I'd made it this far and refused to give up because all my life I had always finished the race.
Louis ZamperiniRead
If you hate somebody, it's like a boomerang that misses its target and comes back and hits you in the head. The one who hates is the one who hurts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hatred harms the hater more than the hated.
This quote reflects the idea that harboring hate or negative feelings towards others ultimately causes more damage to ourselves. Instead of affecting the person we dislike, our hatred can manifest in our own emotional and mental state, leading to self-inflicted pain and suffering.
Themes
HatredForgivenessEmotionsPainSelf-Harm
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mental health, one might refer to this quote to highlight the importance of letting go of negativity.
More from Louis Zamperini
All quotes βTo persevere, I think, is important for everybody. Don't give up, don't give in. There's always an answer to everything.
Louis ZamperiniRead
People say, on the raft, you must have hallucinated. Baloney. We were sharper after 47 days than the day we started because our minds were empty of all the war and contamination; we had clean minds to fill with good thoughts. Every day we'd exercise our minds.
Louis ZamperiniRead
I think the hardest thing in life is to forgive. Hate is self destructive. If you hate somebody, you're not hurting the person you hate, you're hurting yourself. It's a healing, actually, it's a real healing...forgiveness.
Louis ZamperiniRead
All I did was pray to God, every day. In prison camp, the main prayer was, 'Get me home alive, God, and I'll seek you and serve you.' I came home, got wrapped up in the celebration, and forgot about the hundreds of promises I'd made to God.
Louis ZamperiniRead
People tell me, "You're such an optimist". Am I an optimist? An optimist says the glass is half full. A pessimist says the glass is half empty. A survivalist is practical. He says, "Call it what you want, but just fill the glass." I believe in filling the glass.
Louis ZamperiniRead
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