Top 100 Richard Carlson Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “It’s the recognition that other people’s problems, their pain and frustrations, are every bit as real as our own – often far worse. In recognizing this fact and trying to offer some assistance, we open our hearts and greatly enhance our sense of gratitude.”

— Richard Carlson

52. “Now is the only time we have, and the only time we have any control over.”

— Richard Carlson

53. “Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties.”

— Richard Carlson

54. “Ironically, when you surrender your need to hog the glory, the attention you used to need from other people is replaced by a quiet inner confidence that is derived from letting others have it.”

— Richard Carlson

55. “The sooner we accept the inevitable dilemma of not being able to win the approval of everyone we meet, the easier our lives will become.”

— Richard Carlson

56. “Even though we often mess up, most of us are doing the best that we know how with the circumstances that surround us.”

— Richard Carlson

57. “Compassion is something you can develop with practice. It involves two things: intention and action.”

— Richard Carlson

58. “One of the cardinal rules of joyful living is that judging others takes a great deal of energy and, without exception, pulls you away from where you want to be.”

— Richard Carlson

59. “Trust your intuitive heart. How often have you said to yourself, after the fact, “I knew I should have done that”? How often do you intuitively know something but allow yourself to think yourself out of it?”

— Richard Carlson

60. “When you allow yourself to be bored, it takes an enormous amount of pressure off you to be performing and doing something every second of every day. Now, when either of my two children says to me, “Daddy, I’m bored,” I respond by saying, “Great, be bored for a while. It’s good for you.” Once I say this, they always give up on the idea of me solving their problem.”

— Richard Carlson

61. “The fact that we can’t see the beauty in something doesn’t suggest that it’s not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully enough or with a broad enough perspective to see it.”

— Richard Carlson

62. “I used to be the type of person who would jump in and try to solve a problem without being asked. Not only did my efforts prove fruitless, they were also almost always unappreciated, and sometimes even resented.”

— Richard Carlson

63. “We deny the parts of ourselves that we deem unacceptable rather than accepting the fact that we’re all less than perfect.”

— Richard Carlson

64. “You’ll also notice that, as you reach out and let others be “right,” they will become less defensive and more loving toward you.”

— Richard Carlson

65. “Remember, when you die, there will still be unfinished business to take care of. And you know what? Someone else will do it for you! Don’t waste any more precious moments of your life regretting the inevitable.”

— Richard Carlson

66. “We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do little things with great love.”

— Richard Carlson

67. “The more patient you are, the more accepting you will be of what is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as you would like it to be.”

— Richard Carlson

68. “Love your plant whether it blooms or not, whether it lives or dies.”

— Richard Carlson

69. “Inner peace is accomplished by understanding and accepting the inevitable contradictions of life – the pain and pleasure, success and failure, joy and sorrow, births and deaths. Problems can teach us to be gracious, humble, and patient.”

— Richard Carlson

70. “One of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself is, “Do I want to be ‘right’ – or do I want to be happy?” Many times, the two are mutually exclusive!”

— Richard Carlson

71. “Often a single act of kindness sets a series of kind acts in motion.”

— Richard Carlson

72. “I am certain that a quiet mind is the foundation of inner peace. And inner peace translates into outer peace.”

— Richard Carlson

73. “This is pretty simple stuff. But the truth is, the reality of making money and wise decisions isn’t very complicated. However, not many people understand the importance of a don’t-worry attitude. If you do, you’re one step ahead of the game.”

— Richard Carlson

74. “Try to maintain the perspective that, in time, everything disintegrates and returns to its initial form.”

— Richard Carlson

75. “A low mood is not the time to analyze your life. To do so is emotional suicide.”

— Richard Carlson

76. “If you want your life to stand for peace and kindness, it’s helpful to do kind, peaceful things.”

— Richard Carlson

77. “You don’t need to change your core beliefs or your deepest held positions. All you’re doing is expanding your mind and opening your heart to new ideas.”

— Richard Carlson

78. “It is in our lowest moods, when we are least equipped to do so, that we are tempted to try to solve problems or resolve issues with others.”

— Richard Carlson

79. “No one has the right to force you to violate your own privacy.”

— Richard Carlson

80. “Admit that you’re wrong- or that you’ve made a mistake.”

— Richard Carlson

81. “If we all based our love on our children’s behavior, it would often be difficult to love them at all. If love were based purely on behavior, then perhaps none of us would ever have been loved as a teenager!”

— Richard Carlson

82. “Most of us spend too much time wishing that people would be other than they are.”

— Richard Carlson

83. “If you do, there will come a day when you’ll rarely feel the need to do battle at all.”

— Richard Carlson

84. “100: Live This Day as if It Were Your Last.”

— Richard Carlson

85. “It seems that we have it backward in our society. We tend to look up to people who are under a great deal of stress, who can handle loads of stress, and those who are under a great deal of pressure.”

— Richard Carlson

86. “Many people spend their entire lifetimes wishing that other people would acknowledge them. They feel this especially about their parents, spouses, children, and friends.”

— Richard Carlson

87. “Although airing your grievances with others may help you feel less alone and on rare occasions gets you good advice, more often than not it keeps you stuck in a bad mood.”

— Richard Carlson

88. “It’s always a good idea to ask yourself, Where is this decision likely to lead? When you do, you can avoid many hassles and mistakes that are otherwise inevitable. By asking this simple question, you can keep your energy directed in areas that will serve you and others well.”

— Richard Carlson

89. “Patience adds a dimension of ease and acceptance to your life.”

— Richard Carlson

90. “Rather than stumbling and fighting against their negative feelings, they are graceful in their acceptance of them.”

— Richard Carlson

91. “Success originates in the mind and translates into the material world.”

— Richard Carlson

92. “Your thoughts always create your emotions. Understanding the significance of this fact is the first step in escaping from unhappiness and depression.”

— Richard Carlson

93. “Mental health has commonly been called conscience, instinct, wisdom, common sense, or the inner voice. We.”

— Richard Carlson

94. “Rather than diluting the positive feelings by telling others about your own kindness, by keeping it to yourself you get to retain all the positive feelings.”

— Richard Carlson

95. “Fear is the single most self-defeating emotion in our lives.”

— Richard Carlson

96. “My best friend, Benjamin Shield, taught me this valuable lesson. Often our inner struggles come from our tendency to jump on board someone else’s problem; someone throws you a concern and you assume you must catch it, and respond.”

— Richard Carlson

97. “While most of us wouldn’t write ourselves a nasty letter, read it, and then feel offended, this is precisely what we do with regard to our thinking. We.”

— Richard Carlson

98. “While eating dessert, we ponder what we should do afterward. After that evening, it’s “What should we do this weekend?” After we’ve been out, we walk into the house and immediately turn on the television, pick up the phone, open a book, or start cleaning. It’s almost as though we’re frightened at the thought of not having something to do, even for a minute.”

— Richard Carlson

99. “If you want to be a more peaceful person you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy.”

— Richard Carlson

100. “Trust in your own instincts and wisdom, and not in the words and fears of experts.”

— Richard Carlson