As an educator and curriculum theory enthusiast, I found that understanding students as individuals improved both my teaching and their long-term success. Personality types and natural preferences can shape how productive, collaborative, and positive people feel. Popular assessments I’ve used or been asked to complete include the Enneagram, True Colors, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Clifton Strengths. Understanding ourselves and one another influences how we work, analyze, and respond. Social media platforms attempt something similar by tracking the content that holds our attention, then using algorithms to show us more of it and keep us engaged. 

If you work with students, the semester’s novelty may have faded into schedules, deadlines, and perhaps concern about grades at the halfway point. In the office, the glow of vacation may have given way to meetings and routine frustrations. It may be time for a boost – a positively powered pep rally. How can we create one here? We can turn to memorable quotes, practical wisdom, and healthy perspectives from people who are smart, successful, kind, famous, or unexpected. Inspirational quotes offer quick perspective, emotional validation, and a mental spark that can shift your mindset.

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Why can quotes inspire us? A Fast Company article notes, “If your teacher, coach, or mentor believes you can do something, you’re more likely to do it.” People are drawn to “well-expressed wisdom,” and rhyme or parallel phrasing can make ideas more memorable. Confession: I keep a thick folder and a growing collection of inspirational Instagram stories, along with a box of kind notes labeled, “Need a lift?” I know – it’s a problem. So, let’s have some fun pairing traditional encouragement with mappy and geospatial wisdom.

Courage & Affirmation

• “I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.” Louise Hay
• “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Brené Brown
• “Make way for the unprecedented and watch your reality rearrange itself.” Yrsa Daly-Ward
• “You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing.” Ram Dass
• “The chance to love and be loved exists no matter who you are.” Oprah

Map Fun

• “Born to map, forced to attend meetings.”
• “ELLIPSOID – Perfect in Theory, Distorted in Reality.”
• “Friends don’t let friends use the Mercator projection.”
• “I map, therefore I am.”
• “I have many layers.” 

GIS Pick-Up Lines & Puns

• “How do GIS folks find a spouse? They datum.”
• “You complete my polygon.”
• “Ay, baby, are you an attribute table? ‘Cause I’d like to join and relate myself to you.”
• “Your contours are so fine, I’m delineating watersheds all over your body.”

GIS Office  

• “Save work early and often.” 
• “Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.” Tobler
• “Everything is somewhere. But understanding why things are where they are is a different story.”

• “The application of GIS is limited only by the imagination of those who use it.” Jack Dangermond
• “GIS is waking up the world to the power of geography, this science of integration, and has the framework for creating a better future.” Jack Dangermond
• “GIS is not just a tool, it’s a way of thinking.” Tanish Brown
• “GIS is not just about mapping, it’s about understanding the world around us.” 

Maps 

• “I wisely started with a map and made the story fit (generally with meticulous care for distances).” J. R. R. Tolkien
•  “A map is the greatest of all epic poems. Its lines and colors show the realization of great dreams.” Gilbert H. Grosvenor
• “Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making.” 

I hope you found some inspiration, shared a laugh, discovered someone new, created a little cubicle art, or simply paused to reflect – all worthwhile outcomes. I’ll leave you with my favorite reminder: “Bloom where you’re planted.” Life takes us to places that are both rewarding and challenging. When we learn to thrive wherever we are, we keep moving forward and make the best of our circumstances.

If you need me, I’ll be reorganizing my folder…maybe it’s time to go digital.

Barbaree Duke
Geospatial Crusader