“Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we’re quoting.”
This morning I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I woke up, so I started surfing Tumblr for quotes.
Maybe it’s because I’m a journalist and a writer, but I love hearing what people have to say, especially the stuff worth quoting. I could go hours just sitting on the internet searching for words of wisdom and writing them down to remember later on. I have made collages for the walls in my room that are covered in quotes.
I wear a compass pendant every day, and when people notice it, they don’t realize that on the back of it says “There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.” I love jewelry like this, they’re just simple reminders that I can keep going, and to me, that matters more than any gold locket or diamond necklace ever could.
What interests me most about quotes is that even though many times they’re pulled out of context, and they may not mean to one person what they meant to the person saying them, they can still resonate with people enough to have an impact. Words are one of the most powerful weapons that we have, and I’m drawn to them constantly. I could sit around all day just looking for quotes, in fact, I have done it before.
My best friend and I spent an entire day last summer making matching quote collages that we keep in our rooms to remind ourselves that we’re there for each other, even though we were two hours apart. We’re probably doing it again, even though I’m already running out of wall space.
I’ve learned so much about myself just from hearing other people’s words. I’ll hear something that I can identify with, and it helps me understand more about myself and what it is I want out of the world. And it’s healthy for me to do that, I think.
“I am a paradox.
I want to be happy,
but I think of things that make me sad.
I’m lazy, yet I’m ambitious.
I don’t like myself, but I also love who I am.
I say I don’t care, but I really do.
I crave attention,
but reject it when it comes my way.
I’m a conflicted contradiction.
I just can’t figure myself out,
there’s no way anyone else has.”
Quotes are often a driving force for my writing too. I’ll start with something someone else said, and I’ll bounce off of it for inspiration. It’s the easiest way for me to start my journaling when I’m stuck, and it’ll always be my go-to solution when I have writer’s block. I’m inspired by other people and the words they say. It’s easier to write about people when you have something to work with.
It’s been pointed out to me that when I try to isolate myself and keep my interactions with others to a minimum, my life becomes “less interesting,” and will prevent me from keeping my writing going. While the interesting may be exhausting, and there are some nights that I just want to plop down on the couch and remain undisturbed, I know that’s not me. My favorite part of my day is coming home, sitting on my balcony and writing about everything going through my head, and in order to do that, I need the inspiration.
As long as there’s people and words out in the world, I will always have something to write about.
“When reading, we don’t fall in love with the characters’ appearance. We fall in love with their words, their thoughts, and their hearts. We fall in love with their souls.”
Driven By Daydreams 
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