quotations about destiny
The grave is still the best shelter against the storms of destiny.
G. C. LICHTENBERG
attributed, The New Webster Quotation Dictionary
Long tarries destiny,
But comes to those who pray.
AESCHYLUS
The Libation Pourers
Destiny will show when it's time.
ERIC HARVEY
Freedom of Speech Writing Out Loud
There can be no exit from manifest destiny.
MICK FARREN
Darklost
The soul of man createth its own destiny.
NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS
"Extract"
Destiny can never be cast away by you because it is you.
SORIN CERIN
Wisdom Collection
Come to me
This is Destiny
Right now
Sing my song
Come along
Right now
SCHILLER
"Destiny", Voyage
The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.
JAN PATOCKA
attributed, In Pursuit of Destiny
Not without a shudder may the human hand grasp the mysterious urn of destiny.
FRIEDRICH SCHILLER
The Death of Wallenstein
Motive is a thread, work is a skein, destiny is a maze.
THOMAS ROBERT SLICER
Meditations
Man must understand his universe in order to understand his destiny.
NEIL ARMSTRONG
attributed, Rocket Men
It is man's destiny to ponder on the riddle of existence.
C. F. KETTERING
Prophet of Progress
Don't you know that what happens to you once always happens again? You always react in the same way to the same thing. It's no accident when you make a mess. Then you do it again. It's called destiny.
CESARE PAVESE
The Devil in the Hills
Destiny is selfhood. To live your destiny is to be raised above accidental circumstances to the level of your essential being. This is not merely because destiny precludes accidents and thus provides a propitious life-environment. The relationship between destiny and self is more intimate than that. Destiny defines the self: you ARE your destiny. To speak of destiny as though it is merely something that happens to you is to assume that a person is in essence always the same, changeless at the core amid the ceaseless changes of life and history. But the truth is that what happens to you--including in this category the ideas and impulses that arise within you in response to outward events--defines your identity. The only way you could be fully identified would be by a story--of the kind God alone could tell--of the unfolding of your life in all its depths and complexities. Thus living your destiny is carrying on your life as the one you really are.
GLENN E. TINDER
The Fabric of Hope
Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
speech, Feb. 22, 1899
Destiny is in reality a pompous word that means very little. If we have great talents, it will probably be our destiny to show them. If we have no talents, it will certainly be our destiny to show none.
ANONYMOUS
The Spectator, Aug. 2, 1884
Our destiny changes with our thought; we shall become what we wish to become, do what we wish to do, when our habitual thought corresponds with our desire.
ORISON SWETT MARDEN
Peace
It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.
WINSTON CHURCHILL
speech in the House of Commons, Feb. 27, 1945
Destiny is what you are supposed to do in life. Fate is what kicks you in the ass to make you do it.
HENRY MILLER
attributed, The Harper Book of Quotations
Betimes I have heard people bewail the fact that our destinies are shrouded in mystery; I think, though, that it is a blessing of sorts. Surely if we knew what bitterness fate held in store, we would shrink back in fear and let the cup of life pass us untasted.
JACQUELINE CAREY
Kushiel's Dart