble. Instead, it’s the unhealthy relationship that we have with money that is responsible. Contrary to the quote, the love of money will often result in charitable giving and personal fulfillment. Therefore, a better way to put this would be to say that, “It’s the subconscious contempt for money that is the root of all evil.”
“They can because they think they can.” -Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, the ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period, (known mostly as Virgil) penned this famous Latin quote, which is intended to help us understand that we can accomplish whatever we think we can accomplish. However, the harm with this quote is that it seems to suggest that if you think you can do or have something, you will by default do or have it. This is not quite the case. Just because you think that you can sing like a songbird doesn’t mean that you can. Thinking that you can become a physician, without the required medical training, does not mean that it’ll be possible for you to become one. Therefore, a better quote would be “They can because they possess the skills, preparation, and awareness that will ensure their success.”
“Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.” –Napoleon Hill
American author Napoleon Hill (most noted for his popular book Think and Grow Rich) is the voice behind this famous quote. The idea that it expresses is that it is only fools and naysayers who think of things as being impossible. However, the harm with this quote is that it suggests that it is foolish to think of the impossible. This is not true. There are many things in life that are impossible. It’s impossible to grow younger. It’s impossible to live a long life without food and water. It’s impossible to survive a rattlesnake bite without immediate medical attention. So, a correction would be, “While there are many possibilities in life, there are also many things that are in fact impossible.”
Final Thoughts
Does this mean that you should start rejecting famous quotes? Absolutely not! There are many wonderful famous quotes that will not only inspire you, but will also improve the quality of your life. However, it’s important to question many of them first before you decide to incorporate them as part of your personal philosophy. So, rethink the meaning of the quote before you adapt it to your life.
Image by Pierluigi Riccio
Anthony Thompson is the senior editor-in-chief of Joyful Self-Manager. He has devoted 20 years of his life to the study of self-management. Anthony has made it his personal mission to improve the quality of life by helping others reach their highest potential through personal development.
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Hi Anthony,
thanks for sharing this. Quotes are usually an overly simplified extract of what someone said. They might even be out of context. I still use them but the more I learn to be a critical thinker, the more I realize that most of them are at least two-fold.
Take care
Oliver
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Hi Oliver,
You stated it perfectly. Quotes are usually brief thoughts taken from a much larger statement, and are sometimes used out of context. This is why some of them are potentially harmful. Personally, I think that quotes are great. However, I realize now that it’s important to look at them with a critical eye rather than just accept them at face value.
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I love to read this post,I will share this to my friends so they can see it too.
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Hi Fatima,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. I had such a marvelous time writing it. I hope that your friends get as much value out of it as was intended.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless you!
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Dividend Reinvestment Plans – A Stock Investment Program for Tightfisted Shareholders
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Fatima Hipolito Reply:
August 6th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Yes sir thanks for you reply, and I’m sure they will love to see this sir, God bless too…
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Nice quotes,these quotes help us to get motivate to do something better to achieve our dream. The most liked and Inspirational quote is “They can because they think they can.” and must say “Follow your dreams”.
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Hi Silva,
Quotes do motivate us to improve the way we live. “They can because they think they can” is a great quote on the surface. However, thinking that you can is not enough. You have to possess the skills and preparation that will enable you to do what you think you can do.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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In Spanish there is an incredible amount of sayings that help overcome the most simple and complex issues of life. In my country, Chile, we have everything … Warm greetings from here!
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Hi J Provoste,
Spanish is a lovely language, and one of my biggest regrets is that I can’t speak it. Chile seems like a beautiful country, and you must have some wonderful Chilean sayings that help you and other Chileans deal with many issues in life.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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For me loving money is not the root of all evil if you love your money you also share the love to others its the positive method. It is like do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Also love the quotes nice guys finish last. very true indeed. Thanks for sharing very inspiring indeed.
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Hi Brian,
The love of money is not a sin, and it certainly isn’t the root of all evil. It’s the evil ways that we use money that is the root of all evil. Also, nice guys don’t finish last. Some may finish last, but there are plenty others who finish first, second, and third. In that case, nice guys and not-so-nice guys finish, second, and third. That’s how life is.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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Fabulous post,
I like so much of that quote ““The love of money is the root of all evil”, and “They can because they think they can.” these are very good quote.
You have give such a good piece “what a cost likely to be”.
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Hi Bhushan,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. “The love of money is the root of all evil” and “They can because they think they can” are very popular posts. Just be careful how you interpret them.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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Hi Anthony,
I like your quote interpretations. I do love famous quotes, some of them at least but I could see how people might interpret them in a wrong way.
MAriella
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 4:07 am
Hi Mariella,
Quotes are a great source of inspiration, and can teach us wonderful things about life. However, it pays to examine some of them closely. While many of them can help improve the quality of life, others can lead us to a state of confusion and possibly harm us.
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My favorite quote from your wonderful list is “They can because they think they can.” We have so much to achieve in our lives that we cannot stop at some point even in the worst possible situation. We can do everything if we really want to… sometimes it takes a long long time to realize that, but the truth is only one. Thanks for sharing your quotes!
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Hi Alex,
“They can because they think they can” is a quote that you can use to inspire you. However, please keep in mined that it takes more to do certain things rather than just thinking that you can do them.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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Quotes can be helpful and they can be inspirational. We all have our favors, but short phrases are sometimes better. Some people use them to avoid lengthy conversations. I like the ones you came up with.
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 8th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Hi Michael,
That’s a good point. Everyone has their favorite quotes. I have several quotes that I love, but I also have a few of them that I question for their validity and helpfulness. “Nice guys finish last” is the most problematic one for me.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – Strategies for Making Productivity Your BFF
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Thanks Anthony – very clever post – I had never thought about the quotes that limit us rather than inspire! Well done! Judy
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 11th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Thank you, Judy. I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. It means a lot to me. God bless you.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Manager – How to Successfully Apply Positive Affirmations
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Good .Pleasant quotes, these help us for getting motivate to perform something better to achieve the dreams. I don’t consider Quotes as anything when i was not a blogger. Thanks for this
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Anthony Thompson Reply:
August 11th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Hi Samuel,
Quotes are great. They teach us how to think and live. Thank you for your feedback.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Manager – How to Successfully Apply Positive Affirmations
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Great post, and a nice and inspirational collection of some of the best quotes of all-time! Thanks for sharing them, I think I’m going to print them and hang on the wall to get some inspiration from them every time I look on the wall! I have only known the one with the lemonade, but it is still my favorite!
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Hi Vera,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the post and the quotes. It was my pleasure to share them with you.
Anthony Thompson invites you to read… Self Management – 5 Things You Should Appreciate About Failure
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I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. I had such a marvelous time writing it. I hope that your friends get as much value out of it as was intended.
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I love reading quotes.. This post simply signifies how powerful the word is because it may hurt you. Thanks for sharing this Stacy!
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I love reading famous quotes, especially by modern people who I can somewhat relate to. There is some waffle out there but the majority are sincere and have elements of truth.
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My favorite is about lemonade. Everything that happens, happens for better)) The key is how you treat it. Being positive and smiling is the way out from many situations)
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Great and well-thought post! For sure, I am not the only who was enlightened by this post. Inspirational quotes are great guide for everyday living. It uplifts our soul whenever we feel down and unmotivated.
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I absolute enjoy by reading this quotes Glencap. I love a lot this quot”The love of money is the root of all evil”.Thanks for sharing this firing quotes with us.
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