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100 Thought-Provoking Quotes By Anne Lamott That Will Make You Tick

Famous As: Writer, Novelist
Born On: April 10, 1954
Born In: San Francisco
Age: 69 Years
Anne Lamott is an acclaimed American non-fiction writer and novelist. She is also renowned as a political activist, teacher and public speaker. She attended Drew School and then studied for a while at Goucher College, but she did not complete her degree. She started writing for a newspaper while she was still at Goucher College and realized that her true calling was in writing. Most of the her works have been inspired from personal experiences and have touched subjects like single parenthood, alcohol dependence, experiences with Christianity and depression. Most of her political activities are rooted in progressive issues and she is counted among the most influential activists in the United States. In addition to being a political activist, Anne Lamott is also a public speaker and is known to make several public appearances in a year to express her thoughts and views on causes close to her heart. Read on the compilation of some notable and inspiring quotes and thoughts by Anne Lamott that are sure to win your heart.
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Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.

Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.

Anne Lamott
Joy is the best makeup.

Joy is the best makeup.

Anne Lamott
You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

Anne Lamott
Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.

Anne Lamott
I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.

I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.

Anne Lamott
You can either practice being right or practice being kind.

You can either practice being right or practice being kind.

Anne Lamott
Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.

Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.

Anne Lamott
I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.

I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.

Anne Lamott
You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.

You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.

Anne Lamott
A good marriage is where both people feel like they're getting the better end of the deal.

A good marriage is where both people feel like they're getting the better end of the deal.

Anne Lamott
I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.

I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.

Anne Lamott
Hope is not about proving anything. It's about choosing to believe this one thing, that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us.

Hope is not about proving anything. It's about choosing to believe this one thing, that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us.

Anne Lamott
It's good to do uncomfortable things. It's weight training for life.

It's good to do uncomfortable things. It's weight training for life.

Anne Lamott
You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town

You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town

Anne Lamott
Laughter is carbonated holiness.

Laughter is carbonated holiness.

Anne Lamott
When God is going to do something wonderful, He or She always starts with a hardship; when God is going to do something amazing, He or She starts with an impossibility.

When God is going to do something wonderful, He or She always starts with a hardship; when God is going to do something amazing, He or She starts with an impossibility.

Anne Lamott
No

No" is a complete sentence.

Anne Lamott
My mind is a neighborhood I try not to go into alone.

My mind is a neighborhood I try not to go into alone.

Anne Lamott
Expectations are resentments under construction.

Expectations are resentments under construction.

Anne Lamott
Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.

Anne Lamott
I am all the ages I've ever been.

I am all the ages I've ever been.

Anne Lamott
Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue

Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue

Anne Lamott
Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.

Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.

Anne Lamott
The difference between you and God is that God doesn't think He's you.

The difference between you and God is that God doesn't think He's you.

Anne Lamott
Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?

Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?

Anne Lamott
The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you should try not to forget snacks and magazines.

The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you should try not to forget snacks and magazines.

Anne Lamott
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.

Anne Lamott
She said to go ahead and feel the feelings. I did. They felt like shit.

She said to go ahead and feel the feelings. I did. They felt like shit.

Anne Lamott
My heart was broken and my head was just barely inhabitable

My heart was broken and my head was just barely inhabitable

Anne Lamott
You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too.

You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too.

Anne Lamott
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.

...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.

Anne Lamott
We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be.

We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be.

Anne Lamott
If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.

If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.

Anne Lamott
I worry that Jesus drinks himself to sleep when he hears me talk like this.

I worry that Jesus drinks himself to sleep when he hears me talk like this.

Anne Lamott
If you have a body, you are entitled to the full range of feelings. It comes with the package.

If you have a body, you are entitled to the full range of feelings. It comes with the package.

Anne Lamott
We all know we're going to die; what's important is the kind of men and women we are in the face of this.

We all know we're going to die; what's important is the kind of men and women we are in the face of this.

Anne Lamott
I've given guys blow jobs just because I've run out of things to talk about.'
Oh, Rae. Who hasn't

I've given guys blow jobs just because I've run out of things to talk about.' Oh, Rae. Who hasn't

Anne Lamott
...since you can't heal your own sick mind with your own sick mind, I needed to consult somebody else's sick mind.

...since you can't heal your own sick mind with your own sick mind, I needed to consult somebody else's sick mind.

Anne Lamott
...most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you.

...most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you.

Anne Lamott
I liked those ladies! They were helpers, and they danced.' These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced.

I liked those ladies! They were helpers, and they danced.' These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced.

Anne Lamott
Perfection is shallow, unreal, and fatally uninteresting.

Perfection is shallow, unreal, and fatally uninteresting.

