When Rachel first hung a chalkboard in our kitchen, it quickly became my favorite canvas. Before long, I took on the task of updating it, sharing a new quote at the start of each week. Each message reflects a moment in time: what we've recently experienced or what's just around the corner for our family. This virtual chalkboard is a collection of those quotes, capturing the essence of our journey together.
All children, except one, grow up.
— J.M. Barrie from Peter Pan1911Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.
— Brian AndreasBegin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop.
— Lewis Carroll from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland1865You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn from Wherever You Go, There You Are1994We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
— Thomas Jefferson from Declaration of Independence1776Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.
— Theodore Roosevelt from Lincoln and Free Speech1918A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.
— Tim CahillNobody's free until everybody's free.
— Fannie Lou Hamer from Speech at the founding of the National Women's Political Caucus1971It was June, and the world smelled of roses.
— Maud Hart Lovelace from Betsy-Tacy and Tib1941A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
— Joseph Campbell from The Power of Myth1988Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten.
— Lilo from Lilo & Stitch2002No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.
— Brad Meltzer from The Inner Circle2011My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
— Erma BombeckA person never forgets the landscape of their childhood.
— Kate Morton from The Lake House2015Nothing ever seems impossible in spring, you know.
— L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Ingleside1939Making the decision to have a child—it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
— Elizabeth Stone from A Boy I Once Knew: What a Teacher Learned from Her Student2002It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
— Rainer Maria Rilke from Letters on Life2006If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
— Anne Bradstreet from Meditations Divine and Moral1655You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe Daylight Saving Time.
— Dave Barry from 25 Things I Have Learned in 50 Years1998Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.
— Alice Walker from The Color Purple1982Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
— Kaklil Gibran from The Prophet1923The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been.
— Madeleine L'Engle from Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art1980Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
— Langston Hughes from The World Tomorrow1922While it is February, one can taste the full joys of anticipation. Spring stands at the gate with her finger on the latch.
— Patience Strong from The Glory of the Garden1947Do not lose heart. We were made for these times.
— Clarissa Pinkola Estés from We Were Made for These Times2020Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
— Martin Luther King Jr. from Letter from Birmingham Jail1963Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
— Sanford Meisner from Sanford Meisner on Acting1987Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come.
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson from Robin Hood and Maid Marian1892Cheers to a gracious New Year. May we uphold the fullness of God's grace, goodness, and goodwill.
— Lailah Gifty Akita from Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind2015Let there be peace on earth, and it begin with me!
— Jill Jackson-Miller (lyrics) and Sy Miller (music) from Let There Be Peace on Earth1955Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light.
— Judy Garland from Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas1947Life has to end. Love doesn't.
— Mitch Albom from The Five People You Meet in Heaven2003When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I shall know that I am growing old.
— Lady Bird JohnsonThanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.
— Nigel HamiltonWhen life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep Swimming!
— Dory from Finding Nemo2003Every mile is two in the winter.
— George Herbert from Outlandish Proverbs1640We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt from Address at the University of Pennsylvania1940What's your favorite scary movie?
— Ghostface from Scream1996I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
— L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Green Gables1908It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.
— Sarah Addison Allen from First Frost2015Out, damned spot! Out, I say!
— William Shakespeare from Macbeth1623My household is, in a nice way, very busy.
— Ann BrasharesWhen I asked God for strength, He gave me difficult situations to face.
— Swami VivekanandaAnd then the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep and autumn was awakened.
— Raquel FrancoLet the beauty of what you love be what you do.
— RumiSchool bells are ringing loud and clear; vacation's over, school is here.
— Winifred C. MarshallTransitions are almost always signs of growth, but they can bring feelings of loss. To get somewhere new, we may have to leave somewhere else behind.
— Fred Rogers from You Are Special1995Of all the paths you take in life, make some lead to the lake.
— AnonymousI was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days.
— Henry David Thoreau from Walden1854I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
— Coleman Cox from Listen to This1922It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn so many things.
— Nicholas SparksAh, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
— Russell BakerThose who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.
— Abraham Lincoln from Letter to Henry L. Pierce and Others1859Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.
— SenecaGood news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.
— Hunter S. Thompson from Hey Rube: 'Back in the day …'2003I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
— L.M. Montgomery from Anne of the Island1915Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.
— Eleanor Roosevelt from You Learn by Living1961You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
— Dr. Seuss from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!1990Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic.
— Robin SharmaBe like a flower and turn your face to the sun.
— Khalil GibranCollect Moments, Not Things.
— AnonymousThe bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.
— Michael AltshulerSpring is the time of plans and projects.
— Leo Tolstoy from Anna Karenina1878Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg from Radcliffe Medal acceptance speech2015Never feel sorry for raising dragon slayers in a time when there are actual dragons.
