Top 40 Rachel Macy Stafford Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “One day at a time – this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering. Ida Scott Taylor.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

2. “Because being fully present and active in the life of someone you love is the best gift anyone can offer.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

3. “Let love start this day. Let love end this day. Let love transform the minutes in between.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

4. “At least three times every day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

5. “Today you too are presented with a blank page. A beautifully flawed, memorable, and gratitude-filled life is at your fingertips. All you have to do is open your hands. And say yes. Say it loud enough for the world to hear. Or just say it loud enough for the people who matter most to hear.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

6. “You are never too far gone to come back. You are never too tarnished to be made new. You are never too broken to be made whole. It’s never too late to make changes. It’s never too late to begin again. It’s never too late to choose love.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

7. “Choosing connection over distraction offers a chance to nurture your most sacred relationships – now and in the future.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

8. “It is in the times I least want to be Hands Free that I most need to be Hands Free.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

9. “The most meaningful life experiences don’t happen in the “when,” they happen in the “now.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

10. “There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. Mahatma Gandhi.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

11. “Despite the choices of the past, today we are presented with a blank page. A beautifully flawed, yet memorable and gratitude-filled life is at our fingertips. But we must dig in – dig in to the gooey, heavenly mess that is life. When we make the choice to grasp what really matters, things often turn out better than expected. May you find a moment today to open your hands, say yes, and dig in.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

12. “Cherishing every moment until my child leaves home is not possible. After all, there are jobs to do, bills to pay, and deadlines to meet. There are school assignments, extracurricular activities, home duties, and volunteer duties. But there are moments in between life’s obligations when we are in the presence of our loved ones that can be made sacred.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

13. “So go on, extraordinary one. Live and let live. Love and be loved. Bloom in time – in your own time. Now I see you for who you really are. And you are a wonder.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

14. “Because it is in the moments that I choose what matters over distraction that I make lasting connections and create priceless memories with the people I love.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

15. “The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love. Jennifer Edwards.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

16. “Suddenly those little pockets of time that were so easily devoured in the name of productivity were viewed as opportunities to focus my undivided attention on what really mattered. Making it a daily practice to be fully present while in the company of loved ones meant the difference between intimately knowing and superficially knowing the people I love. It meant the difference between living each day catching glimpses of joy or just barely surviving each day without even a smile. Filling.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

17. “What would love do when hate-filled words and cliques build barriers that keep people out? Love would look for the lonely, excluded, and alienated. Love would reach out a hand and say, “Come as you are. There’s a place for you here.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

18. “Every second that you spend on doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself; is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It’s not like you have forever, so don’t waste any of your seconds, don’t throw even one of your moments away.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

19. “So let us begin right now. Let us feed our sparkle and light up our life.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

20. “No matter how personal the attack, it is about them – their insecurities.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

21. “In that moment I made a vow. No matter what happens around me, no matter what I feel I need to do, I will never be the first to let go.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

22. “I just want to celebrate you as you are instead of waiting for you to become what the world expects you to be.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

23. “What would love do? I ask myself as I look in the mirror and start picking myself apart. Love would look past the reflection and say, “Look how far I’ve come.” Love would say, “I’m grateful for another day.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

24. “What if you missed hearing the best part of your child’s day because you were on the phone? What if you missed a chance to inhale the sweet scent of your energetic child because you insisted on folding that basket of laundry before bedtime? What if you missed a chance to console your worried spouse because of your mile-long to-do list?”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

25. “It’s critical to see all you are rather than what’s missing, imperfect, unattractive, or broken. You see, there’s someone who looks at you and sees something he or she can hold on to. You’re a keeper.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

26. “You halved my pain and I halved yours: it’s together for each other that we find strength to ask, learn, and never fold up and disappear.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

27. “On this journey to grasp what really matters, discomfort often comes before growth; hurt before healing; regret before promise. By going to the darkest places in our soul, we find light. This first and most difficult step in the journey offers the chance of a new beginning – a chance to grasp the moments that matter from this day forward.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

28. “Let me consider the possibilities for a moment: What might result if love becomes my default choice today? What opportunities might open up? What connections might be repaired? What moments might I capture that otherwise might be missed? Who might I start becoming? Today I have the chance to make grand possibilities come to life. I will choose love as much as I humanly can.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

29. “Just be here, I thought to myself one night. Just be right where I am now, I vowed as I snuggled in close. Don’t think about the dishes piled in the sink, or the messages in the inbox, or the trash needing to go curbside, or the ache in your hip in need of an ice pack. Just think about the precious girl in need of a little time with her mom.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

30. “You have the power to pursue the passions of your heart without sacrificing your job or your daily responsibilities.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

31. “Nothing was more important than being with the God-given gift of the person in front of me.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

32. “When we see each other’s scars, we love each other more.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

33. “When there is love to be given, I will resist the impulse to decide if I have time, because I know there is always, always time for love.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

34. “Be an example of what it means to live presently, and continually verbalize the benefits you receive from living Hands Free.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

35. “It is not always possible for me to choose love in the midst of challenging situations, but I can definitely try to soften – soften my voice, my touch, my opinion, and my timetable.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

36. “I just want to hear you laugh. I don’t care about perfect pitch. I just want to see you smile. I don’t care about golden trophies that shine. I just want to give you a soft place to land. I don’t care about what place you come in. I just want you to be comfortable in your skin. I don’t care about the blemish on your nose or the size of your jeans. I just want to love you today, as you are. I don’t care about what the world expects you to be.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

37. “Simply let go of distraction for one moment. In that moment, you have the power to make a significant connection with another human being. You have the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

38. “You have the power to live in the now despite that inner nudge pushing you out of the moment toward perfection and productivity.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

39. “In what ways does your daily pace interfere with your ability to sit, relax, and be available to the ones you love?”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

40. “I am going to do things a little differently today. Today the clock will not run my life. My heart will run my life. When there is love to be given, I will resist the impulse to decide if I have time, because I know there is always, always time for love.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

41. “The only person who could protect my time was me.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

42. “Ban the mirror. It cannot reflect how much you are loved.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

43. “This journey is not about what happened yesterday; it is about the choices I make today.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

44. “Today I will set aside my insecurities and ask my spouse, child, parent, or loved one if I can hold them close. I will listen to their heartbeat, breathe in their scent, and tell them how much I love them. There will be obstacles and challenges that will interfere in carrying out these moments of connection, but I will not let the distractions of my life stop me from investing in what matters most – at least not today.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford

45. “A compassionate response holds saving power – power to save a bond, save a line of communication, save a person’s pride, save a moment, save a day, maybe even save a life.”

— Rachel Macy Stafford