I am a book lover. I am a movie junkie. I love things that tell a story. I love the authors that tell the story. I love the authors and actors/ actresses that make you feel something. If they made you feel something, then their job is complete. If you are a lover of the written word, then you most likely feel as I do.

Benjamin Franklin once said:"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."

That quote, in particular, has always stuck with me, and of course, I am working on the part of writing something that is worth reading.

Quotes are a huge part of my life. I look to quotes from movies, books, and people themselves. If it inspires me, I copy it down for safe keeping. Most people that know me extremely well are aware that there are quotes hanging in my room and that I highlight whatever I find interesting. It's something I enjoy doing in my spare time.

My brother recently informed me that coming up with your own original quote is better than copying someone else's, and I agree that being original is better, but I also respect quotes from other people as well. So, I will still look to other writers for inspiration while I work on my own sayings.

With that being said, there are many authors that I appreciate, and I have a list of favorites. I have decided to share quotes from four of my all-time favorite writers.

John Steinbeck says...

1. You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.

Sometimes you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes to truly understand where they are coming from and what they have experienced. Empathy is a powerful thing.

2. Maybe the hardest thing in writing is simply to tell the truth about things as we see them.

It's the hardest thing to do in writing, in person, and just life in general. Just tell the truth and be honest with how you see things. It opens up the lines of communication.

3. You know how advice is. You only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyway.

We've all done it before. We ask someone for advice, but then get mad when we don't like what they have to say. Sometimes our minds are closed and made up before we even ask for help on what to do.

Mark Twain says...

4. Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Twain had a funny sense of humor, and I absolutely love it. He's right! The world owes you not a thing and you must work for what you want in life. You must take the silver spoon out of your mouth at some point.

5. It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Think before you speak... It will save yourself from embarrassment and not waste the time of others.

6. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Too many times we talk ourselves out of amazing opportunities. Thinking back on all the things you did will always feel better than looking back and regretting on all that you missed out on.

Nicholas Sparks says...

7. You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.

I have bent over backward for other people more times than I can count and I ended up hurting myself in the process. Sometimes you have to put yourself first in some situations. You have to do what is best for you.

8. Nothing that's worthwhile is ever easy. Remember that.

The best things in life are earned. If things haven't gotten better yet, then the fight is not over.

9. You're going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it's always their actions you should judge them by. It's actions, not words, that matter

Couldn't have said it better myself.

John Green says...

10. It's very sad to me that some people are so intent on leaving their mark on the world that they don't care if that mark is a scar.

What if we focused on touching other people's lives instead of leaving deep wounds?

11. Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.

Words left unspoken out of fear often lead to regret. You can't go through life being scared to speak, move, or go because that isn't living.

12. You spend your whole life stuck in a labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.

There is nothing wrong with looking forward to your future, but you have to follow through on plans. We all must stop daydreaming at one point and begin to work towards the future we have envisioned.