It was called The Book of Quotes, curated by two guys in my high school. They were skinny/tall, a bit too smart, and not remotely athletic–way before that geek title was claimed with pride. Back when a dork’s best defense was his intelligence. The Book of Quotes was their prized possession; a spiral notebook carried everywhere, poised to immortalize the key words, when the world became bizarre. Entries were made daily, of course.
I was friends with the dark-haired one but definitely not smart/male/cool enough to hang with these guys on a regular basis. We were self-segregated in those days. Okay, that part hasn’t changed much. But one day when we were sitting in the library, they opened the sacred book and read a quote–obscure and out-of-context. It went splat out on the table, followed by snorting, giggling, and faking sophistication while pushing my glasses back up my nose again. We all just wanted to be in on a joke instead of the butt of one.
I had a secret. I kept a book of quotes, too. It wasn’t like theirs; mine was meant to be an oracle for lost girls. Like this:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”― Eleanor Roosevelt
You catch my drift. Mine didn’t involve arcane jokes or adolescent innuendos. Mine was literary and heartfelt. The quotes were my battle cry because if a good quote is repeated enough times, it becomes an internal tattoo.
“Assume a virtue if you have it not.” Shakespeare
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. –Rabindranath Tagor
When an old-friend-quote shows up in real life, take it as an omen.
This blog started out as wishful thinking. I’d just finished my book and I was strangely confident. Sink or swim; Stable Relation was just what I wanted it to be. Every word of it.
The problem was what to do next. How had it not occurred to me that writing the book wasn’t going to be enough? Now what? I had no confidence in the process. I was still that girl who chanted the magical words from other books. In a world of literary giants, my little book was invisible…unless I spoke up for it. A daunting prospect, so I recycled an extremely well-worn quote for that:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
Or in my case, one blog post. Here’s where I thank you, dear reader, again and again. It’s been a wild hike this last eighteen months.
The full-circle-crazy part? It happened while scrolling through Facebook. I came upon a quote that I thought about copying for an instant… but then I recognized the attached photo. It was one of mine, and now that I looked closer… I hadn’t recognized the words out-of-context. For all of the editing and word arranging needed to tell a story just right, I’d never once thought of dissecting my writing into a small bite. But umm, now that I think about it, that is how a quote happens, isn’t it? What a world!
Are you a quote collector, too? Words are free magic. We share them like our breath, our experience, our mutual lives. Words come from teenage boys, or ancient texts, or our own imagination, to remind us we are more alike than different.
The magic happens when a printed word takes flight, and carries us along.
Love how you write. Do I collect quotes? No but I like reading them and digesting them. And I did have a couple geeky friends in school too. =-) Deb
Here’s to geeky friends! Thanks Deb.
Love this! I am so very much a ‘quote-hoarder’ and for the same reasons – they inspire me when I need it and keep me going when I want to give up – thank you.
Right you are; quotes are hard working words! Thanks, Andree.
My favorite that an older, more experienced girl had hung with a picture of a grand championship ribbon above her space at the boarding barn where I first learned to ride: “Don’t aim for success; do what you love and believe in it, and will come naturally.”
It has guided me in and out of the barn for almost 30 years now. 😉
Thanks Genta, that is a wonderful quote. For some reason, writing this I didn’t think of my barn quotes; they are the best. Thank you for reminding me. (I torment my clients with them, too!)
Anna, your blog left me hanging – what was the quote you stumbled upon while scrolling in Facebook? I agree with all the prior posts from the other ladies: quotes buoy us through difficult times and provide inspiration to achieve! Love your blog, Anna!
Oh… that first time I saw one from Stable Relation it was this one:
“‘It was enough to be in the saddle. I just needed to be held that way.”
Lately, over this last year, people quote the blog when sharing it on FB, it still amazes me each time. It isn’t false modesty; there is part of me that will always be a reader and not recognize this new thing I do sometimes…