You may remember the specific words someone told you that impacted you immensely, and these people have memories of their own thanks to Redditor WhereIsMyPony, who asked the online community: "What are some sentences that changed your life?"
"A friend..."
Giphy"Write the bad days in sand and the good days in stone"
A friend told me this before I got on a flight to a new city for a job, there would be a lot of bad days but this helped me get through it.
"They probably didn't..."
"Just as it would be morally wrong to enslave another human being, so too it is morally wrong to enslave yourself."
- My university tutor. They probably didn't make it up themselves and I have no idea what it was in reference to, but it really struck a chord with workaholic me.
"I was 12..."
"You only get one life, and on your death bed the only thing that'll keep you company is the memories of the life you lived."
I was 12 when I was sitting on a bench outside my church looking at a group of kids my age I wanted to introduce myself to. I wasn't a socially anxious person but this was the start of my "I wanna be cool" phase and I thought it would be embarrassing to introduce myself. (I dont know how this logic came about)
There was this old lady from my church who saw me sitting alone and asked me to help her stack the outdoor chairs. So I went over and helped.
She asked me if the kids were my friends. I said no. She asked why I was staring then. I just said 'i dunno. ' because i was embarrassed about the reason. She went quiet a moment then said that sentence.
Normally when adults would tell me advice it would go in one out the other. But this clicked for me. This one sentence kept me up so many nights because it finally just clicked.
"A drunk club girl..."
"People come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime."
A drunk club girl told me that in a parking lot of a supermarket 8 years ago and it stuck with me.
"It's from a goddamn video game..."
Giphy"There's a fine line between consideration and hesitation. The former is wisdom, the latter is fear"
It's from a goddamn video game and now it's framed on my desk at work. For me the toughest part about work isn't doing it, it's starting. This helps me get started, and I've gotten places I never thought I would because of it.
"No matter..."
"Everyone's drunk on something"
No matter what, who, or how it is, everyone needs that 'something' to attach to, to keep moving forward.
"This..."
"You have to fully feel your emotions before you can put them aside." -My Gym Teacher
This really got me to think of how I handle my emotions. Taught me not to suppress them and made me learn how to truly get over my feelings.
"My mom..."
"You can't expect people to love the same way you do."
My mom told me this during my first heartbreak. If you live life expecting people to show love the same way as you, you're always going to be disappointed. She also has borderline personality disorder and views love as a series of checks and balances but I digress.
"My grandfather..."
'If you love someone, tell them you love them. If you hate someone, don't ever tell them that because maybe one day you'll love them too'
My grandfather a few days before he passed.
"However..."
"It doesn't get easier, you get better."
This sentence came to me as a freshman in college during finals week and helped motivate me to not lose my scholarship after a rough semester. However, since then, it has stuck with me to help me with the other challenges inherent to life.