Anne Lamott
The depth of the feeling continued to surprise and threaten me, but each time it hit again and I bore it...I would discover that it hadn't washed me away.

The depth of the feeling continued to surprise and threaten me, but each time it hit again and I bore it...I would discover that it hadn't washed me away.

Anne Lamott
Sometimes grace works like water wings when you feel you are sinking.

Sometimes grace works like water wings when you feel you are sinking.

Anne Lamott
Certainty is missing the point entirely.

Certainty is missing the point entirely.

Anne Lamott
This is one thing they forget to mention in most child-rearing books, that at times you will just lose your mind. Period.

This is one thing they forget to mention in most child-rearing books, that at times you will just lose your mind. Period.

Anne Lamott
...the three things I cannot change are the past, the truth, and you.

...the three things I cannot change are the past, the truth, and you.

Anne Lamott
It's better to be kind than to be right.

It's better to be kind than to be right.

Anne Lamott
Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.

Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.

Anne Lamott
My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I’m grateful for it the way I’m grateful for the ocean.

My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I’m grateful for it the way I’m grateful for the ocean.

Anne Lamott
Sometimes this human stuff is slimy and pathetic...but better to feel it and talk about it and walk through it than to spend a lifetime being silently poisoned.

Sometimes this human stuff is slimy and pathetic...but better to feel it and talk about it and walk through it than to spend a lifetime being silently poisoned.

Anne Lamott
The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.

The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.

Anne Lamott
I didn't need to understand the hypostatic unity of the Trinity; I just needed to turn my life over to whoever came up with redwood trees.

I didn't need to understand the hypostatic unity of the Trinity; I just needed to turn my life over to whoever came up with redwood trees.

Anne Lamott
You can tell if people are following Jesus, because they are feeding the poor, sharing their wealth, and trying to get everyone medical insurance.

You can tell if people are following Jesus, because they are feeding the poor, sharing their wealth, and trying to get everyone medical insurance.

Anne Lamott
[S]he believed that the Buddhists were right–that if you want, you will suffer; if you love, you will grieve. (68)

[S]he believed that the Buddhists were right–that if you want, you will suffer; if you love, you will grieve. (68)

Anne Lamott
Never compare your insides to everyone else's outsides.

Never compare your insides to everyone else's outsides.

Anne Lamott
I'm here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped.

I'm here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped.

Anne Lamott
Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

Anne Lamott
I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.

I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.

Anne Lamott
So how on earth can I bring a child into the world, knowing that such sorrow lies ahead, that it is such a large part of what it means to be human?
I'm not sure. That's my answer: I'm not sure.

So how on earth can I bring a child into the world, knowing that such sorrow lies ahead, that it is such a large part of what it means to be human? I'm not sure. That's my answer: I'm not sure.

Anne Lamott
It's so awful, attacking your child. It's the worse thing I know, to shout loudly at this 50 lb. being with his huge trusting brown eyes. It's like bitch-slapping E.T.

It's so awful, attacking your child. It's the worse thing I know, to shout loudly at this 50 lb. being with his huge trusting brown eyes. It's like bitch-slapping E.T.

Anne Lamott
It was not facing what life dealt that made you crazy, but rather trying to set life straight where it was unstraightenable.

It was not facing what life dealt that made you crazy, but rather trying to set life straight where it was unstraightenable.

Anne Lamott
Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Anne Lamott
But grace can be the experience of a second wind, when even though what you want is clarity and resolution, what you get is stamina and poignancy and the strength to hang on.

But grace can be the experience of a second wind, when even though what you want is clarity and resolution, what you get is stamina and poignancy and the strength to hang on.

Anne Lamott
Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet.

Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet.

Anne Lamott
Grace is the light or electricity or juice or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.

Grace is the light or electricity or juice or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.

Anne Lamott
Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.

Anne Lamott
Being enough was going to have to be an inside job.

Being enough was going to have to be an inside job.

Anne Lamott
Having a baby is like suddenly getting the world's worst roommate.

Having a baby is like suddenly getting the world's worst roommate.

Anne Lamott
Teenagers who do not go to church are adored by God, but they don't get to meet some of the people who love God back.

Teenagers who do not go to church are adored by God, but they don't get to meet some of the people who love God back.

Anne Lamott
Trying to reason with an addict was like trying to blow out a lightbulb.

Trying to reason with an addict was like trying to blow out a lightbulb.

Anne Lamott
Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all. Laugh, rest, slow down.

Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all. Laugh, rest, slow down.

Anne Lamott
Sam said to me the other day,

Sam said to me the other day, "I love you like 20 tyrannosauruses on 20 mountaintops," and this is the exact same way in which I love him.

