I blog for a number of reasons. The primary reason, however, is to create interesting and engaging conversations with the hope that those conversations turn into long-lasting relationships. And, of course, some of those relationships will turn into business opportunities. But I’m not blogging first and foremost for business. I’m truly blogging for the conversation.

top-5.jpgJust a couple of days ago I asked the question are you the whole or just part of the whole? That lead to a very interesting conversation around whether we look at ourselves as whole beings or beings made up of parts. I’ll let you read and add to the conversation, if you like.

So when I was considering Darren Rowse’s lastest Writing Project, I wanted to write something that tied into that conversation. Yeah, sure, I could write the standard, top 5 blogging tips list. But that’s boring, really.

Instead, what I’ve done is gathered 5 of favorite quotations and relate them to blogging. Each of these five inspire me in different ways. And while there are thousands of quotes I’ve read (and collected), these are the most interesting ones I could think of.

  1. The drops of rain make a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling. -Lucretius
    Conversational blogging is not a sprint to happy high lands of massive traffic, huge link backs and Alexa rankings. It’s a marathon of touching one person at a time with something that’s meaningful to their lives.
  2. It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it. -Albert Einstein
    At the very least, a conversational blogger gives as much (s)he receives. And if (s)he can give more, it’s all the better.
  3. Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand. -St. Francis of Assisi
    The conversational blogger doesn’t see his/her self as the expert that everyone should be learning from. Rather, they see themselves as students more than teachers – always being open to learning from what others have to share.
  4. Once harm has been done, even a fool understands it. -Homer
    The conversational blogger is careful with his/her words because (s)he does not wish harm to anyone. They may have strong opinions, but they never make it personal or hurtful to others.
  5. Talent develops itself in solitude; character in the stream of life. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    Conversational bloggers are in a constant cycle of learning, growing, changing and integrating. Their work is when the keyboard is silent. And, the fruits of their work are shown in how they interact with others.

Okay, I can’t stop. So how about two three more…

  1. To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. -Lao Tzu
    As conversational bloggers, we can learn to fill our selves every day with more knowledge about how to blog, how to drive traffic, how to get more links. What get, then is that – knowledge. But wisdom, and great conversation, comes from stripping it all down to just the conversation. Share, give, link and the rest takes care of itself.
  2. To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. -Soren Kierkegaard
    The conversational blogger stretches his/her self with their blog. Since they don’t have to be the expert, there’s room for them to slip into risks without unknown outcomes. This can become exciting and engaging conversation, without which we’re not authentic.
  3. What do I think about when I strike out? I think about hitting home runs. -Babe Ruth
    One of my favorite all-time quotes. With your blog, swing for the fences. Just know that sometimes you’ll miss. So don’t let striking out get you down. Think about the sweet feeling when you connect and the ball goes sailing over the wall.

So, there it is…five eight inspirational quotes that tie directly into better conversational blogging.

Be sure to check out some of the posts that are showing up daily at Problogger. You can view the entire lists for Days 1, 2, 3, & 4 as Darren posts them. I’ve found some great topics from Day 2:

And please visit some of my friends who I know have participated:

What are your favorite inspirational quotes – whether they relate to blogging or not?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brandon Wood says

    One of my favorite quotes related to programming comes from Steve McConnell, but could easily be applied to other areas of life:

    A brute force solution that works is better than an elegant solution that doesn’t.

  2. This Eclectic Life says

    This post hit home with me. I love it when my visitors comment, and when I can comment back. Sometimes, I get stories out of people, which makes the day worthwhile. Thanks for adding my contribution as a link.
    Shelly

  3. This Eclectic Life says

    Oops. I meant to give you a quote, and I don’t know who might have said it:
    “Those who never chase a dream never catch one.”

  4. Lists says

    Wow, your site is a gold mine of ideas for my blog – which basically focusses on useful lists.

    Thank you for writing these 🙂 Much linky lovey will follow.

  5. This Eclectic Life says

    All of them did, but this one most:
    “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. -Soren Kierkegaard”
    Every day I try to risk by opening up about life, hoping it touches a chord in others so that they will share. I try most often to write essays that touch a “universal theme”…just “life.”

