Roaming Towards Myself

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

I have two quotes I come back to often.

The first one is attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
I don’t see this as a neat little “be positive” quote. That would annoy me, honestly.
To me, it’s more about not judging something too quickly.
One person looks at a rose bush and sees thorns first. Someone else looks at the same thing and sees roses. Neither person is technically wrong. They’re just noticing different parts of the same thing.
I like that idea.
Things are not always what they seem at first glance. People aren’t. Places aren’t. Even situations that look difficult, messy, or not worth much can have something beautiful in them, depending on how you look at them.
And beauty is subjective anyway. What one person walks past, someone else might stop and stare at.
The second quote is from Charlotte’s Web:

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
That one is simple, but it says a lot.
Real friendship is a big thing. Not in a loud, dramatic way. Just in the steady, ordinary way that matters most. Someone being your friend, really being your friend, is no small thing.
So I suppose these two quotes both remind me of something similar.
Look again.
Don’t assume too quickly.
Notice what matters.
And don’t underestimate the quiet, tremendous things.