Let’s face it: The world is kind of in a disarray right now. America has it’s fair share of problems: mass murder, a Congress that can’t agree or accomplish anything, and the potential of a lunatic sitting in the Oval Office, among other things. But it’s not just this great country struggling, the rest of the world is having a hard time too, South America with the Zika virus, the U.K withdrawing from the European Union, and extremist groups terrorizing the Middle East. As a nerd and a quote collector, I thought instead of focusing on the negatives in our world, I would look in the opposite direction. So, here are twelve of my favorite quotes from my favorite stories to remind us that we’ve been here before, and we can adapt and overcome.
1. "Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”
-Of Mice and Men by John Steinback
In 1937, Steinback hit the nail on the head. Were we not meant to co-exist and share this world? Why do we anxiously look down at our phones and turn the other way when someone we think is sketchy walks past us? Why is everyone wearing a turban or hijab at the airport suddenly a threat? Are you really afraid that the man on the train next to you is going to follow you home? Maybe if we just smiled more and looked away less, the world wouldn’t look as scary.
2."Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”
-Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
There’s forgiving and there’s forgetting. And its not enough to just do one. If you spend your whole life hating or resenting someone or something, you’ll miss out. Big time.
3. “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”
-To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Standing up for your rights and beliefs is brave and courageous no matter what. Of course it’s heroic to fight for your country, but also heroic is the ability to stand up, perhaps against friends and family, and fight for justice. Atticus Finch is an American superhero, who always did what was right, not popular. Maybe guns are necessary for our military, but they are not what defines bravery nor being a man.
4. “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling
Some people will tell you that there are certain people who are destined to go down the wrong path, and others who can’t stray off the narrow road. That is a load of crap. We all have the ability to be essentially good or evil, and it’s the choices we make that define us. Maybe it’s the seemingly normal boy next door who executes a shooting, or the ex-con that helps his elderly neighbor grocery shop, we are all capable of doing both right and wrong. There is no excuse: make choices for your life and change for the better.
5. “Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.”
-The Iliad by Homer
We live in a world of cowards, who are too afraid to stand against the popular crowd. It’s funny that the Iliad, written around 850 B.C, talked about these lying cowards, and yet it seems they multiply rapidly every day. Just because you’re impressed by someone on TV or the cool kid at school doesn’t mean it’s right. Even if your whole family thinks one thing, but you morally disagree, don’t pretend: fight for what is right.
6. “The Destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees.”
7. “Might does not make right! Right makes right!”
-The Once and Future King by T.H White
I must admit, I am a huge King Arthur fan. The ultimate fighter for justice, Arthur was always about equality and the welfare of people, truly giving his whole life to his kingdom. He learns from his wise mentor Merlyn, who knows that as history repeats itself, we’re doomed if we monkeys keep marginalizing each other. Merlyn also understands that Might can win the battle, but never the war. The world will never be right if we keep trying to use force to control each other. Only right can make right, if only world leaders could see that. T.H White wrote his masterpiece after World War II, yet his evaluations seem all too relevant to modern day conflicts.
8. "Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Our world is dominated by money and power. We find no problem throwing away money on material items, but forget to value the people and places around us. We talk about the cost of allowing more immigrants to migrate and live in the U.S, but forget to realize these immigrants are not just numbers, but rather people with names and lives and stories. They’re just seeking the fair chance that they never got but we all take for granted. Forget about the money for just one minute, and think about the lives that can be changed by allowing a poor immigrant child an education. Maybe they’ll be the doctor that saves your life one day
9. “Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
-Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
America’s favorite pastime: Pointing fingers and blaming others. We’ve decided that if something bad happens, there is NO way it can be our own fault. It has to be someone else’s or, just a part of fate. Since when is that the right way of thinking? Of course, there are circumstances we cannot control, but when we hear about another shooting, or another death from opioids, we can’t keep blaming the world. It’s time to step up and spark change.
10. “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”
-The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Did you hide in an attic from Nazis who killed all your friends and wanted to kill you, only to be captured, tortured and killed by these bloodthirsty men? No? Yet, Anne Frank still had a positive outlook. She knew a few bad people could not spoil the whole lot. Maybe we should a lesson from history’s most famous 15 year old and start expecting the best of people, not the worst.
11.“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”
-Catcher in The Rye- J.D Salinger
Ah, Holden Caufield. You either love this kid or you hate him. Me? Well I guess I see a lot of myself in Holden. For starters, his sarcastic and blunt evaluations of people. And here, Holden speaks the truth once again. A lot of people in positions of power have big egos, and they don’t like being told they’re not as smart or as good at their job as they think they are. So they probably won’t like it if you call them a moron, but that doesn’t mean you should roll over for them. A title means nothing. Efforts, actions, and results can help determine the success of a leader, but what really matters is how they treat and respect those whom they lead.
12. “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying.”
-The Shawshank Redemption-Stephen King
It’s not enough to just be complacent and go through the motions of every day life. If you’re not happy with what you have, go out and get what you want. If Andy Dufresne can escape prison and hop the border, you can finish that college degree or marry the person of your dream.
Instead of listening to the monkeys on TV or in the papers, pick up one of these classics. Even if they were written 10 years ago, or maybe 3,000, they still understood the basic human faults, and their stories remain as proof that these faults are passed through generations. But even more so, their stories remind us that with all the faults humans struggle to control, we can survive, and we will overcome.
Thanks for reading, and in the well-said words of my spirit animal, Holden Caufield, “Sleep tight ya morons!”.