— UnknownIt is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.
— Tony Robbins from Awaken the Giant Within1991Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
— Barack Obama from Super Tuesday victory speech, Chicago2008February is an uncertain month, filled with the flavor of anticipation.
— Gladys TaberI can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.
— Maya Angelou from Letter to My Daughter2008It is always the right time to do the right thing.
— Martin Luther King Jr. from Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution (Oberlin College commencement address)1965Feeling a little blue in January is normal.
— Marilu HennerPerfectionism is the enemy of progress.
— Winston ChurchillDon't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.
— Sam Levenson from In One Era and Out the Other1973Chill December brings the sleet, Blazing fire and Christmas Treat.
— Sara Coleridge from Pretty Lessons in Verse for Good Children ("The Months")1834Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.
— Mary Ellen ChaseHealth is not valued till sickness comes.
— Thomas Fuller from Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern1732Little by little, one travels far
— J.R.R. TolkienI wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.
— Alain GerbaultDo not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.
— Vladimir NabokovIn November you begin to know how long the winter will be.
— Martha Gellhorn from The Heart of Another ("November Afternoon")1941What's your favorite scary movie?
— Ghostface from Scream1996Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together.
— Napoleon HillHow bravely Autumn paints upon the sky the gorgeous fame of summer which is fled!
— Thomas Hood from The Plea of the Midsummer Fairies, Hero and Leander, Lycus the Centaur and Other Poems1827The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.
— Vladimir HorowitzGive the one you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.
— The Dalai Lama from The Art of Happiness1998Autumn Mornings sunshine and crisp air, birds and calmness, year's end and day's beginning.
— Terri GuillemetsThe morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer.
— George R. R. Martin from A Game of Thrones1996Start where you are. Use what You have. Do what you Can.
— Arthur AsheHome is where one starts from.
— T.S. Eliot from Four Quartets: "East Coker"1940But the thing about thunderstorms is that there is a sense of peace When once the storm is over.
— Tabitha KellyNot many people have had as much bad luck as I have, but not many people have had as much good luck, either.
— Tig Notaro from "Very Funny" (Elle magazine profile)2013With each new day, we discover some thing extraordinary at summer camp.
— UnknownWhere could one settle more pleasantly than in one's home?
— CiceroLet freedom never perish in your hands.
— Joseph AddisonThe world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.
— Unknown from Select Proverbs of All Nations1824It's summer and time for wandering...
— Kellie Elmore from Magic in the Backyard2012It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn s0 many things.
— Nicholas SparksDeep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
— Sam KeenWherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
— Dr. Seuss from Oh, the Places You'll Go!1990Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.
— Albert CamusThe best way to predict the future is to create it.
— Abraham LincolnIt's not about who you are today, it's about who you want to become and the price you are willing to pay to get there.
— Tom BilyeuYou will never look back on life and think, "I spent too much time with my kids."
— UnknownWhen in doubt, overdress.
— Vivienne WestwoodApril hath put a spirit of youth in everything.
— William ShakespeareTake care of your body. It's the only place you have to live in.
— Jim RohnFor most of history, Anonymous was a woman.
— Virginia Woolf from A Room of One's Own1929While it is February, one can taste the full joys of anticipation. Spring stands at the gate with her finger on the latch.
— Patience Strong from The Glory of the Garden1947And if the stars should ever die, we'll make our own light, you and I.
— John Mark GreenStart where you are, with what you have. Make Something of it and never be satisfied.
— George Washington CarverThe best way to predict the future is to create it.
— Abraham LincolnSome days are like that. Even in Australia.
— Judith Viorst from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day1972Darkness Cannot drive Out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate Cannot drive out hate. Only LOVE can do that.
— Martin Luther King Jr. from Strength to Love1963And now welcome the new year. Full of of things that have never been.
— Rainer Marie Rilke from Letters to a Young Poet1929A holiday is on opportunity to journey Within.
— PrabhasDecember is a time to reflect on the blessings of the past year and to embrace the opportunities of the coming one.
— Oprah WinfreyToday or any day that phone may ring and bring good news.
— Ethel WatersWhen I started counting my blessings my whole life turned around.
— Willie NelsonLove the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.
— Chad Sugg from Monsters Under Your Head2010The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
— Alan Watts from The Wisdom of Insecurity1951Always thrown spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary buy your garden gate. Plant lavender for luck and fall in love whenever you can.
— Sally Owen, Practical Magic from Practical Magic1998Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
— Albert Camus from Return to Tipasa (in "Summer")1954Enjoy the present hour, be thankful for the past, And neither fear, nor wish the approaches of the last.
— Abraham CowleyIf there ever comes a day we can't be together - hold me in your heart I'll Stay there forever!
— WinnieNo matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.
— Jewish Proverb