T. D. Jakes Quotes

Keep your life in a positive perspective. We are not defined by our pasts

I learned that what happened to me did not have to define who I was. My past could not control my future unless I allowed it to.

You are not defined by your past. You are prepared by your past.

Everything that happens helps you grow, even if its hard to see right now.

Do not forget: seek to win all your battles, including those you fight against yourself. Do not fear the scars. Do not be afraid of victory.

You do not need to let anything get you down, but if you are down you certainly need not let anything keep you down.

At last, the answer why. The lesson that had been so hard to find, so difficult to learn, came quick and clear and simple. The reason for problems is to overcome them. Why, that’s the very nature of man, I thought, to press past limits, to prove his freedom. It isn’t the challenge that faces us, that determines who we are and what we are becoming, but the way we meet the challenge, whether we toss a match at the wreck or work our way through it, step by step, to freedom.

You are not the product of your circumstances. You are a composite of all the things you believe, and all the places you believe you can go. Your past does not define you. You can step out of your history and create a new day for yourself. Even if the entire culture is saying, "You can't." Even if every single possible bad thing that can happen to you does. You can keep going forward.

We're never gonna move forward if we can't let go of things, especially things that don't happen to people today.

When people feel that they have failed, it's usually because somebody or something caused them to feel that way and taste defeat. I refuse to dwell on that. Yes, it sucks at first, and the feeling is valid, but it all happens for a reason.

The first step is to fill your life with positive faith that will help you through anything. The second step is to start where you are.

I understand that suffering, when it cannot be avoided, is here to help me on my way to my dreams

I learned, when hit by loss, to ask the right question: "What next?" instead of "Why me?" . . . Whenever I am willing to ask "What is necessary next?" I have moved ahead. Whenever I have taken no for a final answer I have stalled and gotten stuck.

Let me realize that my past failures at follow-through are no indication of my future performance. They're just healthy little fires that are gonna warm up my ass

You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.

Put one dumb foot in front of the other and course-correct as you go.

I really believe that our past can really hold us back from growth, so the best thing that we can do is MOVE ON and NOT DWELL.

I am not a rodeo clown, like, "Everything is awesome!" I really worked hard on myself and things and struggled to get to a good place, to a better place.

Don't use the hardships of your past as excuses to deny the possibilities of your future.

With training and self discipline; clear focus and confidence; problems can be overcome and even lead to unexpected gains

We’ve all seen the same situation happen to two people. One looks for the lesson, sets their shoulders back and presses on while the other asks ‘why does it always happen to me?’ You can choose not to sit on the fence. You can choose not to criticise. You must stand as guard at the door of your own mind and choose to be positive.

The process of life is ever unfolding, guiding you, pushing you, preparing you for the next part of the process. Difficult challenges, bad days, upset feelings, moments of confusion are part of life's process. Perhaps these things are there to keep us alert, to make us stronger, or to test our resolve to keep moving forward.

And all the things that break you are all the things that make you strong. You can't change the past 'Cause it's gone, and you just gotta move on.

Learn to recognize and combat the enemies of potential.