Quote of the Day: Les Brown on Time & Perspective

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to start your next chapter, let this insight from Les Brown be the permission you need: “The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today”.

Most of us don’t outright refuse our own growth. We negotiate with it. We say, “I want to apply”, “I want to apologize”, “I want to get healthier”, and then we add a small, respectable word that keeps our identity safe: but. That one syllable is a verbal escape hatch. It protects you from disappointment, and quietly preserves the status quo.

Brown’s brilliance is that he doesn’t argue with your circumstances; he listens to your sentence. “But” is often the moment you hand the steering wheel back to fear. Try a different move: replace “but” with “and”. “I’m tired and I’ll walk for ten minutes”. “I’m nervous and I’ll send the email”. “I don’t know how and I’ll ask”. The problem doesn’t disappear; your agency reappears. This is what courage looks like in the wild, small choices that keep going.

Les Brown earned his authority the hard way: rising from a difficult early life into broadcasting, public service, and a global career in motivational speaking, where his work has helped millions trade excuses for action.

Today, pick one “but” you’ve repeated this week and rewrite it as an “and”. Then take the smallest next step you can complete in under five minutes, open the document, make the call, put on the shoes, outline the plan. Do that once, and you’re no longer debating success; you’re practicing it. May your words make room for your tomorrow.