Do you have a favorite dialogue, lyric, quote or affirmation? Please share with us below.

Xing-Mai Deng | Cinematographer

Back in 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech at Stanford University. At the time, I was still a year away from going to college but I stumbled across the video recording of that speech on iTunes. Towards the end of his speech, Jobs quoted his favorite publication in the mid-1970’s, ‘The Whole Earth Catalog’, the small text beneath the photograph on the back cover of the final issue. He said, ‘Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.’ Now I can’t even fully recall the 3 life stories Jobs told at the commencement but ‘Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish’ has stayed with me. All these years, I have kept reminding myself that I have never learned enough, nor tried enough; and to keep going after what I want no matter what. Filmmaking is a very tough business. It requires determinations, perseverance, humbleness, and patience to move forward. Read more>>

Marijo Louise Badillo | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” – Chuck Palahniuk I’ve loved that quote for over a decade now, so much that it was the quote I stuck on my freshman dorm room wall, and is the quote that continues to inspire me to this day. I always knew I wanted to pursue something in the arts since I was young. When I started to edit and take photographs, I did so with the head space that: 1. I had to be inspired by my work for me to fall in love with it, 2. when people look at my photos, they feel something. In a sense, that quote always made me feel wholesome and it always reminded me not settle on work that is just “okay” to me. If I continue to produce work that I love and that makes me feel, then I know that someone, somewhere, in some time, will feel it too when they see it. Read more>>

Carl Jablonski | Retired Cost Control, Show and Ride Estimator For International Theme Park Developments

In my 40 years in the business of show I worked side-by-side with several of the top industry executives in entertainment. Although there are a few quotes that I took away from these experiences, the one I used quite a bit over my career came from Mickey Steinberg, an executive with Disney Imagineering and whom I met as Chief Show and Ride Estimator for the Disneyland Paris project. Mickey used a short story to get at conflict in meetings where tensions were at play. He would say while pointing at the two parties; There is your truth and there is your truth! What we are going to get to today is the truth – right here in the middle” – using a hand gesture to demonstrate the middle space between the two parties! It worked the first time I witnessed it and I used it successfully throughout my career! Thanks Mickey. Read more>>

Joey Krulock | Filmmaker

My favorite quote is from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” I first heard this quote from my acting teacher who pointed that rain is “good” for the farmer but “bad” for the wedding party. This notion inspired me to let go of trying to control everything and instead ride the wave of life, taking everything life gives you with a positive outlook. The quote gets me through situations which I would otherwise find very difficult or stressful. Who determines what a failure is anyway? Who determines what success is? I do. The individual does. Funny enough, as I answer these questions, a small voice inside my head whispers, “That is not the right answer…that sounds dumb.” I acknowledge those thoughts but I don’t act upon them because I do believe there is no good or bad. This concept is so important to me as a filmmaker because it allows me to fully express myself creatively. When that voice creeps in, I do not let it control me. Read more>>

Jesse Bergen | Frontman of Diabology

‘Split your lungs with blood and thunder when you see the white whale! Break you backs and crack your ores men, if you wish to prevail!” Those are some of my favorite lyrics from one of my favorite bands, Mastodon, and I frequently use them as an affirmation. To me, the “white whale” represents a final goal. For me, that would be success with my band. Working on the band can be frustrating and tedious at times, but anytime I feel like faltering or giving up, I think about that kind of sea splitting, bullheaded determinism that these lyrics convey, and it motivates me to keep going. I’m not going to stop until I catch that white whale. Read more>>

Mikey Zeller | Visual Creative & Fine Art Painter

Creativity is so intangible. Sometimes ideas flow like the salmon of Capistrano and other times they leak out drip by drip like an old faucet. A favorite affirmation that I’ve grown to live by is to allow space in my creative process for the unexpected. Just start, and as long as I do that I can trust that the rest will come. A long time ago when I started in abstract and mixed media art, I learned that layers are my best friend. That no matter how much time I spent thinking strategically about every move I could make on the canvas, it was often the tiny details – impossible to predict or pre-conceptualize – that I liked the most. Like, how did this color blend with that color? And over that text in the paper that I happened to glue down first?! I couldn’t have planned it if I tried. You don’t have to have all of the answers up front, but rather the courage to be vulnerable and explore. It’s as much about letting go as it is about being in control that results in the work I’m the most proud of. Read more>>

