Helen Keller was an American novelist and educator who overcame her blindness and deafness to become a humanitarian. She advocated for the blind and women's suffrage and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union. She also was the first blind and deaf person to graduate.
Helen Keller's narrative is an inspiration to many people all over the world, and her life story and accomplishments are praised all over the world. The list of Helen Keller Quotes is enough to inspire and motivate anyone.
Her narrative supports the message that it doesn't matter how you were born, whether you were born deaf, blind, or disabled. What matters is that you think positively at all times, and you may be anyone you want to be.
There are many lessons that could be learned from her story, like never giving up and doing what you want to, and working hard to achieve what you desire are the two most important lessons.
There are more meaningful ideas and words spoken by her that inspire many people to keep going and achieve their goals.
The following are some of the Helen Keller Quotes made by the author of 'The story of my life' herself:
1. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”
Can't agree more with this Helen Keller Quote!
True, we can't always feel the beauty of the world around us with only a touch or a glance. Beautiful things can only be sensed or seen when a person understands their actual value.
When a person's heart sighs when they see something beautiful and consider it to be the most extraordinary thing, that's when they feel it with their heart and understand its genuine significance.
2. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
It is claimed that no matter what happens, one should remain positive and confident.
Holding your head high all the time shows that you are willing to confront anything that comes your way, and people will respect you for it. Looking the world in the eyes is another way a person can be considered as brave and confident.
3. “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
Isn't this Helen Keller Quote too deep? When you gain sight, you view the world around you to be normal.
However, when you can see all of the wonders the world has to offer, some people overlook the one benefit that could have been theirs.
Having a vision, whether it's of something they've imagined for themselves or something they've always desired to undertake. When a person has a vision, they experience the world in a new way, which can be beneficial to them as well as those around them. However, not everyone can have a vision.
4. Everything has its wonders, even darkness, and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”
Even darkness is believed to be gorgeous at times; while light makes it impossible to see stars, darkness is one of the few things that allows you to glimpse the beauty of the night sky.
Everything has its advantages, whether in darkness or silence, with a problem or a solution, a person should be content because no matter what happens, everything has an advantage, and you may come to appreciate them.
5. “Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”
Our source of happiness is the only way we remain to overcome problems and stay positive. When we keep ourselves and people around us happy, we always tend to have a more positive outlook on life.
When we think more positively, we tend to see difficulties as problems that will pass us by. Instead of viewing obstacles as a negative and moving on with them as they define our lives, we consider a more positive conclusion and view them as a lesson.
6. “Character cannot be developed with ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
One's character changes frequently throughout life, whether as a result of a traumatic experience or as a result of life's normal workings.
But the main point is to be evolving and becoming accustomed to the many workings of life.
Only then can we understand what true ambition is and how fulfilling it is.
7. “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.”
Who would not agree with this Helen Keller Quote!
Faith isn’t supposed to be taken lightly. It is viewed to be one of the most challenging things a person can face. Either it could lead you towards good or towards bad. What matters is how you work towards it.
Faith is the one vision that could lead to such wonders, that no human being would imagine there to be. Having faith is like knowing you will achieve what you want to.
It may be hard; it may not happen at once but in the end, what will matter is your faith towards that one thing.
8. “What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.”
Even after accomplishing much of what they desire, a human mind is unsatisfied. As a result, looking for things outside isn't always necessary, nor is it necessary to seek them exclusively from the outside world.
Even though we try so hard to grab them or keep them with us, some things always escape our grasp, and we are never sure of what we desire.
However, instead of looking somewhere else, you should look at yourself. You can find it in yourself, with you, and it can assist you in ways that were previously unimaginable.
9. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
This Helen Keller Quote clearly states and suggests that Life is not suitable for a mediocre.
Life throws many forms of events on a person, a joyful memory or a melancholic one can be considered forms of adventure that life throws at us.
It will not always be easy, one day it may be good and the other it may all turn upside down. But, without all these upside downs, how boring will it be to live in the same pattern experiencing nothing but the same emotions on repeat.
Hence, if life isn’t a daring adventure, then what is? Nothing.
10. “We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.”
Joy is always a crucial part of one's life that should come and go at different periods. When we are happy, we forget about the possibility of anything horrible happening again.
We are carefree and naïve, surrendering ourselves to the good moments we experience and thus dismissing sad moments and other events as unimportant.