  6. Jean Browman says

    Wow! No wonder I keep checking your site. Quotes #1 and #3, especially, blew my socks off. I don’t want to sell anything, I just want to be a great conversational blogger. I know a lot about a couple of areas, but I don’t want to set myself up as a teacher, I want interaction, sharing and mutual learning. That’s the big adventure of my life.

    So, back to the keyboard and practice, practice, practice.

    Thanks!

  7. Scott says

    Dawud

    Thanks for the nod to my site

    Just followed your link back to find this site for the first time. I really like the design and greatly appreciate how easy it is to scan your articles. I’ll have to take some tips from it for my own use

  8. Armen says

    Top job Dawud, I really enjoyed this, it looks like you got really carried away, especially since you said you were only going to add two more and then added three 😉

    Oh, and am I not your friend?

  9. Derick says

    Three things:

    1) Awesome post! Seriously… one of the best I’ve read from the project.

    2) “The conversational blogger doesn’t see his/her self as the expert that everyone should be learning from. Rather, they see themselves as students more than teachers – always being open to learning from what others have to share. ”

    AMEN!

    3) Thanks for mention 🙂

  10. Dawud Miracle says

    Lists,

    Thanks so much. I really enjoy what I’m doing with my blog. And I love the conversations. So thanks for coming by and I hope to see you back soon.

    Robert,

    Thanks. I was fun to write this post. Fun and useful always go good together.

    Brandon,

    I like. Some might read and think it’s not gentle. Yet sometimes the best solution isn’t gentle. But we can be even when we use brute force.

    The Eclectic Life,

    Love the quote. So true, my friend.

    I’m glad this post touched you. Which was your favorite?

  11. Dawud Miracle says

    Jean,

    Number 1 is probably my favorite of those I’ve included. Though I have a soft spot for the Babe Ruth quote seeing as I spent a lot of my life playing baseball – and it’s a great quote.

    I’m glad you keep returning.

    Derick,

    Ah, how do I respond to that? First you pay me this huge complement, then you quote me. Boy, I’m finger-tied.

  12. Dawud Miracle says

    The Eclectic Life,

    I know what you mean. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve when I blog. But I can’t see doing it any other way.

    Scott,

    Sure. I loved your post.

    Feel free to borrow anything you like from my site – apart from the core graphics – to use on your site. Thanks for your kind words. And welcome.

    Armen,

    I know, I know. I can’t help it. I’m a quote junkie in the first place. You should see the list I started with – about 30. It was hard getting down to eight. Oh well, just more for later.

  13. Eli James says

    This post has struck a chord with me. I don’t really know why – perhaps it’s because I’ve seen too many ‘how to get links’ and ‘how to market a successful blog’ and ‘how to write blog posts’ that a take on conversational blogging is just … a breath of fresh air.

    I love Lao Tzu’s quote. And you’ve made me realize … at the end of the day the mark of a true successful blogger isn’t the money he makes, it’s the lives he’s touched.

    Thank you.

  14. Dawud Miracle says

    Eli,

    I take that as a high compliment, thanks. My blog is all about the conversation – with the occasional risk that doesn’t work. But that’s why I’m blogging in the first place – conversation.

    I couldn’t agree more…a successful blogger is the one who does his/her little part to make our world a better place. And, we still need to pay the bills.

  15. Jean Browman says

    What about Liz’s manifesto?:

    I will be a writer that keeps alive the music of the language, holds head and heart together in the words, and writes in hope and passion that one person will be better because he or she read what I wrote.

  16. Mr. Besilly says

    What a wonderfully brilliant addition to the power of blogging. It confirms what I believe and helps me refocus what I desire.
    I tried to catch your insight but it went so far over the wall… man, it’s gone. Great work.

  17. Mert says

    Very nice! I am the writer of “Top 5 things to do in Istanbul” This was my first group activity, but i liked it very much.
    http://meeting-continents.blogspot.com/2007/05/top-5-things-to-do-in-istanbul.html

    Have you ever been to Istanbul which links east to west, and west to east like a weblink. Istanbul played such a critical role in the world politics and culture throughout the history.

