Thursday 13: Gifts to myself of the quote variety

eemed a quote-y kind of week, as I thought about it... Nothing like being poised on the brink of a new year to make one reflect a bit and plot to do better, be better, in the coming year.

Here are 13 quotes that, as I went through my "stack," stood out to me as little gifts to myself this birthday. I may have posted a few of them in the past, but if so, that just means they really speak to me!

1. We are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us. -C. S. Lewis

2. Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

3. We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn. -Henry David Thoreau

4. Let go of the idea that the path will lead you to your goal. The truth is that with each step we take, we arrive. -Paulo Coelho

5. If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you. -A.A. Milne

6.  The obstacle is the path. -Zen Proverb

7. The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. -M. Scott Peck

8. At the root of virtually all spiritual practice is the notion of forgiveness. Think about every single person who has ever harmed you, cheated you, defrauded you or said unkind things about you. Your experience of them is nothing more than a thought that you carry around with you. These thoughts of resentment, anger and hatred represent slow, debilitating energies that will disempower you. If you could release them, you would know more peace. -Wayne Dyer

9. The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. -Theodore Rubin

10. May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ. -Ephesians 3:18-19

11. The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen. -G.K. Chesterton

12. A heart that is light lives long. -Irish Proverb

13. I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. -Gilda Radner

Which quote is your favorite? Tell me! I have a hard time picking; they each hold a unique appeal to me...

For other Thursday 13 participants, go here.

And because I can feel you are just on pins and needles to know which treat I am making for my birthday (voting options here), without further ado: Between the comments here and on Facebook it was quite close between the Nutella Icebox Cake and the Crepe Cake... and the Crepe Cake won out. Because there was no clear winner in which kind of Crepe Cake, I suppose I will decide that when I am actually making the custard! Thanks to all who voted, I enjoyed seeing what you picked.