We would learn to seek more and more delight in this world if we were merely happy in it. Eventually forgetting what it was for. We wouldn't pay attention to any potential danger, but we wouldn't be brave or patient either, because the only thing we know is the good in this world and of this world.
11. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do.”
Always stay on the positive side of life and things can turn out to be much easier than they seem to be.
Staying positive relaxes your mind and allows you to accomplish a variety of tasks, many of which are impossible to accomplish if anxiety is accepted as usual.
Keep your head up high like the sunflowers, as this Helen Keller quote suggests. Not simply because of the confidence, it radiates, but also because it demonstrates positivity and self-belief.
12. “We can do anything we want to if we can stick to it long enough.”
Dedication and not giving up attitude is what this Helen Keller Quote is asking for!
When we begin something, whether it is an activity or something we have always wanted to do since we were a child. We have an unmatched passion for what we do.
However, the more we do it, the more drained we become.
It is more difficult to imagine it as it was when we first started, but as we hold it up and imagine it all over again, it returns. Continually doing something over a period of time can aid in the establishment of a routine.
13. “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything but still, I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
Consider yourself a person who is capable of completing a task. Only a small percentage of people believe they can achieve everything and can do it.
Those who hold back because they are unable to accomplish many things, on the other hand, are the ones who end up achieving nothing.
Still, do something while you still can do so. Without regard for anything else, and once you start, you never know what will happen. You can end up accomplishing a lot of things, which will eventually lead to practically everything.
14. “When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don’t see the one that has opened for us.”
When we focus on our past regrets more than we focus on our present, we deem to forget there is so much more that we have to discover, and so much more that is coming our way, unlike the things that have already been left in our past.
Opportunity is that other door that opens for us, and if we miss the entering of something new in our lives and focus on past mishappenings.
We can never face life the way we want to, and we will always be stuck on past regrets and mishaps.
15. “While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done.”
This Helen Keller Quote basically suggests that Nothing is impossible.
When we think about achieving something, we are confronted with a variety of challenges. They can take any shape, such as people or other types of accidents.
However, given the numerous interruptions, completing that assignment should be the top priority. Many people believe it isn't possible, but it isn't unless you take a stand.
Someone else will have already accomplished it, someone, who has simply focused on the work at hand and has ignored all other negative circumstances.
16. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”
The world may be full of suffering and all kinds of misery, but the only remedy that is necessary is to pull yourself through it and face it to overcome it.
Suffering comes to an end when we decide we don't want to live with it any longer; it comes to an end when we decide we must overcome it and start anew.
17. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.”
A bend in the road is a new opportunity to be perceived. It’s not the end, it is nowhere near the end.
But if we believe it to be the end, we may consider it so and not make the turn.
It can lead to us losing opportunities and new goals in life, the ones that can help us live life the way we want to.
18. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.”
Being an optimist can never be a failure and so does this Helen Keller Quote says.
When a person is optimistic, they are more likely to try new things and succeed in whatever they set their minds to.
It is their faith that leads them to a goal they have aspired to or are willing to reach.
19. “When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is brought in our life, or in the life of another.”
When we know we've given it our all, we can presume happiness for ourselves and anyone to whom it means significance.
And by giving it our all and not slacking, we never know when or how we will be rewarded with something far more valuable than what we set out to do.
20. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”
We live and learn something every day from our own experiences. This Helen Keller Quote says that our life is a collection of these lessons in succession.
Lessons must be learned, and life provides us with several opportunities to do so.
We will never understand what those lessons meant to teach us unless we overcome them and go through them.
Life is meant to be lived, and lessons are meant to be learned in order to overcome obstacles and get a better understanding of the world and its people.
21. “Knowledge is love and light and vision.”
One of my favorite Helen Keller quotes describes three forms of knowledge.
Knowledge is far too important to be overlooked. When you know a lot of things, you can overcome bigger challenges.
Knowledge is the desire to comprehend everything around you, the light that guides you through life, and the vision that one must perceive to continue living.
22. “So much has been given to me. I have not time to ponder over that which has been denied.”
There are simply too many things that we take for granted; one thing or another is something that we already have yet we are unsatisfied with.
But, looking at the bright side, we have been given so much, even if we don't always obtain the things we want. There's already a lot to admire and treasure.
The other things may arrive sooner or later, but the things we now have been with us can be taken away at any time if we are not grateful.
23. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
Like always, even this Helen Keller quote says that there are no shortcuts in life.
Every beautiful place has a difficult trail that leads there.
