Norman Vincent Peale Quotations

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.

The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities. Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but self-confidence leads to self-realization and successful achievement.

Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.

We've all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it's more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.

There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.

The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.

Getting people to like you is merely the other side of liking them.

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.

Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once.

Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe.

When every physical and mental resources is focused, one's power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously.

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.

It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship.

Be interesting, be enthusiastic... and don't talk too much.

Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.

Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.

If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.

You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched.

Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds.

When you pray for anyone you tend to modify your personal attitude toward him.

Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear.

If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.

Drop the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. The world would go on even without you. Don't take yourself so seriously.

Understanding can overcome any situation, however mysterious or insurmountable it may appear to be.

If you put off everything till you're sure of it, you'll never get anything done.

The Gateway to Christianity is not through an intricate labyrinth of dogma, but by a simple belief in the person of Christ.

Change yourself and your work will seem different.

One of the greatest moments in anybody's developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is.

We struggle with the complexities and avoid the simplicities.

Help us to be thankful for this day and every day and treat each one as a preciousgem to be filled to the full with meaning and with love.

Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal power comes to mind,deliberately voice a positive one to cancel it out.

Be interesting, be enthusiastic... and don't talk to much.

Don't duck the most difficult problems. That just insures that the hardest part will be left when you're most tired. Get the big one done - it's downhill from then on.

principle. Act as if, and that which you practice will tend to be.

No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilites-always see them- for they are always there.

You would think that economy would be one of the easiest habits in the world to break but it isn't.

First thing every morning before you arise say out loud, ''I believe,'' three times.

Your enthusiasm will be infectious, stimulating and attractive to others. They will love you for it. They will go for you and with you.

Never say anything to hurt anyone. Moreover... refrain from double talk, from shrewd and canny remarks that are designed to advance our interests at someone's disadvantage. We are to turn our back upon evil, and in every way possible, do good, help people and bring blessings into their lives.

I really believe kids want to do well. It's a coach's job to create an environment for them to be successful.

Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture...Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.

Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture...Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.

A person with a hundred interests is twice as alive as one with only fifty and four times as alive as the man who has only twenty-five

The ''how'' thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile ''ifs.''

The 'how' thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile 'ifs'.

The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.

Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already.

Every person, if he is to have mental health and live successfully, must move away from past failures and mistakes and go forward without letting them be a weight upon him. The art of forgetting is absolutely necessary.

The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.

We live in the midst of the greatest scientific civilization in the history of the world. But the greatest wisdom walking our streets is not in any laboratory scientist, but the wisdom of Jesus Christ.

Take a new look at your present "impossible." Consider positive ways to handle it.

Realize that there are not hopeless situations; there are only people who take hopeless attitudes.

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.

Good will cannot flow toward you unless it flows from you.

We tend to get what we expect.

Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast." ~

Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving,and of families united.

Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.

If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself.

Faith is the one power against which fear cannot stand. Day by day, as you fill your mind with faith, there will ultimately be no more room left for fear. This is the one great fact that no one should forget. Master faith and you will automatically master fear.

Deep within the individual is a vast reservoir of untapped power awaiting to be used. no person can have the use of all this potential until he learns to know his or her own self. the trouble with many people is that they got through life thinking and writing themselves off as ordinary commonplace persons. having no proper belief in themselves they live aimless and erratic lives largely because they never realize what their lives really can be or what they can become

We are all capable of greater things than we realize.

Develop serenity and quiet attitudes through your conversation. Depending upon the words we use and the tone in which we use them, we can talk ourselves into being nervous, high-strung, and upset. By our speech, we can also achieve quiet reactions. Talk peaceful to be peaceful.

The Plus Factor makes its appearance in a person's life in proportion as that person is in harmony with God and His universal laws.

God loves you. God doesn't want anyone to be hungry and oppressed. He just puts his big arms around everybody and hugs them up against himself.

People fail to understand that unless they are themselves willing to give, they will never receive.

How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively.

It's always too early to quit.

Faith is the most powerful of all forces operating in humanity and when you have it in depth nothing can get you down.

To experience the satisfaction and enjoyment of success in life, a definitive goal is essential. Many people fail at this vital point. The goal must be definite and specific, not in any sense vague or fuzzy. And to prove attainable, its image needs to be sharpened and resharpened continually, so that it stands out vividly in your thoughts. You must know, at all times, precisely and for certain what it is you want to accomplish and achieve. Strong and organized purposefulness toward a definite objective will focus your powers into a strong motivation in attainment of your goal.

Frequently remind yourself that God is with you, that He will never fail you, that you can count upon him. Say these words, "God is with me, helping me."

Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all that you do. It tones up your physical vitality and gives warmth to all your personal relationships. When you associate with enthusiasm long enough it grabs you and takes over within you.

You must feed your mind even as you feed your body, and to make your mind healthy, you must feed it nourishing, wholesome thoughts.

If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm.

Not every day can be an easy one, nor every day fully happy; but even a day of tough going and difficulty can be a good day.

The controlled person is a powerful person. He who always keeps his head will get ahead.

Whatever you are doing in the game of life, give it all you've got

First thing every morning before you arise say out loud, I believe.

Yesterday ended last night. Every day is a new beginning. Learn the skill of forgetting. And move on.

I expect the best and with God's help will attain the best.

When you affirm big, believe big and pray big, big things happen.

When you keep asserting that things are going to work out well, that you can do the job, that you will not have a flat tire, that you will get there on time, by talking up good results you invoke the law of positive effects and good results occur. Things do turn out well.

Life is not all fun and easy going. Far from it; there are many rough times. But, sadly, we too often let the hard times dull our enthusiasm. And that is dangerous, if not fatal, to our lives.

There is only one group of people who do not have problems, and they are all dead. Problems are a sign of life, so the more problems you have, the more alive you are.

Imagination is the true magic carpet.

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them.

A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

Expecting the best means that you put your whole heart (i.e. the central essence of your personality) into what you want to accomplish. People are defeated in life not because of lack of ability, but for lack of wholeheartedness. They do not wholeheartedly expect to succeed. Their heart isn't in it, which is to say, they themselves are not fully given.

Put your trust in God and just go calmly on your way.

Let a series of happy thoughts run through your mind. They will show on your face.

Faith supplies staying power. Anyone can keep going when the going is good, but some extra ingredient is needed to keep you fighting when it seems that everything is against you

And now we get down to two magic words that tell us how to accomplish just about anything we want to accomplish, two powerful words that can change any situation, two dynamic words that all too few people use. And what are these two amazing words? Do it!

Any action is better than no action at all.