Complete list of quit smoking articles

Words of wisdom to help you quit smoking, part 1

I've always believed that wisdom was one of the greatest attributes anyone could possess. Where does wisdom come from and how do you get it? Well, I think some people are born with it, but for the rest of us, we become wise with experience. Often the experience may be painful or harmful, but if you take away some wisdom from each of your experiences, soon you'll make decisions and take action based on Solomon-like wisdom.

There's another way to gain wisdom that doesn't involve learning it "the hard way." You can study the wisdom of other people, who have been through difficulties and triumphed (or at least learned something in the process of their lives).

Therefore, I present to you the wisdom and sage advice from famous and not-so-famous people, that you can apply to your own life, to help you quit smoking:

"A superior man is the one who is free from fear and anxieties." - Confucius

Don't be afraid to quit. Don't worry about failure or weight gain. Worry doesn't help you quit. It only makes you feel bad and paralyzes your actions. Break through your fears and quit, just for today.

"Every day increases the sheer weight of knowledge put into our hands, some new power control over natural processes....Our age is being forcibly reminded that knowledge is no substitute for wisdom. Far and away the most important thing in human life is living it." - Frank R. Barry

"Whoever acquires knowledge but does not practice it is as one who ploughs but does not sow." - Sa'di

You can read a dozen articles and books about how to quit, but to truly succeed you must turn your knowledge into action.

All smokers know that smoking is bad for them and that they should quit. Knowing and doing are two very different matters. Take action!

"Take the tools in hand and carve your own best life." - Douglas Lurton

Oh, how exciting life is when you realize that you have the power to mold it into whatever you want. The tools you need to achieve your goals--to quit smoking--are within reach. Learn from the success and experience of others and begin creating a new smoke-free life for yourself.

"What a curious phenomenon it is that you can get men to die for the liberty of the world who will not make the little sacrifice that is needed to free themselves from their own individual bondage." - Bruce Barton

What are you willing to die for? What would you defend to the end? You'd probably die for your family or country or perhaps even a stranger in need. Why then aren't you willing to sacrifice puffing on a cigarette for your own life?

"There can be no liberty that isn't earned." - Robert R. Young

Freeing yourself from cigarettes takes effort. Plan to work hard for your freedom and be willing to put up with discomfort and frustration. The end result is worth it.

"Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

"The most common sort of lie is that by which a man deceives himself: the deception of others is a relatively rare offense." - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves." - Eric Hoffer

How often have you said, "I can quit whenever I want," or "I'm not addicted," or "I can smoke just one"? Begin speaking with honesty to yourself about your habit. Human nature dictates that we forgive the wrongdoer if only he will admit his mistakes honestly. Be honest with yourself, forgive yourself, then make a positive change.

"Cast of Characters

I Won't is a tramp,
I Can't is a quitter,
I Don't Know is lazy,
I Wish I Could is a wisher,
I Might is waking up,
I Will Try is on his feet,
I Can is on his way.
I Will is at work,
I Did is now the boss."
- Earl Cassel

Which character are you?

"Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank." - Ben Irwin

Remember, this life is the only one you have. There's no reset button, no rewind. Live this life with purpose, and value each day. "I'll quit tomorrow," is like stealing from your own bank account.

"Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise." - Samuel Lover

Don't tell me your excuses for why you haven't quit. If your entire family smokes, make it your goal to be the first one to quit. If you job is stressful, look for ways to relax naturally and to make your job more peaceful.

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey." - Harold V. Melchert

As you begin to quit, you may feel like you can never make it-- you can't imagine never smoking again. Don't give "never smoking again" much thought. Take your quitting one day at a time. Step by step you will make it. Inch by inch, it's a cinch.

"Nothing would be done at all if a man waited till he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it." - Cardinal John Henry Newman

There's never a perfect moment to begin quitting. You'll never know every possible technique; you'll never have just the right stress level in your life; you'll never be completely ready to quit. Be willing to fall on your face a few times if necessary.

"Man is what he believes." - Anton Chekhov

Do you believe you can quit? If you believe it, you will see it. Nothing is more important.

"I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the 'oughtness' that forever confronts him." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Don't accept your current situation as a permanent station in life. You have the power to change. Strive for more.

"A disease known is half cured." - Thomas Fuller

You're reading this because you know you have a problem and you want to change it. You're halfway there! Now finish the journey.

"Great minds have purpose, others have wishes." - Washington Irving

Do you "wish" you could quit sometime soon, or are you quitting this very moment?

"Only fools and dead men don't change their minds. Fools won't. Dead men can't." - John Henry Patterson

Are you stubborn about smoking? Still think it's not bad for you? Do you believe you don't have the power to quit? Change your mind now before it's too late.

"It is the mind that makes the body rich." - William Shakespeare

The power to quit ultimately resides in your mind. You are not a body with a mind. You are a mind with a body.

"Anything that the human mind can conceive can be produced ultimately." - David Sarnoff

We're back to belief. If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it.

Part II will appear in a future issue.