Gretchen Rubin Quotes

Becoming a mom forced me to re-prioritize and make room for the things that are most important, while recognizing that there are things I can let go of, and the world won't crumble around me.

If anything gets in the way of me being a good mom or wife, I simply say no.

Sometimes I'm a bit under-aggressive and sometimes a bit over. But I think it's good to have both.

Sometimes compromise is important. Sometimes it's better to give in to someone else's wishes in order to have fun as a group or as a couple, or for the benefit of the team. Sometimes compromise is dangerous. We need to guard against compromising our standards to gain the approval or love of someone else. Decide when you can, and when you cannot, compromise. If it's not harmful and you are ambivalent about a decision, then compromise. If it could lead to breaking your values, compromise isn't a good idea.

You have to stick to your guns and still know when to be flexible. That's something I've had to learn-which battles to fight.

I think having eight kids evens things out a bit. You learn about the world; you learn about the world; you learn you've got to get along. We're all - if anything - very adjustable.

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

There's always a fine line between being too focused and missing opportunities, or being too wide and taking on too many.

You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and you have to know when to be soft.

Do not be too hard, lest you be broken; do not be too soft, lest you be squeezed.

I've let a lot of my type A personality go. When you have a kid, the messiness doesn't matter anymore.

President Bush should learn to focus on the shades of grey

I've never believed in seeking perfection at the risk of losing everything.

Intuitive versus analytical? That's a foolish choice. It's foolish, just like trying to choose between being realistic or idealistic. You need both in life.

I think that anything in life is about the middle ground.

You can't juggle it all 100 percent. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to do everything.

I like to be an optimist, but I like to be a realist, too.

'No' is a dynamic that you've got to master before you can ever master 'yes.'

There has to be a very good balance between being aggressive and then being able to defend as well.

I stay close to my identity - that's something I find important - but I don't completely shut myself off from the outside world.

We don't always know exactly what we're doing as parents. Children don't come with instruction manuals, as the saying goes. So it's important to me that I always question the choices I'm making as a father, to really stay alert and open to the balance between being too hard or too soft.

Can I be blunt? Yes. Can I be diplomatic? Yes. Can I concoct a mixture of vinegar and honey when the circumstances warrant? Yes.

There's no such thing as a perfect play. Sometimes you have to protect the life of the play.

The Yesees said yes to anything That anyone suggested. The Noees said no to everything Unless it was proven and tested. So the Yesees all died of much too much And the Noees all died of fright, But somehow I think the Thinkforyourselfees All came out all right.

I tend to not speak up as much, so saying no is rather difficult for me. The biggest step of being an adult is saying, "This is what I do like. This is what I don't like." Being yourself means certain people aren't going to like that. I'm still figuring it out and taking things day by day.