Quotable Quotes: Change for 2013
by Miki Saxon
At the start of 2012 we considered the futility of New Year resolutions; this year I thought we’d look at change, since any resolution requires it.
According to Francis Bacon, “Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.”
Arnold Bennett said, “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”
Anatole France elaborated on that thought, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”
That said, it is still wise to heed the words of Ellen Glasgow, “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.”
Maya Angelou captured the idea of what to change in a nutshell when she said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
Wise words and very true, but as Leo Tolstoy points out, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
Change is a necessary part of growth, but I disagree with what Winston Churchill said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” No matter how much or how often you change you will never be perfect.
One more very important point—share your changes; as Lillian Hellman reminds us, “People change and forget to tell each other.”
In ending, and since the New Year is almost upon us, let me propose a toast, “Here’s to positive change in 2013.
Flickr image credit: Hakee Chang
