Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.

It's time to take a look at the origin of another one of our Simple Sayings quotes:

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."

~Helen Keller, The Open Door

It looks like many of us (myself included!) have actually been misquoting Helen Keller. The full quote from The Open Door (1957) is as follows: 

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

The Open Door is a collection of excerpts from her previously published works. In the foreward, Katherine Cornell writes: 

"Today the name of Helen Keller is known by millions all over the world. But not because she is deaf and blind. Thousands have been, are, and will be deaf and blind. And not because, being deaf and blind, she learned to read and write and speak. But because although she is deaf and blind, she learned to think with a philosophical depth of understanding that reaches the minds and hearts of all, and because she learned to express those thoughts with a clarity all writers must envy. Helen Keller is thought of as a phenomenon, a miracle, a humanitarian, and educator. That she is also a philosopher and a writer will be found, I believe, by those who read these excerpts from her several books, to which it is now my pleasure to commend you."

Looks like a book I'll be adding to my reading list.

Be sure to check out all of our Simple Sayings here. If you'd prefer gold-filled instead of sterling silver, just contact us.

Have an idea for another quote? Please email us at orders@PunkyJane.com.

She Believed She Could So She Did

Let's take a look at the origin of another one of the quotes we use on our Simple Sayings.

"She Believed She Could So She Did"

I have to be honest. When I first heard this quote, I thought it was by C.S. Lewis. Not sure where I got that idea. 

Google's first result shows it's actually written by author R.S. Gray in her book Scoring Wilder, a forbidden soccer player/coach romance. Apparently, the coach is quite the bad-boy hunk!

While I may not be reading this book anytime soon, it gets great reviews and is a Top 100 Bestseller on Amazon. 

And I don't think anyone can disagree that the quote is inspirational. Whether you are trying to date your soccer coach, learn a second language, or be the best mom you can be, believing you can is the best approach.

Be sure to check out all of our Simple Sayings here. If you'd prefer gold-filled instead of sterling silver, just contact us.

Have an idea for another quote? Please email us at orders@PunkyJane.com.

"You are braver than you believe..."

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the origins of the quotes we use for our Simple Sayings. Let's start with one of my favorites! 

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

This sweet sentiment is by the one and only A.A. Milne, author and creator of Winnie the Pooh. 

While you may be very familiar with this portion of the conversation, have you heard the entire thing? Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh are having a heart to heart in "Pooh's Most Grand Adventure: The Search For Christopher Robin."

Christopher Robin: "Pooh Bear, what if someday there came a tomorrow when we were apart?" 

Pooh: "As long as we're apart together, we shall certainly be fine." 

Christopher: "Yes, yes, of course. But if, if we weren't together... if i were somewhere else?" 

Pooh: "Oh, but you really couldn't be, as I would be quite lost without you. Who would I call on those days when I'm just not strong enough or brave enough?" 

Christopher: "Well, actually..."

Pooh: "And who would I ask for advice when I didn't know which way to turn?" 

Christopher: "Pooh, we..."

Pooh: "We... we simply wouldn't be."

Christopher: "Oh, Pooh. If ever there's a tomorrow when we're not together, there's something you must remember." 

Pooh: "And what might that be, Christopher Robin?"

Christopher: "You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." 

Pooh: "Oh, that's easy. We're braver than a bee, and, uh, longer than a tree, and taller than a goose... or, uh, was that a moose?" 

Christopher: "No, silly, old bear! You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we're apart, I'll always be with you. I'll always be with you. I'll always be with you." 

Here's a little bit of trivia...

• Did you know that A.A. Milne's name is Alan Alexander?
• Forbes magazine ranked Winnie the Pooh the most valuable fictional character in 2002.
• The real Christopher Robin, Milne's son, had a favorite animal at the London Zoo...you guessed it, a bear named Winnie.
• The first Pooh story was called "The Wrong Sort of Bees," and was published in the London Evening News in 1925.

Be sure to check out all of our Simple Sayings here. If you'd prefer gold-filled instead of sterling silver, just contact us.

Have an idea for another quote? Please email us at orders@PunkyJane.com.