While there are a lot of great quotes out there that inspire me, the following - undoubtedly - are at the top of my list:

10. “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.” -Martina Navratilova

9. "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do something I can do." -Helen Keller

8. "I choose not to place "DIS," in my ability." -Robert M. Hensel

7. "It is a lonely existence to be a child with a disability which no-one can see or understand, you exasperate your teachers, you disappoint your parents, and worst of all you know that you are not just stupid." (Okay, not exactly inspiring, but it's one that I can relate to, after having spent 12 long years in self-contained special education classes.)
-- Susan Hampshire

6. "Let's stop 'tolerating' or 'accepting' difference, as if we're so much better for not being different in the first place. Instead, let's celebrate difference, because in this world it takes a lot of guts to be different. -Kate Bornstein

5. "I am different, not less." -Temple Grandin

4. "It was ability that mattered, not disability, which is a word I'm not crazy about using." -Marlee Matlin

3. "Placing one foot in front of the other, I've climbed to higher lengths. Reaching beyond my own limitations, to show my inner strength. No obstacle too hard, for this warrior to overcome. I'm just a man on a mission, to prove my disability hasn't one." -Robert M. Hansel

2. "If you're an underdog, mentally disabled, physically disabled, if you don't fit in, if you're not as pretty as the others, you can still be a hero." -Steve Guttenberg

And my absolute favorite quote...

1. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Albert Einstein

Do you have a favorite quote, or a list of favorite quotes? If so, I'd love to hear what they are! Feel free to post them in the comment box below!

Craig Gibson is the Editor of SensorySpot.com, sister site of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com. He is also a Feature Writer for AutismSpot.com. Craig was diagnosed with a learning disability at the age of six, and spent the next twelve years in special education. He has since earned two degrees and has published on the local and national levels. Craig can be reached at craig.gibson6@verizon.net.