Do you need a new philosophy for the new year?
“Do right. Fear nothing.” Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan.
“The universe is not a wish-granting factory.” The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
“A song can be sung once but can be heard forever.” Sword Mountain by Nancy Yi Fan.
“Explorers are supposed to risk everything because that is how everything is won.” The Dead Gentleman by Matthew Cody.
“I’ve slept on dirt. I’m ready for adventure now.” Prince Frederic, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy.
“Great artists ask great questions.” Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg.
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” ~Dr.Wayne Dyer, quoted in Wonder by RJ Palacio.
“Everyone should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world.” Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
“Always breakfast like a man condemned. One never knows what a day may bring.” Horace Lawney, lawyer, in The Dragon’s Tooth by N.D. Wilson.
“One of the perils of a classical education . . . [is] a predilection for vocabulary of an obfuscating nature.” The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley.
“[T]rading one form of tyranny for another isn’t freedom.” Storybound by Marissa Burt.
“We are only servants. And our charge is to wait for the King’s return.” Storybound by Marissa Burt.
“It’s no use crying over spilled Red Hots.” Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist.
“Every fence has a gate.” Dumpster the Rat, The Prince Who Fell from the Sky by John Claude Bemis.
“Sometimes, there are not enough facts present upon which to form a conclusion.” The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley.
“Stories of magic alone can express my sense that life is not only a pleasure but a kind of eccentric privilege.†~G.K. Chesterton.
“Always sweep the rubbish under the carpet behind the couch. It’s much less noticeable.” Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan by R.A. Spratt.
Children: “you must never ever light a fire yourself, unless under the close supervision of a responsible adult pig with advanced circus training.” Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan by R.A. Spratt.
“Take the pain and make it something else. Let it make you stronger and smarter.” The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards.
“If I get tired and need a break, I eat my crayons.” The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.
“Sometimes compromise is necessary. Fanatically embracing any idea, even a noble one, can be dangerous.” Neversink by Barry Wolverton.
“The debate of ideas can lead to better ideas.” The Spy Princess by Sherwood Smith.
“There will always be times we struggle, make bad decisions, even fail. What’s important is not that we fail, but that we learn and grow.” The Unwanteds: Island of Silence by Lisa McMann.
“[P]eople run deep and complicated like rivers, hold their shape and are carved upon like stone.” Crossed by Ally Condie.
“Listen to your second thought, or the third might be too late.†Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale.
“Truth is when your gut and your mind agree.” Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale.
“Words can fall hard like a boulder loosed from a cliff. Words can drift unnoticed like a weed seed on a breeze. Words can sing.†Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale.
“An idea is like fire under ice. You can try to put out the fire, but the melting has already begun.” Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale.
“The Piper will be paid, children, one way or another.” Twice Upon a Time by James Riley.
“Here’s some free advice: Don’t walk toward Chaos.” The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan.
“Nothing is ever perfectly safe. Nothing is ever secure.” Darkbeast by Morgan Keyes.
“Why waste your time reading about adventures when you could be having them?” The Secret of the Ginger Mice by Frances Watts.
“Don’t get yourself noticed and you won’t get yourself hanged.” ~The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann.
“Every question has more than one answer. Every story more than one ending.” ~The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas.
“Do not judge by appearances. Evil may lurk in a harmless package. And something pure and good may reside under old crabbed wrapping.” ~The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas.
“Sometimes, when you search for one thing, you find something else.” ~The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas.
“A quest changes a person.” ~Beauty and the Beast by Wendy Mass.
“Once someone is picking a lock, there’s not a lot you can do except stand in front of them to block them from view and whistle. . . Whistling is probably optional.” ~Project Jackalope by Emily Ecton.
“If one does not know how one will cross a bridge, one best figure that out before one reaches it. Otherwise, it is just poor planning.” ~Beauty and the Beast by Wendy Mass.
“Sometimes no matter how hard you try, falling asleep is one of the hardest things to do.” ~Signed by Zelda by Kate Feiffer.
“[N]ot everyone who lives on a pretty street is a good person, and . . . even in the rottenest places you might find someone you can trust with your life.” ~Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey.
“Youth is overrated. Anyone can be a genius at twenty-five. The trick is to be one at fifty.” Degas in Mira’s Diary: Lost in Paris by Marissa Moss.
“A gift only grows into greatness through hard work.” The Cup and the Crown by Diane Stanley.
“Wishes cannot be unwished, no matter how one wishes it. A wish is a powerful thing.” ~In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz.
“All mirrors are magic, or can be. They show you yourself, after all. Really seeing yourself, though–that’s the hard part.” ~In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz.
“There are other ways to be brave without demonstrating it with the sword. Most battles are won by changing minds and turning hearts. Sometimes that’s all the bravery you need.” Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill.
“A real princess engages with the world in a state of grace. It is with grace that she listens and with grace that she speaks. A princess loves her people , no matter what their birth or station. Even ugly jailers.” Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill.
“Love [is] sharp and hot and dangerous. . . Love transforms our fragile, cowardly hearts into hearts of stone, hearts of blade, hearts of hardest iron. Because love makes heroes of us all.” Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill.
“It is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.” ~Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
“You get the face you build your whole life, with work and loving and grieving and laughing and frowning.” ~The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherine Valente.
“Sometimes the best decision is a painful one, but it is never one made out of anger.” ~Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin.
“Powerful ideas have a life of their own; they carry on, unshakable, from person to person.” ~The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde.
“It is better to light a lantern than to bemoan the darkness.” ~Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin.
“The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves–say rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
As for methods of prayer, all are good, as long as they are sincere. ~Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Pick one. It can be your new philosophy.
