Pat Williams > Quotes

“Money can buy a house, but not a home; a bed, but not rest; food, but not an appetite; medicine, but not health; information, but not wisdom; thrills, but not joy; associates, but not friends; servants, but not loyalty; flattery, but not respect.”
― Pat Williams, What Are You Living For?: Investing Your Life in What Matters Most

“[W]e are changed by what we read. Close that book, and you are not the same person anymore. Because of what you just read, your worldview--your understanding, your compassion for others, your ability to engage intelligently with others--has expanded a little. Books help us grow….”
― Pat Williams (Author)

“Steal what works, fix what's broke, fake the rest.”
― AUTHOR

“The right books are like crowbars for our imaginations. When we find ourselves stuck at some place in life, the right book can pry open our inner idea banks. You know those moments: life has become so routine you could do it in your sleep-in fact, you wish you could. You need a change, but you're not sure if it calls for a career switch, a life overhaul, or just a new hairstyle.
During these seasons, the right book challenges you to think differently, to see life in a new light, to bring resolution to a problem, or make a life-changing decision.
Books can propel you out of life's occasional ruts. Through their mind-expanding, heart swelling, pulse-quickening words and ideas, books become like WD-40 for our brains”
― Pat Williams

“Dream big dreams, and pursue those dreams with courage, optimism and perseverance. Commit yourself to making the world a better place.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“To me, the smarter you are, the more you want to learn - Ernie Accorsi”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious—and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” WALT DISNEY”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Walt was a dreamer, but one who pursued his goals with clarity and an almost ferocious intensity.” JACK KINNEY DISNEY ANIMATOR”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“I have learned,” Douglas explained, “first through my wife’s illness and then especially through the accident, not to confuse God with life. I’m no stoic. I am as upset about what happened to me as anyone could be. I feel free to curse the unfairness of life and to vent all my grief and anger. But I believe God feels the same way about the accident as I do—grieved and angry. I don’t blame Him for what happened… . We tend to think, ‘Life should be fair because God is fair.’ But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life—by expecting constant good health, for example—then I set myself up for a crashing disappointment.”3”
― Pat Williams, What Are You Living For?: Investing Your Life in What Matters Most

“Accept the pain of the past. Learn the lessons of the past. Embrace the nostalgic memories of the past. Then dream big dreams of the future and start chasing them!”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“All you have to do is own up to your ignorance honestly, and you will find people who are eager to fill your head with information.” WALT DISNEY”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Just watch Snow White. Just visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World in Florida—he was laying the plans for the Florida park while he was on his death bed. People kept telling him his dreams were impossible. Walt knew better. He had wished upon a star.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Walt’s grandson, Walter Disney Miller, told me, “EPCOT was my grandfather’s biggest dream—the city of the future that would point the way to a better world. His dream remains unbuilt.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Instead of getting mad or getting even, get creative.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“I read as if time were running out, because technically it is. As I grow older I find I'm increasingly impatient with mediocre entertainments; I want books that will take my breath away and realign my vision - Barbara Kingsolver”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. HELEN KELLER”
― Pat Williams, The Leadership Excellence Devotional: The Seven Sides of Leadership in Daily Life

“I wear glasses, and maybe you do, too. Mine probably cost about the same as yours. Would you trade lenses with me just because I asked you to? Of course not!
That would be silly because yours fit you and mine fit me.
Reading is the same thing. Are you reading what the boss is reading or are you reading what fits you? Are you reading a book because someone sent it to you? how about because it's on the bestseller list? You wouldn't wear someone else's glasses - don't let them pick your books. Understand what your purpose is for reading and carefully discipline your choices - Fred Smith”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“As he grew, what he lacked in formal education, he made up for through diligent, determined reading.
The where, when, and how of reading mattered not to Abraham Lincoln, who said, "The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places ... Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other thing.”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“Now more than ever, we need people with the qualities Walt had: optimism, imagination, creativity, leadership, integrity, courage, boldness, perseverance, commitment to excellence, reverence for the past, hope for tomorrow and faith in God. How”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Very few people discover their talent while snoring in a hammock. The harder you work and the more you demand of yourself, the more talent and ability you will discover. Hard work reveals talent.”
― Pat Williams, The Sweet Spot for Success: Finding the Place Where Your Talent and Passions Meet

“Leaders who ignore change risk extinction.”
― Pat Williams, The Leadership Excellence Devotional: The Seven Sides of Leadership in Daily Life

“Since my childhood I've loved reading, and every cent that came my way I used to purchase books." Franklin's love of books and readings was evident to his father, who set him to work as a printer, apprenticing to his older brother, James, when he was just twelve years old. One wealthy customer, who also noted young Franklin's passion, invited him to read any of the books in his extensive library. These volumes exposed Ben's young mind to a variety of writing styles and thoughts, all of which eventually wove themselves into the person this great statesman later became. Through books, Franklin honed his writing skills, continually challenging himself to become better at what he was already good at.”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“You'll either think yourself worse than someone else, or better than someone else. Neither of these is good. Stop comparing. - Rick Warren”
― Pat Williams, Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Better Yourself Through Books

“The tragic irony of our misconceptions about heaven is that the reality of heaven is what every human heart truly desires. The biblical heaven is a place of exquisite beauty, boundless pleasure and endless joy—a place where we will be reunited with the ones we love. God Himself planted those desires within us so that we would want to be with Him for eternity. We were made for heaven.”
― Pat Williams, What Are You Living For?: Investing Your Life in What Matters Most

“Think beyond your lifetime, if you want to do something truly great. Make a fifty-year master plan. A fifty-year master plan will change how you look at the opportunities in the present.” WALT DISNEY”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“Successful people are those who have learned how to learn. Whether college-educated or self-educated, successful people depend on themselves, not others, for their own knowledge, skills, and wisdom. People who are committed to life-long learning have everything they need to shape their own.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“A truly humble person won't try to impress you, manipulate you, judge you, criticize you, or put you in your place. Humble people are safe to be around. You can relax. You can be yourself.”
― Pat Williams, Humility: The Secret Ingredient of Success

“As Warren Bennis observed in On Becoming a Leader, “The leader’s world view is always contagious. Carter depressed us; Reagan, whatever his other flaws, gave us hope.”17 Every day, you as a leader have a choice to make: “I am going to be a leader of optimism” or “I am going to be a leader of pessimism.” As Colin Powell has said, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”18 A positive outlook can take all the resources you possess and multiply them exponentially. Here’s why optimism wins:     •  Optimists are more confident, so they accept challenging”
― Pat Williams, 21 Great Leaders: Learn Their Lessons, Improve Your Influence

“Walt had a way of communicating that was just magical,” composer Richard Sherman told me. “Simple, but magical. He would give you a challenge and say, ‘I know you can do this.’ He made you believe anything was possible. He made you proud to be on his team. And it really was a team effort—Walt would roll up his sleeves and go to work alongside the rest of us. “He saw potential in people who had never really done anything great. My brother Robert and I really had no track record in the music industry, but Walt heard a few of our songs and he gave us an opportunity and inspired us to keep topping ourselves. Without Walt to inspire us, I don’t know where we’d be today. “Walt always wanted you to find something wonderful in yourself, to believe in it and consider it God’s gift to you. God gives you the gift, and the rest is up to you. Walt taught me that what you do with that gift is your gift back to God.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

“The difference between today and tomorrow is some thing called change. It takes courage to embrace the future, because the future is about change, and change brings uncertainty and anxiety. We fear change; we prefer the comfort of the familiar. But change is inevitable. If we do not become future-focused, we are doomed to obsolescence when tomorrow arrives.”
― Pat Williams, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life