Quotes are bite-sized phrases that spark inspiration for us to take action and become better versions of ourselves.
Since Noy Sauce likes explaining himself, I’d like to share some of my favorites quotes which I hope will inspire men to lead with love and believe in themselves.
“You’re better than her.” – Patrice O’Neal
Late comedian Patrice O’Neal, whom I call “Uncle Patrice”, built a cult following of men in the space of dating and relationships. This quote, which may be thought of as misogynistic, inspires the belief of abundance that once men know their worth and truly believe they’ll be happy with or without the lady, women will be more attracted to those men. Men can develop this mindset of abundance by developing a purpose, working towards that purpose through consistent action, having a strong prayer life, and trusting God and in himself that he will find the right partner.
“They [women] are looking for someone to lead them, but they want to be led by someone that they believe in.” – Patrice O’Neal
To follow-up from the last quote, I believe that women can be leaders and that they can be self-sufficient. My mother and aunt have proven that in how they lived their lives and how they raised me. My girlfriend lovingly reminds me, “I’m a strong, independent woman,” especially when I offer to help her. However, women appreciate it when men take initiative and lead them. Doing so allows women to fall into their natural feminine side of following their men. Of course, women will test men to ensure that he is the man he says and thinks he is.
“You’re embarrassed to fail? So what? Get over yourself.” – Kobe Bryant
When I started Noy Sauce back in 2014, I was very scared of putting my writing out there where it was open to criticism. I’d write and share posts every few months, waiting for the next breakthrough before sharing with the hopes of getting many facebook likes. However, I made the stand to get over myself and share my experiences. So what if I fail in this endeavor? If one person benefitted from the writing, then I’ve served the Lord and laid a brick in His Kingdom’s foundation.
“It is never convenient, and it is always difficult to cast our nets into the deep waters of the spiritual life, but we will always bring in a huge catch if we heed the Lord’s direction.” – I forgot who said this quote 😅
We will experience inconvenience when cultivating our relationship with God, making us question whether or not following His call is worth it. However, the better we become at solving problems in the journey by simply carrying our Cross, God will reward us in unexpected ways through His grace.
“Evil has its hour, but God wins the day.” – Father E.
We may think that with all the bad news we hear is what defines what happens next. God wins the day by offering us the freedom to make a choice – an opportunity to soften our mental toughness like a carrot, harden our hearts like a hard-boiled egg, or change the circumstances around us by transforming ourselves.
“You will get burned by people, but that should not stop you from living a rich life.” – one of my San Diego airbnb hosts
Sharing your generosity will inevitably lead to some people taking you for granted and not showing appreciation. When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one of the lepers came back to thank Him. When you feel unappreciated and drained for sharing your gifts, take a step back, then a deep breath to appreciate how far you have come, and move forward. You will be amazed how Rich you are not only from your heart, but also in God’s eyes.
Speaking of Rich, embody the three principles to be rich in God’s eyes:
- Generosity: share blessings to those around me without expectation as blessings will come back to me tenfold
- Service: help make a positive difference to others
- Stewardship: take care of responsibilities entrusted to us, leaving it at a better place
These 3 principles came from a homily at a church near Malibu. Father’s words struck me at a time I was questioning my sanity for sharing my generosity with friends, time in service, and for being a steward in my family. Father’s words provided comfort that despite being burned in these aspects at times, leaving me drained, God has blessed me in unexpected ways. Those blessings later came in having the skills worthy of earning more money and being in a relationship.
“Take many journeys at the same time and do not wait!” – E.D.
Many people believe that once we achieve a goal, then we can start on another goal. However, this mindset leads to a fairly dull life since we aren’t living as fully. By taking many journeys at once, we learn new skills that we can use across disciplines. For example, I honed my conversational skills by attending events and meeting people. Those skills were used in my day job where I can better explain concepts to co-workers than others, which makes me a valued team member.
“Fuck the marshmallows.” – Steven Pressfield
There was a study that children who waited more than 5 minutes to be rewarded with more marshmallows instead of eating the marshmallow right away were more likely to be successful later in life. In this world that encourages instant gratification, life is more rewarding when we play the long game, accepting that there will be seasons of suffering. After those seasons of suffering, we can celebrate our small wins to encourage us to keep moving forward.
“Trust your instincts.” – Tim Grover (personal trainer of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade)
We were taught in school and in our culture growing up to not question what we are taught. This toxic mindset breeds indecisiveness as we become adults, leading to analysis paralysis. We set ourselves free from indecision by taking action in the midst of our fears. With enough actions taken, we produce results we can build upon to trust our instincts and simply be.
“Real G’s move in silence like lasagna.” – Lil’ Wayne_
The letter “G” isn’t pronounced in the word lasagna. It’s “silent”. I believe that Lil’ Wayne meant gangsters in the “G” of his rap verse, where the more effective gangsters were silent in what they did. But Noy Sauce believes that the real G is “God”, who often speaks to us in our silence, especially during prayer.