Reflective Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old reflective quotes, reflective sayings, and reflective proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

It is not so much the example of others we imitate as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words. Eric Hoffer
What is emitted from the divine, though it be only like the reflection from the fire, still has the divine reality in itself, and one might almost ask what were the fire without glow, the sun without light, or the Creator without the creature? Max Muller
Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it. Lou Holtz
Art has to be reflective of our society. David Zayas
Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people. Albert Einstein
In silence and movement you can show the reflection of people. Marcel Marceau
One of the saddest things in life, is the things one remembers. Agatha Christie
Reflection is only a partial understanding of truth if it does not translate itself in practice into commitments to the common good and justice. Truth is not mere abstraction but something to be done and is only apprehended when this is realized. Adolfo Perez Esquivel
Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead. Yvonne Woon
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Søren Kierkegaard
A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. Henry David Thoreau
A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living. Rudolf Steiner
Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers. Cesar Chavez
Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us. Alan Cohen
One of the best things about paintings is their silence - which prompts reflection and random reverie. Mark Stevens
To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection. Henri Poincare
Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him? Bill Watterson
How could you cleanse yourself if you couldn't forget? Ann Brashares
Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see further. Thomas Carlyle
A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become. W. H. Auden
We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. Malala Yousafzai
Reflective thinking is like a crockpot of the mind. It encourages your thoughts to simmer until they're done. John C. Maxwell
Adversity is an opportunity for self-discovery. John C. Maxwell
The value you receive from reflective thinking will depend on the kinds of questions you ask yourself. John C. Maxwell
When you reflect, you are able to put an experience into perspective. Reflective thinking enables you to distance yourself from the intense emotions of particularly good or bad experiences and see them with fresh eyes. John C. Maxwell
If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then you are undergoing a transformation. Jiddu Krishnamurti
The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is, Self-knowledge has no end—you don't come to an achievement, you don't come to a conclusion. It is an endless river. Jiddu Krishnamurti
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu
A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become. W.H. Auden
My mind has recapitulated every stage of human consciousness I enjoy now. But most of this remains buried in my unconscious. How little of myself do I really know. Bede Griffiths