    Now i have a dream i would like to share with you and Darren Rowse. All the Probloggers should meet at Istanbul and join the 29th edition of the Eurasia Marathon on Sunday 28th of October, 2007.

    Let’s meet where the continents meet : As the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon starts from the Anatolian side while taking the runners to the most beautiful spots of town, signing its name under a touristic attraction as well. The Bosphorus is one of the most beautiful spots on the world and as you run through it, history of the centuries run with you on the streets.

    I joined the 28th Intercontinental Istanbul EurAsia Marathon on 5th of November, 2006 together with my friends, Joe and Suat San. We enjoyed the wonderful Bosphorus, and beautiful streets of Istanbul on a cold but sunny Sunday morning. The slogan for last year’s marathon was “let’s run for a non-smoking world”.

    this was my blog post for last year’s marathon:
    http://meeting-continents.blogspot.com/2006/12/intercontinental-eurasia-marathon.html

    I would be happy to invite you to the 29th Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon, the only marathon to run between two continents – Europe and Asia. Istanbul is one of the oldest settlements on the world. What about participating in the 29th EurAsia Marathon in 2007 which takes place in the most beautiful places of a wonderful city that has been the capital of three empires ?

    You may find details about the marathon here:
    http://www.istanbulmarathon.org/english/main.asp

    Please let me know if you are interested.

    Have a nice day!
    Mert

  18. Dawud Miracle says

    alicia,

    I could say that too. I’m always inspired by words, whether they’re in song, poems, speeches, books…doesn’t matter.

    Thanks for visiting.

    Jean,

    Absolutely. Without a doubt I feel the same way as Liz. I want what I write on my blog to help make the world a little better place to live – one person at a time.

  19. Dawud Miracle says

    Mr. Besilly,

    Thanks. Love the name. Now I have to click over to your blog to find out how Mr Besilly is…

    Renee,

    You’re so welcome. Thank you for reading my blog. I do hope to see you back sometime.

  20. Inventory Software Guru says

    It would be great to see a similar post of inspiration quotes for Twittering. I find twitter requires less effort, but can nevertheless take skill to make your tweets interesting and informative enough for people to follow you.

  21. Judy Conway says

    You have done an awesome job with expanding on these quotes. This is truly a breath of fresh air.

    It is truly amazing how someone’s words can help us to find a reason to find the best in our lives and the lives of others and be the best at what we do.

    Thank you!

    Judy

  22. Quotorium says

    Once harm has been done, even a fool understands it. -Homer

    Wow, very insightful for Homer Simpson!

    Just kidding, here a couple of mine:
    When one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. -Rosa Parks

    The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible. -Arthur C. Clarke

    The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. -Voltaire

  23. Frederik Trovatten says

    Great idea with quotes for a blogpost – I will do one myself on Danish – Thanks for the inspiration!

  24. storkclub says

    Great list of quotes…my favorite is “Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand. “-St. Francis of Assisi..such powerful and truthful words to live bt

  25. funny love quotes says

    I specially used the posts that are showing up daily at Problogger section.

    I like this quote the most:
    At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.
    Plato

  26. good inspirational quotes says

    Dawud Miracle,

    Thank you for that great list. You are doing a great service, keep up the good work. Yeah it’s indeed true, when you act from the heart, the money and everything else will follow.

    Here is a quote for you!

    ?I?ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.? -Maya Angelou”

    Thanks again Dawud
    – Joel

  27. free android apps says

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  8. […] Dawud Miracle wrote Five Inspirational Quotes For Conversational Blogging. One of his gems was this from St. Francis of Assisi: Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand. […]

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  13. […] 5 Inspirational Quotes For Conversational Blogging “… what I’ve done is gathered 5 of favorite quotations and relate them to blogging. Each of these five inspire me in different ways. And while there are thousands of quotes I’ve read (and collected), these are the most interesting ones I could think of” explains Dawud Miracle and lists no less than 8 great quotations and how they can be read with conversational blogging in mind. Great idea and very very well done. […]

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