We asked the community to share their favorite quotes and affirmations with us. Check some of those out below.

Nicole Martinez | Artist and Educator

I have a few quotes that I I go to for inspiration. The first one is from Jack Welch the former CEO of GE. This one I learned about when I got my first degree in Business Management. “Control your destiny or someone else will.” When I was 24 I found out I was pregnant. I was making $13 an hour as a vitamin clerk for what is now Sprouts which, as a single mom in San Diego, is very little. I knew the decision to keep my son was going to mean a drastic change. I had to worry about supporting another being and this child would rely solely on me. I learned about a new program to continue my education through University of Phoenix and worked very hard while pregnant and raising a baby to attain a degree in Business Management. Read more>>

Aria Elan | Writer, Singer & Attorney

I’m honored to be interviewed and hope my words will uplift and encourage all who read them. My favorite quote “What you do to Earth, you do to you” is from a song I wrote titled “Free Mama Earth.” All life on our planet is interconnected. We are one. Burning, drilling, spilling oil; buying, wearing, disposing of “fast fashion;” corporate slaughter factories filled with diseased, antibiotic resistant animals; destroying the Amazon rainforests, and a host of other human activities, cause harmful CO2 emissions and the climate crisis. As an artist/activist, I do something everyday, no matter how small, to help save our environment and ourselves. Sometimes I feel like the little bird carrying a beak filled with water and dropping it on a wildfire. Read more>>

Roman St. John | Author

President Calvin Coolidge once said: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” Rarely has a quote resonated with me as much as this one does. I live and breathe by it. I believe that persistence and determination are the most important ingredients to success. If you have talent but no ambition or drive, you aren’t going to put in the work necessary to achieve success. Talent combined with a relentless dedication to your craft as a creative is the only way to assure yourself the best chance at using your talents to make a positive difference in the world. Read more>>

Elizabeth Kahn | Singer and Songwriter

I love the quote, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken” from Oscar Wilde. When I first heard this quote, it stuck with me right away. It’s short and sweet, but to the point and incredibly insightful. We are all unique people and it allows us to not compare each other to one another and to be confident and content in our own skin. I think that is such a healthy outlook on life. I have always walked ‘to the beat of my own drum’ in life. It reminds me that I do not need to mimic what others are doing or to feel lesser because I’m choosing a different path. It reminds me that I am wonderful just the way that I am. Being an independent artist and having full discretion to make my art exactly the way that I want to is the most freeing feeling ever. Read more>>

Pei Ou | Artist&Painter

“The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for,” a quote by Joseph Campbell, holds profound meaning for me. It was as if a serendipitous moment had orchestrated the reading of these words, ringing a resounding alarm in my ears. This quote serves as a powerful reminder that our greatest opportunities and transformative experiences often lie hidden in the places we fear the most. Just like a cave, initially shrouded in darkness and uncertainty, our deepest desires, growth, and fulfillment can be found within the challenges and uncertainties we tend to avoid. It’s a call to embrace our fears, venture into the unknown, and discover the treasures that await us in the depths of our own apprehensions. Read more>>

Myka Cue | Actor, Producer & Theatremaker

One of my favorite quotes is from a letter to Agnes de Mille from Martha Graham: “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique… It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable it is nor how it compares with other expressions… It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” Remembering this quote has oftentimes helped me silence the little inner critic on my shoulder. It reminds me to judge less, and focus more on the joy of creating; and to have confidence in what I’m able to offer as an artist and human. Read more>>

Delbar Azari | Visual Artist

My favorite quote is by Dalai Lama : “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” Starting as an emerging artist could be daunting; What else can one contribute to the art world, that the famous masters of the past and accomplished contemporary artists have not done already? Whenever I have a hard day and pessimism tries to take over, I remind myself of this quote, treat myself to my favorite snack, get a good night sleep, and continue on afresh the next day. Read more>>

Erika Marks | Actor

“You don’t have to do anything” – Robert Di Niro Where I went to college, In Madison, Wisconsin, the opportunity for film training was fairly minimal. My junior year, I was taking a film acting class being led by my advisor with only two other students. The Harry Potter-esque room we were studying in could not, under any circumstances be considered a classroom, which somehow only made us want to be there more. One lesson, we were discussing the awareness an actor has to have about framing and my professor pulled up the clip of Robert Di Niro being shaved in The Untouchables (1987). It is mostly an overhead shot with Di Niro framed center with very few cut aways. We study how he plays every corner of the screen, gesturing all around his framing, never going out, and embodying a flawless Capone. Read more>>

Seay | Musician, Vocalist, Educator,

When I was younger, my father used to tell me “Carpe Diem” which means “Seize The Day”, through out my life he would say that and remind me of it, maybe to take risks, to feel the apprehension and do it anyway.. My mother also would say to me “Choose” …. “You can always choose again”. I grateful for these wise words from my parents who helped me to grow and take some risks, make choices and take chances in life. Read more>>