I love quotes. Certain times of the year, grant professionals are extra busy and sometimes feel burned out, overused, unappreciated, and not appropriately compensated. To combat these times, I’ve compiled a list of favorite quotes that help me continue to make the world a better place through words and numbers. Hope you can use these when you need a boost. As an extra shout out to International Grant Professional’s Day and International Women’s Day held on March 8, 2019, most of these quotes are from women, who seem to dominate the grant professional world.

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.”
Dr. Mae Jemison, American astronaut and physician

“Let nothing bind you in the world other than your highest inner truth.”
Emma Herweg, German writer

“We are too precious to let disappointments enter our minds.”
NL Beno Zephine, Indian diplomat

“Wings are freedom only when they are wide open in flight. On one’s back they are a heavy weight.”
Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian Poet

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”
Yoko Ono, Japanese multimedia artist

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

John Wooden, Coach/Leader

“I was smart enough to go through any door that opened.” 

Joan Rivers

“Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”

Rosa Parks

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”

Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani Activist

“You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”

Shonda Rhimes, Writer, Producer & Creator of Grey’s Anatomy

“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.”

Oprah Winfrey

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Jane Goodall

“No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.”  

Billie Jean King

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.”

Jodie Foster

“If you’re someone people count on, particularly in difficult moments, that’s a sign of a life lived honorably.”

Rachel Maddow

“When I believe in something, I’m like a dog with a bone.”

Melissa McCarthy

“Dying seems less sad than having lived too little.”

Gloria Steinem

“Successful people ask how, not why.”

Hayes McClerkin, Arkansas politician

“I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said.”

Thuli Madonsela, South African advocate & Professor of Law

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”

Tina Fey

Sources: Shortcuts to Life’s Secrets: The Collected Thoughts of Hayes McClerkin; International Women’s Day Google Doodle; https://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-ettus/100-quotes-from-100-extraordinary-women_b_6483622.html