Dustin Wolf | Dancer / Choreographer

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde. From social media to simply walking down the street, we are constantly exposed to content wherever we go. It affects and influences us behaviourally, emotionally and creatively whether you realize it or not. We live in a day and age of consumerism, comparison, and competition, which is why it is so easy to get lost in the very system that we created. As professional dancers we are very self critical and constantly comparing ourselves to others. We often forget that there is something intangible and special in all of us… no matter your profession – this is valid for everyone! There is only one of you, might as well embrace it. What makes you unique is something to celebrate. The more you can turn off the voice in your head that puts your focus on everything you are not, and redirect it to everything you are, the more momentum you will bring to your life. Next time you are taking a class, auditioning or watching a dancer on Instagram, rather than comparing, be inspired. Read more>>

Malik Bannister | Choreographer, Host, Actor

There are several quotes I keep close to me, here are 3. 1. Dance is life because it’s movement through the vessel in which life is lived. – a quote for a college dance teacher 2……….. It’s TIME. – An ever present answer to life’s biggest questions. It’s always time, always has been. 3. If your going to be stupid, be all the way stupid. — don’t half ass anything, you might as well stick your ENTIRE neck out for your cause. Read more>>

Adriana Najera | Ceo & Founder ACN PR

What is for you, won’t go past you. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and what is meant for you, will be for you. #Manifestation. Read more>>

Marza Panther | Musician

I love quotes, and I have two actually that I often post on my various social profiles. The first is: “In time of care and sorrow, (music) will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” This was said by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who participated in a resistance movement against the Nazis and was ultimately executed for plotting to overthrow Hitler. Music has definitely “kept a fountain of joy alive” within me through times of “care and sorrow”, and I relate with that so much. I grew up in an abusive religious group that was a lot like Heaven’s Gate. Most forms of personal expression were outlawed, but since I had to play the cello for school, somehow my transgression was overlooked. So I’d spend a lot of days at the cult compound secretly practicing the cello at 7, 8, 9 years old, and feeling like it was my salvation, just the way the vibrations rippled through my body. I really understood that sound itself could be a healing mechanism, a way to stay sane. And I still feel that way today. Read more>>

Brandon Miranda | Music Producer and Music Career Coach

I ran into this quote from James Clear’s newsletter (Atomic Habits) “The challenge for anyone interested in making progress is to simultaneously have (1) the confidence to go after what you want and (2) the humility to accept who you are right now and (3) the willingness to build skills that bridge the gap between 1 and 2.” Building my business and my skills has come from retaining my student mindset. I once asked myself how do the great producers and engineers in the music industry develop mastery – what I uncovered is that each one is obsessively dedicated to the learning process. They never settle where they are and continuously test, experiment and refine their processes. It’s this mindset that has unlocked the doors to the growth of my business and the actualization of my dreams as an entrepreneur. Every moment, whether difficult or sweet, becomes a support to my expansion as a professional. Read more>>

Jordan Cann | Actor, Martial Artist, and Filmmaker

My favorite quote that I have for myself is, “Surrender to Your Passion”. As easy as it sounds it is not the easiest thing to do. Passion doesn’t exactly put loads of money in your pocket…. At first. Your passion may not even make money, but your passion will lead you to some of your life’s purpose and give your some type of fulfillment in this world that is constantly applying pressure to your existence. Your passion can introduce you wonderful and new relationships. Your passion can help other people find themselves and their passion. Your passion can set you aside from the pack. What are you good at? What comes to you naturally? What harmless activity brings you inner joy? That is your passion. That is what you must seek. That is what you must live out. Read more>>

Team VENIA | Creative Adventurers & Storytellers

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb Fashion celebrates the self, and inspires individuals to explore or enhance their own lives. What we love about this quote is that even though fashion can please the individual, it ultimately brings together like-minded people and allows them to share a space together. To us, Fashion is Community as much as it is Self-expression. In addition, the fashion industry is not a one-man-band. Many people must pull their efforts together to make even something as simple as a t-shirt. At VENIA, our Team is our core. We understand the value of growing a single potentiality, as well as nourishing a strong team mindset. Our unique team is comprised of designers, operators, scientists and engineers. Together, we influence a unique product that is meticulously designed and sustainably manufactured. Read more>>

