36 Life-Changing Sentences People Heard Once That Now Live Rent-Free In Their Hearts

There's a thread on AskReddit that was created a couple of months ago by the user u/Imaginary_Ride_6185, who asked netizens, "What's a single sentence someone said that stuck with you forever?" As it turns out, such situations happen quite often in people's lives, so the thread has become really popular.

As of today, the thread has over 6K upvotes and nearly 4K various comments. The stories range from touching to funny, from sad to moralizing, and discussions of these stories unfold. Sometimes it even reaches the point of revelation, as people from different parts of the world were touched by roughly the same phrase.

It so happens that many of the phrases you'll read or hear here are somehow related to death or some serious illness. This is not surprising, as anyone faced with the inevitable begins to think differently, reconsiders their own life, and perceives everything around them from a completely new angle.

And along with them, we rethink the meaning of words, too. For example, as in one of the stories told here, a pre-med student automatically said to a terminally ill patient the "standard" words that they understood their suffering - only to receive a gentle but firm answer: "No, you don't understand..."

So it's at this very moment that you involuntarily begin to reflect on the frailty of existence, and how far all our words, so beautiful and so empty, are from the truth in the face of the inevitable end. It's frightening, but it also makes us - even if only briefly - become more human.

A separate category of stories from our collection contains motivational phrases that, in one way or another, encourage people to overcome life's various difficulties. But almost every motivational phrase is actually based either on completely empty "generalities" or on the speaker's personal experience - and this experience can be completely irrelevant.

My favorite example is Thomas Edison and his classic phrase: "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." A formula that, by and large, worked perfectly for only one person - Edison himself.

The fact is that the great inventor lacked theoretical education, which he always compensated for with numerous experiments and an absolutely superhuman work ethic and stamina. Competitors joked that just a year at university would’ve replaced Edison's decade of failed experiments - but then he wouldn't be Edison, right?

Humanity has wielded words for many thousands of years, and they’re truly one of the most powerful tools we've ever had. Words can be a weapon, and they can be a shield. They can lift you to the skies, or they can bring you crashing down to earth. Many people underestimate the power of words - and completely in vain.

"Our words carry enormous weight. More than we sometimes think," says Michael S. Hyatt, a famous speaker, podcaster, and the author of books about leadership. "They often impact people for decades, providing either the courage to press on or one more reason to give up." By the way, here's another wise quote for you, in addition to those you've already read here.

In any case, we do believe you'll find these three dozen or so stories very interesting and useful to read, so please feel free to scroll the list to the very end; it's truly worth reading, just believe me. And, well, if you have your own tale about the wisest or simply catchiest words you've ever heard, why not share it in the comments below?