Change is life unfolding. Sometimes it’s quiet as a breath, sometimes bold as a leap, but it always begins within. ✨ As Carl Rogers reminded us, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Here are thoughts from wise souls who’ve lived its paradox.

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. ~ Robin Williams

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. ~ John F. Kennedy

Change is inevitable in a progressive country. Change is constant. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

What I possess I would gladly retain. Change amuses the mind, yet scarcely profits. ~ Johann von Goethe

I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced that they are about to change the world. I am more awed by...those who... struggle to make one small difference after another. ~ Ellen Goodman

Be the change you are trying to create. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. ~ William James

Change, like youth, is purely wasted on the young. ~ Linda Ellerbee

I believe that man’s noblest endowment is his capacity to change. ~ Leonard Bernstein

Consider how hard it is to change yourself, and you'll understand what little chance you have of trying to change others. ~ Jacob M. Braude

When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge. ~ Tuli Kupferberg

To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions. ~ William James

Everything is perpetually becoming new. ~ Alan Watts

We stagnate when we refuse to consider changing an opinion, altering a practice, adjusting a priority, or simply listening to those with whom we disagree. ~ Marietta McCarty

Everything changes, even stone. ~ Claude Monet

It is only in romances that people undergo a sudden metamorphosis. In real life, even after the most terrible experiences, the main character remains exactly the same. ~ Isadora Duncan