Little Known (But Darn Good) Mantras To Live By

Here are some of my favorite “little known” mantras to live by:

—Excellence is where passion meets precision.

—Originality is concealing your source.

—Rising tides lifts all ships.

—Give your team room to make progress.

—Fail quickly!

—There are no mistakes.

—We are not called to change the world, we’re called to create culture.

—Dream more while you are awake.

—Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and those under the age of 6.

—Solitude breeds creativity.

—Leaders are readers.

—Be restless but confident.

—Believe in magic.

Question: What is YOUR favorite mantra?

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38 responses to “Little Known (But Darn Good) Mantras To Live By”

  1. Chad Jarnagin Avatar

    “live together, die alone”… & “Go big, or go home”

    :)

  2. Jeff Goins Avatar

    Love the originality quote!

  3. Paula Avatar

    Not sure if it counts as a mantra, but my Senior Pastor always encourages us after a failure that we only sit with it for 24 hours. Then, shake it off and get on. Don’t dwell, instead examine, learn, and move on.

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Paula, Good mantra, I believe!!!! Thanks, Paula.

  4. mandythompson Avatar

    I used to tell the high school girls that I mentored “When in doubt, don’t.”
    Good thing they never countered with “When in doubt, try it out!”

    That’s about all I’ve got for today…

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @mandythompson, That’s a pretty good “all you got!” :) Thanks, Mandy!!

      1. mandythompson Avatar

        @Randy Elrod,
        This is one I really do try to live by after reading The War of Art and summing it up in my
        own life:

        “Resistance is futile.”

        (I was a Star-Trek fan growing up.)

  5. Michael H Smith Avatar

    thanks for the list Randy. I have always used this wording for the 2nd one on your list: “originality is forgetting where you heard it the first time.”

    and another one:
    ‘finding God’s will is the continual search for His will’

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Michael H Smith, Great mantra, Michael!!

  6. bud the pieman!!! Avatar

    * “The risk of insult is the price of clarity!” Roy Williams

    * “Comparison is the thief of joy!” J. Edwards

    * People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care

    * Respecting the dignity of others

    * It is not God I have a problem with but the problem I have is with His fan club!

    * Good Decisions come from Experience which comes from Bad Decisions!

    * People buy it with their eyes first as well as they eat it with their eyes first!

    * 100,000 LEMMINGS CAN’T ALL BE WRONG!

    * There ain’t no new wheels invented anymore!

    * Lots of people can tell ya’ what to do BUT VERY FEW CAN TELL YA’ WHY
    THEY DO WHAT THEY DO!

    * “To not do it to do. To not speak is to speak!” Bonheoffer

    * Definition of quality: the more you spend the better it gets!

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @bud the pieman!!!, Wow!!! Thanks for all this wisdom!!

      1. bud the pieman!!! Avatar

        the food turns to you know what in 24-hours but the relationships last a lifetime!

  7. Richard Burkey Avatar

    2 of my favorites are: Teamwork makes the dream work, and hiring nobody is better than hiring the wrong body.

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Richard Burkey, Thanks, Richard. Great mantras!!

  8. Rich Kirkpatrick Avatar

    I had this on my desk for years…it came to me and stuck:

    “Atrophy form Apathy”

    I wither when I do not have a cause, care or love.

    1. Rich Kirkpatrick Avatar

      @Rich Kirkpatrick,

      correction… *from not form ;)

    2. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Rich Kirkpatrick, So true!! Thanks, Rich!!

  9. Fred McKinnon Avatar

    Wonderful … I’ve quoted many of these myself … that I heard from you!

    One of my faves that I don’t follow so well:

    THINK before you SPEAK.

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Fred McKinnon, Yep. Good one, fred!!

  10. Marcel Freire Avatar

    “Sometimes you cannot believe what you see; you have to believe what you feel.” (from ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’)

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Marcel Freire, Love it! Love it! Love it!! Thanks, Marcel!!

      1. Marcel Freire Avatar

        @Randy Elrod, Love it too. That book is full of wisdom. One of my all-time favorites!

  11. Deana Avatar

    There is a God and I’m not him. – S.B. one of my mentors.

    This is one event in a lifetime of events. – Jan Silvious.

    I love both of these. They help me keep myself, God, and life in proper perspective.

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Deana, Ah, Deana. I think I’m having coffee with Jan in a few days. She is awesome!!

  12. Greg Avatar

    “Be as good as some, but better than most” – Frank Ferrara (my pop)

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Greg, Love it!! The wisdom of our Dads!!!

  13. Michelle Avatar

    Don’t just stand there – Do Something!

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Michelle, Yep, thanks, Michelle!!

  14. Rev. Macker Avatar

    test fast, fail fast, adjust fast. (just adding to yours)
    quantity breeds quality (a brainstorming manifesto)
    wherever you are … there you go. (a zen retake of a classic)

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Rev. Macker, Love’em!!!!! Thanks, Macker!

  15. Vince Avatar

    our family mantra:

    “If you are strong then I am strong”

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Vince, Vince, that rocks!!!!!

  16. Janet Oberholtzer Avatar

    This saying has helped me get through a major body, mind and spirit renewal the past few years.

    “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” Theodore Roosevelt.

  17. Keith Jennings Avatar

    My personal life and artistic mantra is, “See the familiar in unfamiliar ways.”

    I also like:

    “Fail forward fast”

    “If it’s to be, it’s up to me”

    “To be The Shit, you must attract the flies”

    (Okay, I made that last one up. But it’s true!)

    1. Randy Elrod Avatar

      @Keith Jennings, I think I like the made up one best, Keith!!