I think it’s true that the more people speak, the less others listen. Unless we are particularly focused on what a person has to say, our attention span can be alarmingly limited. As a writer, I am constantly challenged to make my writing interesting without getting too wordy. When Fr. Michael Mitchell was appointed pastor of St. Lawrence Parish in Santa Clara back in the mid-1980s, he shared his philosophy of homilies with the parish community on his first Sunday with us: “Be brief, be witty, and be gone.” Seven simple words. In the years that followed, that phrase would accurately describe his reflections on the readings of the day. He was one of the best homilists I’ve encountered in my life. His three- to five-minute reflection on the Scriptures each Sunday was always worthy of my attention.

While much has been written by philosophers about various aspects of life and living, less voluminous, yet valuable, pearls of wisdom are available to us in more manageable seven-word quotes. Here are 25 such quotes worthy of our consideration.

1
“The best way out is always through.”
Robert Frost

2
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Theodore Roosevelt

3
“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”
George Lucas

4
“Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
Oprah

5
“Fall seven times, but stand up eight.”
Japanese Proverb

6
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”
Oscar Wilde

7
“Begin each day with a grateful heart.”
Brother David Steindl-Rast

8
“There is no beauty without some strangeness.”
Edgar Allan Poe

9
“The greatest pleasure of life is love.”
Euripides

10
“Adjust your focus when life gets blurry.”
Syeda Faiza

11
“Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
Leonardo Da Vinci

12
“Life is an opportunity; benefit from it..”
Mother Teresa

13
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
Buddha

14
“Happiness is a direction, not a place.”
Sydney J. Harris

15
“Every sunset is an opportunity to reset.”
Richie Norton

16
“The sea cures all ailments of man.”
Plato

17
“Seize the day, then let it go.”
Marty Rubin

18
“You are enough just as you are.”
Meghan Markle

19
“Today is the only day; yesterday’s gone.”
John Wooden

20
“The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
Maya Angelou

21
“Kind words cost little, but accomplish much.”
Hal Urban

22

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
Abraham Lincoln

23
“You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Tom Hanks

24
“Having a smart brain is not enough.”
Dalai Lama

25
“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.”
Bishop Desmond Tutu

Seven words worth pondering. Seven words worth sharing. Just seven words… I took a quick look through my first book, A Moment’s Pause for Gratitude, and found that I had included this seven-word gem: “Everything we experience happens for a reason.” Simple. Profound. True.

I invite you to consider, and share, YOUR seven words of wisdom.