Marilynne Robinson Quotes

I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.

You have perspective when little people come into your life. You take the best things you have and let them overshadow your disappointment.

I don't believe in mistakes. Everything belongs, and, as the homies say, 'It's all good.'

Look at my life. I ain't got nothing to be mad about.

You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.

Even if we can't be happy, we must always be cheerful.

Health is the greatest of blessings - with health and hope we should be content to live.

we find that the optimists have an undeniable advantage over the pessimists. Many studies show that they do better on exams, in their chosen profession, and in their relationships, live longer and in better health, enjoy a better chance of surviving postoperative shock, and are less prone to depression and suicide.

You cannot control all of what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward all of what happens to you...You can choose to be happy and grateful rather than disappointed and bitter, by focusing on how it could have turned out worse but didn't, rather than how it could have turned out better but didn't.

If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly things, but that even when things go badly for me I shall still find life good and worth living.

It's hard to tell our good luck sometimes. Hard to tell sometimes for many years to come. And most of us have wept copious tears over someone or something, when if we'd understood the situation better, we might have celebrated our good fortune insteadOne can never change the past, only the hold it has on you and while nothing in your life is reversible, you can reverse it nevertheless.

I just take it as it comes, and if I'm not offered something, there's always a reason, and usually it's a pretty good one. I'm not worried about it. You know, I've had an incredible career, and I'm blessed.

I have no regrets. I've got my health.

There are people worse off than me. I've had a very long run. I'm fine really. I'm just old.

Look, even bad years are pretty good years I think.

If you're going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now.

It is more fitting for a man to laugh at life than to lament over it.

Life stinks, but that doesn't mean you don't enjoy it.

If you start out with a tragic view of life, then anything since is just a bonus.

Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don't go well.

I couldn't have children, so that's the bad side. But compared to everything else I have, it's not all that terribly bad. I count my winners rather than my losers.

It is no use to grumble and complain; It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice; When God sorts out the weather and sends rain - Why, rain's my choice.

I am a positive person. I am not cynical. If you are born in this world, no matter who you are, negative things will happen. If you aren't positive as a person, you'll be very unhappy. It's extremely important to be positive, to laugh, to be happy, to accept life as it comes.

Look, I haven't had hardly any bad luck. I never look at it that way.

I've been grateful for what comes along.