Ummm.  Errr.  Unfortunately I’m not as eloquent as Plato or Buddha, whose words were submitted for our Inspirational Quote Contest.  Our contest winner was Brian V., who submitted a quote from Viktor Frankl on the freedom to choose your attitude towards adversity.

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries!  Here are your top 10 inspirational quotes!

10.  Submitted by Cornelia K.

Oh, world I cannot hold thee close enough…
~ Edna St. Vincent Milay

9.  Submitted by Brenda B.

Be kind, for everyone is having a hard battle.
~ Attributed to Plato

8.  Submitted by Diana L.

May all living beings be free from misery and the causes of misery;
May all living beings never be separated from happiness, devoid of misery;
May all living beings abide in equanimity free from prejudicial attachments and aversions.
~ The Buddha

7.  Submitted by Migraine Chick

Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.
~ Pema Chodron  

6.  Submitted by Brian V.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
~ Epictetus

5.  Submitted by Brian V.

Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him.
~ Aldous Leonard Huxley

4.  Submitted by Migraine Chick

Life is what happens while you are trying to get well.
~ Patrick Mason

3.  Submitted by Brenda B.

Everything is harmonious to me that is in harmony with thee, O Universe.
Nothing is too early or too late for me that is in due time for thee.
Everything is fruit to me that thy seasons bring, O Nature.  For from thee are all things, through thee are all things, to thee all things return.
~ Marcus Aurelius

2.  Submitted by Maria M.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
~ Viktor Frankl

1.  Submitted by our contest winner, Brian V.

Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms, the right to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances - the right to choose one’s own way.
~ Viktor Frankl

Don’t you wish you sounded like this when you spoke :)   Well, even if we aren’t quotable, we can use these words to inspire us and help us keep our circumstances in perspective.  You might like to choose your favorite one and put it up in a place you’ll see everyday, or carry it in your pocket.  I have a favorite quote that comes up as a reminder every day in Outlook email.

Thanks again to Meditation Station for sponsoring this contest!  Look for another contest in future months - if you have a contest topic to suggest, or would like to sponsor a contest, let me know here.