Michael Rees > Michael's Quotes

“I don’t ever remember being afraid of “oldness”.

There are things I miss about being younger - chiefly the ability to pull all-nighters and keep working and working well; and being smiled at by girls I didn’t know who thought I was cute; and I wish I had the eyesight I had even five years ago… but that stuff feels pretty trivial.

I’m happier than I’ve been at any time in my life these days. I have a wonderful wife whom I adore, watched three amazing kids grow into two delightful adults and my favourite teenager, an astonishing number of grand life experiences, I’ve made art I’m proud of, I have real, true, glorious friends, and I’ve been able to do real good for things I care about, like freedom of speech, like libraries.

Sometimes I’ll do something like An Evening With Neil and Amanda, or the 8 in 8 project, and completely surprise myself.

I miss friends who have died, but then, I’m glad that time gave them to me, to befriend, even for a while, and that I was alive to know them. I knew Douglas Adams, and I knew Roger Zelazny, and I knew John M Ford, and I knew Diana Wynne Jones… do you know how lucky that makes me?

Ah, I’m rabbiting on, and I sound a bit more Pollyannaish than I’m intending to sound: I know the downside of age and the downside of time, and I am sure that the view from age 51 is not the view from age 71.

I wish the time hadn’t gone so fast, though. And sometimes I wish I’d enjoyed it more on the way, and worried about it less.”
― Neil Gaiman

“Convictions are prisons.”
― Friedrich Nietzche, The Birth of Tragedy/Seventy-five Aphorisms/The Anti-Christ

“The greatest cure for love is still that time honoured medicine - love returned.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

“What's done is done. What's gone is gone. One of life's lessons is always moving on. It’s okay to look back to see how far you’ve come but keep moving forward.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Courage is feeling fear, not getting rid of fear, and taking action in the face of fear.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Patience Is Not the Ability to Wait:
Patience is not the ability to wait. Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly take action to turn it to positive growth opportunities, and have faith to believe that it will all work out in the end while you are waiting.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“You are in charge of your own happiness; you don't need to wait for other people's permission to be happy.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“You Are the Master of Your Attitude

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control the way you think about all the events. You always have a choice. You can choose to face them with a positive mental attitude.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Live the Life of Your Dreams
When you start living the life of your dreams, there will always be obstacles, doubters, mistakes and setbacks along the way. But with hard work, perseverance and self-belief there is no limit to what you can achieve.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Great leaders create more leaders, not followers.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Always have a willing hand to help someone, you might be the only one that does.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Don't Just

Don't just learn, experience.
Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticize, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“To have what you have never had, you have to do what you have never done.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Smile more. Smiling can make you and others happy.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Do not let arrogance go to your head and despair to your heart; do not let compliments go to your head and criticisms to your heart; do not let success go to your head and failure to your heart.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“Everyone you meet is a part of your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay in your life. Some people are just passing through to bring you gifts; either they're blessings or lessons.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“A smile puts you on the right track. A smile makes the world a beautiful place. When you lose your smile, you lose your way in the chaos of life.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“When you do the right thing, you get the feeling of peace and serenity associated with it. Do it again and again.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“The strongest people find the courage and caring to help others, even if they are going through their own storm.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
― John Wesley

“Perfectionism is the enemy of happiness. Embrace being perfectly imperfect. Learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself, you’ll be happier. We make mistakes because we are imperfect. Learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep moving forward.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“It's never too late to change your life for the better. You don't have to take huge steps to change your life. Making even the smallest changes to your daily routine can make a big difference to your life.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“The outer world is a reflection of the inner world. Other people’s perception of you is a reflection of them; your response to them is an awareness of you.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“Stop giving other people the power to control your happiness, your mind, and your life. If you don't take control of yourself and your own life, someone else is bound to try.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Focus on your character, not your reputation.
Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“If you have a strong purpose in life, you don't have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Never stop dreaming,
never stop believing,
never give up,
never stop trying, and
never stop learning.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart