I love quotes. There is something immensely satisfying in the encapsulation of a thought in a few cleverly chosen words; in the sudden click of recognising an emotion – or snatching an insight – which helps me to work out where I am.
Like an unexpected reflection, quotes seem to be a way of knowing ourselves – through hearing another – and reaffirming what we do (or don’t) believe. They are a reminder – when I instinctively presume that “no one else feels like me” – that, actually, we quite often feel the same .
And have for years.
Since discovering twitter, I have moved away, slightly, from the random page-turned-down quotes that normally serve to locate me. My books continue to bear testament to my emotional state, but I am privy to a daily stream of snippets that seem to capture my mood or make me stop –
to consider.
I am well positioned for maximum exposure and some satisfying sense making as the quote come flying by, nudging my insights into place.
Like – It is never too late to become what you might have been. George Eliot – which is a timely combat to my “but it’s too late for me” complaints.
Or – Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind. F. Scott Fitzgerald – which encourages me to actualise my ideas and feelings, rather than stumble blindly over them, pretending that I can’t hear.
In conjunction with – What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us – Ralph Waldo Emerson – suggesting that I am able, if I chose to, to succeed.
And this one, which I’ve used already, but might need a little action before it steps out of my head…
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine. Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love quotes. There is something immensely satisfying in the encapsulation of a thought in a few cleverly chosen words; in the sudden click of recognising an emotion – or snatching an insight – which helps me to work out where I am.
Like an unexpected reflection, quotes seem to be a way of knowing ourselves – through hearing another – and reaffirming what we do (or don’t) believe. They are a reminder – when I instinctively presume that “no one else feels like me” – that, actually, we quite often feel the same .
And have for years.
Since discovering twitter, I have moved away, slightly, from the random page-turned-down quotes that normally serve to locate me. My books continue to bear testament to my emotional state, but I am privy to a daily stream of snippets that seem to capture my mood or make me stop –
to consider.
I am well positioned for maximum exposure and some satisfying sense making as the quote come flying by, nudging my insights into place.
Like – It is never too late to become what you might have been. George Eliot – which is a timely combat to my “but it’s too late for me” complaints.
Or – Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind. F. Scott Fitzgerald – which encourages me to actualise my ideas and feelings, rather than stumble blindly over them, pretending that I can’t hear.
In conjunction with – What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us – Ralph Waldo Emerson – suggesting that I am able, if I chose to, to succeed.
And this one, which I’ve used already, but might need a little action before it steps out of my head…
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine. Ralph Waldo Emerson