Thomas Friedman Quotes

People change when they tell themselves they have to change. People do not change when you tell them they have to change.

Every day you have to reinvent yourself

Changing your nature is the hardest thing to do. But I discovered that you can be who you choose to be.

There is no other way to change something or someone for the better except to occupy it first. The only person you can occupy is yourself. That is why the only person who can change you for the better is you. Without your decision to change and your commitment to change, you will not change.

I learnt one thing in the past or in my life: the only person you can change is yourself, and it has to come from within.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

I came to office with one deliberate intent: to change Britain from a dependent to a self-reliant society — from a give-it-to-me, to a do-it-yourself nation. A get-up-and-go, instead of a sit-back-and-wait-for-it Britain.

Most actions derive not from your own initiative but from your family circumstances, your education, your calling, and so on. You must therefore give up a little time to performing actions which derive from yourself alone. They need not be important; quite insignificant actions fulfill the same purpose.

None will improve your lot If you yourself do not.

For things to change, you have to change. For things to be different, you have to be different. Before financial success can occur personal growth must occur.

You must take action yourself, for Buddhas only teach the way.

Nothing save divine power is capable of doing so much for man as he can for himself.

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.

When you don't have people in your life pushing you, can you push yourself?

The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual.

The strongest principle of growth lies in the human choice.

I've always been my own hitting coach.

If your inner life is not producing what you would like on the outside, don't be discouraged... just be willing to change.

Change is always preceded by a little pain. Some people can change and they don't have to go through so many painful things. But I think that I'm of a personality that I'm a little stubborn, so it's tough for me.

I want to do it because I want to do it.

I've learned that you have to take responsibility for yourself in this game and lead yourself through it.

The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be.

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.

You may not seem able to change some outer circumstances but you can start by changing your inner experience of life and yourself.

I should have been trying to build a career, rather than leaving it in the hands of somebody else.