Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Les Brown

American Motivational Speaker, Author, Trainer

"The three great questions: Why are you here? Where have you been? Where are you going?"

"You don't own the future you don't own the past. Today is all you have."

"Choosing goals that are important to you is one of the most essential things you can do in order to live your dreams."

"Never let someone else's opinion of your determine your reality."

"Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life."

"Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality."

"You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change."

"When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation -- it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams."

"A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are afraid to die."

"All of us need to grow continuously in our lives."

"Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else."

"Forgive those who have hurt you. "

"Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality."

"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours."

"If you are carrying strong feelings about something that happened in your past, they may hinder your ability to live in the present."

"Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on."

"Goals help you channel your energy into action."

"If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness."

"Honor your commitments with integrity. "

"It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams."

"Other people's opinion of you does not have to become your reality."

"Life has no limitations, except the ones you make."

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."

"Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."

"You must remain focused on your journey to greatness."

"We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams."

"You take on the responsibility for making your dream a reality."

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

"You have the power to change."

"Your level of belief in yourself will inevitably manifest itself in whatever you do."

"Change is difficult but often essential to survival."

"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great."

"Don't let the negativity given to you by the world disempower you. Instead give to yourself that which empowers you."

"As you reach your goals, set new ones. That is how you grow and become a more powerful person."

"You are the only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life."

"Act the way you want to be and soon you'll be the way you act."

"Live out of your imagination instead of out of your memory."

"No one rises to low expectations."

"The greatest revenge is massive success."

"We don't fail because we aim too high and miss, but because we aim too low and hit."

"One of the most essential things you need to do for yourself is to choose a goal that is important to you. Perfection does not exist - you can always do better and you can always grow."

"Be determined to handle any challenge in a way that will make you grow. "

"You don't get in life what you want; you get in life what you are."

"I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom. "

"In the end, it is the person you become, not the things you have achieved, that is the most important. "

"You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life. "

"Fear does not have any special power unless you empower it by submitting to it. "

"The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today. "

"If you don't stand up for something, you may fall for anything. "

"You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature."