October 11 marks the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt. Today she would be 132 years old (born October 11, 1884).
Eleanor Roosevelt was an American writer and First Lady of the United States. In addition, she was the “First Lady” to have both a syndicated column and a radio commentary program. Due to her work in 1947–1948 on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — the first International Bill of Rights — many consider her to be the “First Lady of the World.”
While I am not sure exactly what words she would say today, here are some of my favorite quotations on a number of topics that are eternally relevant:
Believe:
It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Courage:
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…You must to the thing you cannot do.
What we need in the world is manners…I think that if, instead of preaching brotherly love, we preached good manners, we might get a little further. It sounds less righteous and more practical.
Happiness:
A little simplification would be the first step to rational living, I think.
Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived.
Lessons:
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.
One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.
Possibility
You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Strength:
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
A woman is like a tea bag: you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.
Wisdom:
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.
If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault.
Work:
It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.
What could we accomplish is we knew we could not fail?
Eleanor Roosevelt not only served as an inspiration during her life but her words and actions also serve as an inspiration today.
Originally published at medium.com