At the end of the trail, when the destination is finally reached, all of the hardships are supposed to be worth it. Short cuts can be used to go to any destination.
However, the places worth so much are found without shortcuts, and most likely through difficulties, not to make things difficult, but to make it worthwhile in the end.
24. “One painful duty fulfilled makes the next plainer and easier.”
When a person has gone through one challenging day, they know they can handle any future challenges.
It makes it easier for the following days to progress and end more smoothly and readily than the previous days.
25. “To keep our face toward change, and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, is strength undefeatable.”
Change is inevitable no matter what we do in life, and facing it is one of the most liberating experiences we can have.
We must be free for ourselves, free to face the fate that befalls us and to know what will happen if we dare to resist it. It's also one of the bravest things you can do.
26. “Do not think of today’s failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow.”
This Helen Keller Quote asks you to take the optimist approach.
The lessons we learn from today's failures will help us succeed tomorrow.
Failures should not be regarded any differently; regrets from the past force us to miss out on opportunities for tomorrow's success.
A previous failure will teach you valuable lessons for your next success; learn how to apply those lessons and move on to your next major achievement.
27. “The world is not moved only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.”
The heroes' powerful shoves aren't always the only thing that pushes the world forward.
The tiniest of pushes, and the tiniest of things, matter. Because when all of these pushes are combined, they make a much stronger push than all of the heroes, as well as for all of the heroes.
Never be scared to make a small contribution; you never know how much of an impact you can have on the world.
28. “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Nothing is impossible for anyone and so does this Helen Keller quote states.
If someone can imagine something, they can also achieve it.
When we fantasize about doing something, a part of us knows that if we attempt, we can succeed. We believe that one day we will be able to turn our idea into a reality.
Hold on to the notion that you will be able to put your dreams into action.
29. “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
Having company while doing specific tasks can be helpful. It's always fun to spend time with friends and family.
Staying alone isn't always the best option; having great friends and people around us can help us make positive changes in our lives.
It's always better to be with a friend in any scenario than to be alone with the human mind, which can be the most devastating experience.
30. “Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.”
Our happiness is in our hands so this Helen Keller quote suggests us to be happy in whatever we currently have and keep working for all that we want in the future.
When working toward a goal, we should not overlook what we already have.
It is ungrateful to ignore previously existing aspects of our lives, and it can also lead to our forgetting their significance.
Be content with the things you presently have and strive for more of what you desire.
31. “What is true happiness? It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
Happiness can be attained when a goal is pursued with faith and perseverance.
It's not about self-satisfaction; it's about how hard you worked for the goal and how effective it was in the end.
When you put in a lot of effort toward a worthwhile goal, you'll know when it's accomplished that it was worth it. And it is this that makes you happy.
32. “True, I cannot see the stars scattered like gold dust in the heavens, but stars just as bright shine in my soul.”
This Helen Keller Quote is dedicated to all the shining stars who did wonders in their lives.
Stars aren't intended to be visible in the night sky all of the time. Those stars can sometimes be impenetrable to the naked eye; one cannot see them but can sense their presence within them.
At times, it's almost as if you can feel your soul sparking, and the stars within us shine brighter than the stars in the night sky.
33. “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”
Anyone would be ecstatic to do a great and honorable task. However, you may not always be able to complete such a task.
Even if you are unable to complete such work, all of your other tasks should be regarded as great and noble in your eyes, as this is how they will be valued.
And one day, you may accomplish a big and noble task without even realizing it.
34. “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.”
Again, even this Helen Keller quote is suggesting everyone to be an optimist instead of a pessimist.
A pessimist can never achieve bigger things; instead, all they can do is prevent others from achieving greater things.
A fulfilling existence is one in which you focus on the good elements of things and believe in what you see.
A pessimist will never be able to accomplish what a positive and healthy person can.
35. “Life has two rules: #1 Never quit and #2 Always remember rule one.”
One of my favorite Helen Keller quotes, discusses the importance of never giving up in life.
It isn't specifically about life, but it does provide the most important advice that mankind must follow.
Make it your first rule to never give up, and remember to put it into practice in any situation. Many things happen without our knowledge when we learn not to quit, and these things might also lead us to reach greater achievements.
Always remember to never quit, and to be positive. Believing in yourself and your ability to do something is always the best way to go.
I hope you liked all these Helen Keller quotes, as I loved writing them for you. I wish they inspire you the same as they did to me!