I have a friend who receives messages from the universe from fortune cookie fortunes. (Don’t laugh—some of those sayings are pretty profound.) I myself recently received a message from the tag on a tea bag: "When God made time, He made enough of it."

Sometimes messages that resonate or inspire come from unusual places—and that’s OK. “If you need the messenger to help lend credibility, that’s fine, just don’t be too quick to judge before you listen to the words,” writes Yaro Starak in “2009 in Review: Did You Focus On What You Really Wanted?” He continues, “Far too many people miss out on potentially life-changing insights because they refuse to take on ideas simply because of where the information is coming from. If something challenges your way of thinking, don’t reject it on principle, keep your eyes and mind open, listen to the words, see how what is being said can fit into your world view, and grow from there. You don’t have to like or even trust the messenger to benefit from the message.”

I read (more than) my share of self-help books, and I’ve learned a lot from them. But sometimes, a line or two from an unexpected source sticks in my head, like:

“I might as well be myself. Everyone else is taken,” director Oliver Stone.

“Sometimes you have to let go so new things can come in,” blogger and author Laurie Perry (http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/), Aug. 1, 2007 post.

And last but not least, “Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one,” Dr. Seuss.

What are your unusual sources of inspiration? Take inspiration whenever and wherever it comes from—and pass it on!