Inventor Buckminster Fuller was not a fan of know-it-alls. As you might expect, the visionary who engineered the Montreal Biosphere in 1967 was insatiably curious, a quality that fueled his passions for architecture, futurism, philosophy, and poetry. This sentiment permeated Fuller’s bibliography of more than 30 books. “It is one of our most exciting discoveries that local discovery leads to a complex of further discoveries,” he wrote in 1975’s “Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, Volume One.” In his opinion, it was auspicious to approach any situation from a deferential, inquisitive place. Conceding that there is much to learn is the best blueprint for discovering something new.

James Baldwin was a Black writer and activist who fought for social change during the mid-20th century. His masterful work often focused on the Black experience and inequalities he witnessed in America. In this quote, he recognizes that not every injustice can be made right, but unless weaknesses in society are faced, positive change will never come about. You must acknowledge a problem is present before you can ever begin to deconstruct it. His words encourage and promote hope for all those who fight uphill battles.

Author and spiritual teacher Amit Ray often uses meditation as a technique to teach compassion and peace — within oneself and toward others. In this quote, Ray encourages living in the moment. Unless we are mindful of the present, time can slip past us without our awareness. But when we become more intentional about taking in and appreciating every moment, life takes on more beauty. Every occasion has the potential to be breathtaking — we just have to notice it.