Jainishia Njie Savage | Ceo + Founder of Love and Happiness,LLC

“Love unconditionally, You’ll find happiness”. -JaiNishia When you pursue unconditional love, you find pure happiness. When you break down all of the material things, that’s the only thing we leave this An eternal world with, so why haven’t we put more acknowledgment around cultivating more of what makes us happy. Read more>>

Kamrin Lewis | Photographer & Director

In 2013 before I left for the army someone told me to “Get comfortable being uncomfortable” and since then that is my life’s mantra. It has gotten me through 4 years of the army and through deciding to leaving nursing school to pursue my dreams of becoming a full time photographer. To me it means don’t get complacent and never stop evolving. Once you’re ok with being in uncomfortable situations and embrace change, there is nothing that can stop your growth. Living by that mantra has helped me make business decisions that I wouldn’t have before like signing a 5 year lease on a new studio. It’s made me ok with taking risks in order to level up. Read more>>

Tosin Aribisala | Performing Artist (music)

When I moved to the United States in 2001, I met an old woman that said to me: “Make a name for yourself.” That was one of the best piece of advice I ever received from anyone. It grew deeper in me, and it has always propelled me to hold on to my dreams of self-redefinition. That line also helps me to handle all of my projects and businesses with high degree of integrity, knowing I have something of value to offer the world when it comes to art and music. Read more>>

Diana Carter | Publicist, Manager, Producer

Making the Impossible. Possible This is a very powerful quote. It reminds you that everything is possible in life. That there is not such thing as an impossible. It is also a reminder of what do you need to do or know to make anything possible. It is a quote that elevates your spirit while making you think of the courses of actions you must put in place to succeed. Read more>>

Osiris Sielatshom | Recording Artist, Songwriter, Producer. My Stage Name is Veetchy

“You will not have what you don’t have the courage to demand, nor the will to bring into existence” I go by the quote as motivation all the time because it speaks for itself. Nothing in this life but death is promised. Success is neither promised nor assured so in order for us to attain whatever level of success we seek, we have to be able to go and get it, and if those opportunities are not given to us, we have to have the will to create them for ourselves. Read more>>

Aaron Polsky | Founder of LiveWire

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool” … Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” —Steve Jobs, 2005 This is a quote that I find myself coming back to once every year or 6 months. There have been points during the trajectory of LiveWire when I experienced self-doubt—raising money, announcing the project to the world, even approaching certain bar owners to pick up our product. Every time I have this doubt (I visualize this as Morpheus trying to jump from one rooftop to another), I think back to this quote. We’re all gonna die, and we all gotta do our best to put bread on the table, so we need to stop worrying about what other people think and start doing what we know is right. Read more>>

Lital Feldman | Parent Educator, Founder and Owner of Life Parenting

During my Parent Education courses, I came across the quote “Everything can always be different” by Dr. Alfred Adler. It has stuck with me as a reminder that there is always hope and that what I do and how I react to others is my choice. It comes up frequently in my conversations with parents that it really is up to us to decide how we behave, teach our children and interpret different behaviors and experiences. As parents, we all had the thought at least once that things are getting out of control, that we are not the parents we wanted to be or that we are not good enough. Adler’s quote reminds me that it is never too late to change. We can make different choices, and we can learn to become better parents. Read more>>

Elisa Rossi | Visual Artist

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. C.G. Jung This quote marked a turning point in my life. I felt compelled since the moment I came across it to embrace the inner search and the digging through the layers within myself. That process has been the main drive and propelling force sustaining my art practice. Read more>>

Mel Rosenstock | Health & Life Coach

“Happiness isn’t getting what you want. It’s wanting what you already have.” – Anonymous To me it means that happiness is a choice we make, day in and day out. So often we are living in the future, and setting parameters that we’ll be happy when this happens or when that happens, and we miss out on the living that is right here and now. We all think we want the next best thing, be it a better job, more money, the perfect relationship, etc., and in so doing, we are dismissing what we already have, and not appreciating all the goodness there is now. I love that it puts me in the driver seat of my happiness, and I am not subject to anyone else’s definition of it. I also love that it centers me to be grateful for what I do have and by appreciating it, that in and of itself, will bring me more goodness and more happiness. This quote holds the key. Read more>>