I asked friends to tag things that were meaningful and share their own What I Live By statement. Each expression I got back was as unique, clear and powerful as the person that shared it with me. A lot of friends weren't ready to answer... no rush. I'm not going anywhere.

What I Live By: doing "dangerous things!" -- Gloria Strettell (child) — What I Live By: doing "dangerous things!" -- Gloria Strettell (child)

AFTER

What I Live By: Undermining the mass-market establishment through brand SUBVERSION and IRONY (while still availing oneself of the goods). :) -- David (flaneur)

What I Live By: imagination and clarity, trusting the in-between, loving what is. ---  Laura Rudish (poet/CFO/healer) — What I Live By: imagination and clarity, trusting the in-between, loving what is. --- Laura Rudish (poet/CFO/healer)

What I Live By: I live by the hardworking theme of my home town team because if you want to have the most of what you want, you have to be strong willed and go hard with what you have. But it takes more than what you start with to get there. You hav… — What I Live By: I live by the hardworking theme of my home town team because if you want to have the most of what you want, you have to be strong willed and go hard with what you have. But it takes more than what you start with to get there. You have to dig deep mentally to endure physical adversity by focusing on the challenge even when the odds are against you. That takes grit and grind.
---Daniel Price (Jookin' King of Memphis)

I live by light, love, and relationships. What I Live By: This is a bag that Millie and I designed to give to guests at our wedding. The image is of the Berkeley campus (where we met) and it includes the Berkeley motto, "Fiat Lux," which transl… — I live by light, love, and relationships.
What I Live By: This is a bag that Millie and I designed to give to guests at our wedding. The image is of the Berkeley campus (where we met) and it includes the Berkeley motto, "Fiat Lux," which translates to, "Let There Be Light." I could not think of a more perfect thing to proudly attach this label and idea to.
---Sunil Arora (tech, business, serenity master)

This is what I live by... Seeing the world through a particular lens, extracting the beauty from chaos and showing it to the world. Using my tools, light, form, composition,perspective to convey a message whether it be reality or fantasy. … — This is what I live by... Seeing the world through a particular lens, extracting the beauty from chaos and showing it to the world. Using my tools, light, form, composition,perspective to convey a message whether it be reality or fantasy.
----Marcus Burnett (DP and brewmaster)

What I live by: is hands, heart, body & mind, sensing into the world.  What I live by is the possibility of waking up in this world & finding refuge in being itself.  Not super-shiny being, not good-all-the-time being, not with-the… — What I live by: is hands, heart, body & mind, sensing into the world. What I live by is the possibility of waking up in this world & finding refuge in being itself. Not super-shiny being, not good-all-the-time being, not with-the-right-people-the-right-teacher-the-right-job-the-right-foods being, just being. Ordinary-extraordinary. Everyone’s birthright, there all the time, in all circumstances, if we listen.
Anne Lamott ends a piece about mother’s day saying, “I don’t want something special. I want something beautifully plain. Like everything else, it can fill me only if it is ordinary and available to all.” That to me is like the refuge quality of being: something beautifully plain that is available to everyone. Something that doesn’t care the tiniest bit whether you’re succeeding or failing in the eyes of the world, whether you’re gaining or losing, whether you’re gimping along or racing towards first prize.

I ironed Elana’s What I Live By patch to my studio apron because I want everything that happens in this space to be coming from a place of Let’s just see what happens here. A place of (as Laurie Anderson says) You were born and so you’re free, so happy birthday. Now, when I tie this thing on, I’ll think of Elana, of our complicated friendship, of her gorgeous laughter, and be reminded to live by what I live by. Why do anything else?

I live by the blind places and the wide-open ones. I live by being graceful one minute and terrible the next. I live by knowing difficulty is no mistake, and ease is always available.
---Julie Puttgen (artist, meditation teacher, humane being)