I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life Quotes

“Forgiveness is letting go of the need to feel like a victim. Work on it. You’ll lighten your load—the load of negativity you carry around.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Let’s not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” —James Thurber”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“But I’ve learned that living in either the past or the future keeps me up in my head, out of reality, robbing me of the present.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“It takes courage to care. It takes passion to stand up for someone or something you believe in and care about.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” —Pema Chödrön”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is letting God talk to you.” —Yogi Bhajan”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“May today there be peace within May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you May you be content knowing that you are a child of God Let this presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love It is there for each and every one of us. —Saint Teresa of Avila”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“If you’re a woman, never doubt that you belong at the table. Never doubt that you bring something to it. And never forget to save a seat for someone else.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” —Oprah Winfrey”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“In Philadelphia, the Pope told the story of the Pennsylvanian Saint Katharine Drexel, who had a private audience with Pope Leo XIII in 1887. She told him of the challenges faced by Native Americans and African Americans back home. She asked him to send Catholic missionaries to come help these people. The Pope asked her: “What about you? What are you going to do?” The question made her think about her own contribution to the Church, and she made a decision to change her life. She took her vows, founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and devoted her life to speaking out against racial injustice and helping and educating American Indians and African Americans. Saint Katharine Drexel was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. “What about you? What are you going to do?” The question goes deep. What can you and I do to make our communities better, more compassionate, kinder, and more caring? What can we each do to care for our common home?”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“So, if you’re feeling down, confused, or shaken, read the Prayer of Saint Francis. If you’re feeling elated, vindicated, or boastful, read the Prayer of Saint Francis. It’s withstood the test of time, because it works.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“But are chocolates, roses, jewelry, and big fancy dinners what love is really about? Really? Those things can certainly be part of the equation, but the kind of love I think everyone needs is the love that’s already all around us. It’s love that is patient, kind, supportive, gentle, and accepting. It’s about caring, listening, and being present. It’s about forgiveness and understanding. It’s when someone brings you a cup of coffee or orders you an iced tea before you arrive, just because they know you like it. It’s your friend sending you an article or a poem she likes. Or someone calling just to check in on you. I’m not saying I don’t like flowers or beautiful dinners, because I do. But like my friend, I’ve often missed acknowledging and experiencing the gift of love that already surrounds me in my life. Yes, what the world needs now is more love. But what each of us also needs now is to see and experience the real hardworking love that’s already there for us in our lives every single day. We need to see it, feel it, and recognize it for what it is: real love in real life.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Peace within leads to peace in your home, your community, and your country. When I was growing up, my father never let us belong to the country club near our home because, the club didn’t accept African Americans or Jews. He told us we couldn’t belong to a place that didn’t accept everyone. That has stuck with me my entire life. America’s story has been a place where people felt they could come and find belonging and acceptance. I’m a descendant of immigrants, and my children’s father is a first-generation immigrant. We all want to belong. We all want to be accepted. Recognizing that we share this desire can help us see our shared humanity.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“As Steve Jobs pointed out, life can either be limiting, safe, and secure or it can be wide open, creative, and sometimes scary.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Always say “Please” and “Thank you.” Stand up when an adult walks into the room. Hold the door for another person. No phones at the dinner table. Always introduce yourself, and if you have friends with you, introduce them as well. Look people in the eye when they talk to you. Thank all hosts and hostesses when you go to a party in their home. Bring a gift when you go to someone’s house—a candle, some flowers, maybe this book? And always, always write a handwritten thank-you note.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“What I Want to Bury in the New Year That critical voice in my head. It’s so judgmental, so inaccurate, so boring. I want to blow it out and bury it once and for all. My fear. I want to grab my fear by the you-know-what. It’s got no place in my life in this coming year. Time is running short, but fear keeps me running in place. I’m burying it. Comparisons. Even though I know that absolutely nothing good comes from making comparisons, I’m still making them, still comparing myself to someone else—my work to someone else’s, my accomplishments to someone else’s, my looks to someone else’s, my relationships to someone else’s, and on and on. Enough. No more. Control. I’m also letting this go. It doesn’t work anyway. I can’t control what people think, say, or do, so I’m getting out of that ridiculous business. What I Want to Bring into the New Year My gratitude practice. Every morning, I thank God for my faith, my family, my friends, and my health. I want to keep doing that. My meditation practice. I want to get better at this, because it makes me better at life. My mental and physical health. I want to really make them a priority by really setting aside time for both. They go together, and they both deserve regular attention and practice. My mission. I want to be bolder with my mission each year. My own personal mission is to play a role in getting to the bottom of this mystery surrounding Alzheimer’s disease: that two-thirds of all brains diagnosed with Alzheimer’s belong to women. That’s terrifying and unacceptable. I know I need help doing this, so I’m going to bury my ego and keep reaching out to ask for help, even when I’m told to go away. Staying at this mission could help millions of families. My voice. I also want to be bolder with my voice. I’m a journalist, but I’m also a citizen of this great country. I want to hear more positive, uplifting messages that can move us forward. Not just some of us. Not just women. Not just people of one color. All of us.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“The doorman, who was trying to grab my impatient and restless brother a cab, turned to him and said, “We have time here. Not like you in America. In America, you have no time, so you do not live.” This really made my brother stop (a huge feat, by the way), and that was the message he was sharing with me in his email. “You’re so busy, you leave no time to live. Make your time yours,” he wrote to me from halfway around the world.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“May we reassure ourselves that being a woman isn’t a liability. It’s an asset. Like any asset, you must invest in it, care for it, recognize its uniqueness, and nurture it forward.”
― Maria Shriver, I've been thinking; reflections, prayers, and meditations for a meaningful life

“No matter what your age, no matter what your income, no matter what life has thrown your way, your mind will be your best ally in moving you forward. And the truth is, it’s not selfish to spend time learning how to redirect your thoughts. It’s crucial if you want to live in your power, in your center, in your certainty.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Si hay luz en el alma, habrá belleza en la persona.
Si hay belleza en la persona, habrá armonía en la casa.
si hay armonía en la casa, habrá orden en la nación.
Si hay orden en la nación, habrá paz en el mundo."
Proverbio Chino.”
― María Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

“Dear God, thank you for unexpected gifts of love that are all around me. May I continue to stay open to finding them, seeing them, and letting them into my heart. Amen.”
― Maria Shriver, I've Been Thinking . . .: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life