Charles R. Swindoll Quotes

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

"The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day."

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."

"The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail."

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."

"Prejudice is a learned trait. You're not born prejudiced; you're taught it."

"A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living."

"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill."

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."

"We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."

"Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it."

"A teardrop on earth summons the King of heaven."

"If I ever wrote a book on preaching, it would contain three words: Preach the Word. Get rid of all the other stuff that gets you sidetracked; preach the Word."

"The swift wind of compromise is a lot more devastating than the sudden jolt of misfortune."

"The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it's a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free."

"We need discernment in what we see and what we hear and what we believe."

"When I think of vision, I have in mind the ability to see above and beyond the majority."

"The world has changed and it's going to keep changing, but God never changes; so we are safe when we cling to Him."

"Because God gave you your makeup and superintended every moment of your past, including all the hardship, pain, and struggles, He wants to use your words in a unique manner. No one else can speak through your vocal cords, and, equally important, no one else has your story."

"The wonderful thing about God is he knows what we need to persuade us."

"There is nothing more fearful for the average person in our society than to stand before a group of people and speak."

"There is plenty of television. There are plenty of talk shows. There are plenty of comedians. But there is not plenty of worship of the true and living God."

"Sometimes I wake up before dawn, and I love sitting up in the middle of the bed with all the lights off, pitch-black dark, and talking to the Father, with no interruptions and nothing that reminds me that there's anything in life but me and Him."

"I have no interest in returning to yesteryear. I love the conveniences and delights of today's time. I wouldn't go back if I could."

"It is easy for Christians to have the false impression that once we have established a relationship with Christ, which we believe sets us right with God, the problems of life will somehow scoot away or they will slowly be removed from our lives."

"I let people see the cracks in my life. We can't be phony. We've got to keep it real."

"As far back as I can remember, my mother would have me down by the bed at night with her, praying. I can still hear her voice calling my name to God and telling him that she wanted me to follow him in whatever he called me to do."

"While I was raised around churches and had gotten to know a few preachers fairly well, the thought never entered my head that I would one day stand and deliver. Not only was I not interested, I lived with a major struggle: I stuttered."

"I know of nothing more valuable, when it comes to the all-important virtue of authenticity, than simply being who you are."

"It's the most exciting thing to watch God work when I've asked him about something, to listen to him and watch him work. It's like this friendship, and it just grows and grows and grows and grows."