Anne Lamott
I remember staring at my son endlessly when he was an infant, stunned by his very existence, wondering where on earth he had come from.

I remember staring at my son endlessly when he was an infant, stunned by his very existence, wondering where on earth he had come from.

Anne Lamott
Mine was a patchwork God, sewn together from bits of rag and ribbon, Eastern and Western, pagan and Hebrew, everything but the kitchen sink and Jesus.

Mine was a patchwork God, sewn together from bits of rag and ribbon, Eastern and Western, pagan and Hebrew, everything but the kitchen sink and Jesus.

Anne Lamott
Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone's very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food.

Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone's very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food.

Anne Lamott
Jealousy has always been my cross, the weakness and woundedness in me that has most often caused me to feel ugly and unlovable, like the Bad Seed.

Jealousy has always been my cross, the weakness and woundedness in me that has most often caused me to feel ugly and unlovable, like the Bad Seed.

Anne Lamott
Who was it who said that forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a different past?

Who was it who said that forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a different past?

Anne Lamott
Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.

Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.

Anne Lamott
Sometimes grace is a ribbon of mountain air that gets in through the cracks.

Sometimes grace is a ribbon of mountain air that gets in through the cracks.

Anne Lamott
I think we're all pretty crazy on this bus. I'm not sure I know anyone who's got all the dots on his or her dice.

I think we're all pretty crazy on this bus. I'm not sure I know anyone who's got all the dots on his or her dice.

Anne Lamott
I’m probably just as good a mother as the next repressed, obsessive-compulsive paranoiac.

I’m probably just as good a mother as the next repressed, obsessive-compulsive paranoiac.

Anne Lamott
And she is going to dance, dance hungry, dance full, dance each cold astonishing moment, now when she is young and again when she is old.

And she is going to dance, dance hungry, dance full, dance each cold astonishing moment, now when she is young and again when she is old.

Anne Lamott
If your wife locks you out of the house, you don't have a problem with your door.

If your wife locks you out of the house, you don't have a problem with your door.

Anne Lamott
Everybody thinks their opinion is the right one. If they didn't, they would get a new one.

Everybody thinks their opinion is the right one. If they didn't, they would get a new one.

Anne Lamott
There is nothing more touching to me then a family picture where everyone is trying to look his or her best, but you can see what a mess they all really are.

There is nothing more touching to me then a family picture where everyone is trying to look his or her best, but you can see what a mess they all really are.

Anne Lamott
...one of the worst things about being a parent, for me, is the self-discovery, the being face to face with one's secret insanity and brokenness and rage.

...one of the worst things about being a parent, for me, is the self-discovery, the being face to face with one's secret insanity and brokenness and rage.

Anne Lamott
I smiled back at her. I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.

I smiled back at her. I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.

Anne Lamott
If there is one door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must. Otherwise, you'll just be rearranging furniture in rooms you've already been in.

If there is one door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must. Otherwise, you'll just be rearranging furniture in rooms you've already been in.

Anne Lamott
Write as if your parents are dead.

Write as if your parents are dead.

Anne Lamott
And as it turns out, if one person is praying for you, buckle up. Things can happen.

And as it turns out, if one person is praying for you, buckle up. Things can happen.

Anne Lamott
Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy and equanimity.

Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy and equanimity.

Anne Lamott
It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.

It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.

Anne Lamott
... the reason life works at all is that not everyone in your tribe is nuts on the same day. [pp. 65-66]

... the reason life works at all is that not everyone in your tribe is nuts on the same day. [pp. 65-66]

Anne Lamott
It is a violation of trust to use your kids as caulking for the cracks in you.

It is a violation of trust to use your kids as caulking for the cracks in you.

Anne Lamott
One thing I know for sure about raising children is that every single day a kid needs discipline.... But also every single day a kid needs a break.

One thing I know for sure about raising children is that every single day a kid needs discipline.... But also every single day a kid needs a break.

Anne Lamott
These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced.

These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced."

Anne Lamott
To be engrossed by something outside ourselves is a powerful antidote for the rational mind, the mind that so frequently has its head up its own ass.

To be engrossed by something outside ourselves is a powerful antidote for the rational mind, the mind that so frequently has its head up its own ass.

Anne Lamott
For too long, and despite what people told me, I had fallen for what the culture said about beauty, youth, features, heights, weights, hair textures, upper arms.

For too long, and despite what people told me, I had fallen for what the culture said about beauty, youth, features, heights, weights, hair textures, upper arms.

Anne Lamott
There is ecstasy in paying attention.

There is ecstasy in paying attention.

Anne Lamott
Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.

Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.

Anne Lamott