Many people know that I spend a lot of time looking for quotes that have an incredible amount of meaning to them. Whether that comes from the topic pertaining to me in that time, or the person who said it reminding me that what I want to do with my life is important; I just love quotes. To me, they bring me back in time and show me what people were thinking at that time and how their thoughts were perceived. There's a quote circulating now from Lil Wayne about the Black Lives Matter movement, and in twenty years, somebody will find that quote and do a report on it, or write an article on it. In my years, I have been lucky enough to find quotes from books, movies, magazines, and even Twitter trends. Here are the top few that I choose to live by:
1. Thirteen Reasons Why, pg. 60
Thirteen Reasons Why is, by far, my favorite book of all time. The words spoke to me on a level that reminded me that I wasn't alone in the way I was feeling. In the first few pages, we learn that the girl in the book, Hannah Baker, had killed herself and is now sending tapes out to people on why. One of my favorite quotes from that book is on page 60 "the past is over. You cant go back and change it. You cant take back things that you said, or do things you wish you had. Once you walk away from an opportunity it is gone. There is no changing it. If someone had done what they thought was right in the moment, then the past would not need to be rewritten." The explanation is all right there. The past is the past, and there's nothing we can do to change it. This quote taught me that we have to keep going because time doesn't stop for anyone. Life continues. It also reminds me that the things we say now are permanent, and the things we do can't just be taken back.
2. Thirteen Reasons Why, pg. 4
I wrote above about what we find out in the beginning of the book, and this quote solidifies that. "Hannah Baker killed herself. She used to fill her life. She was a filling in the world. Her desk was full the day before, now her empty desk is there, reminding everyone that she is gone. The desk is like her life, once full, now empty." This quote just reminds me about how fragile life really is and how time for someone else can stop completely in an instance. It taught me to cherish others completely in what little time they may have on this earth.
3. Helen Keller
Helen Keller was deaf and blind, as most know, but she was also an American author, political activist, and lecturer. If we can learn patience from anyone, it would be her. Helen said "we could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world". Good and bad exist in this world side-by-side and they intermingle all the time. This quote reminds me that bad things WILL happen to me, and they will affect me, but I can't get through them without patience and bravery.
4. The Fault in Our Stars pg 285
If you haven't read "The Fault in Our Stars", or at least seen the movie, then do it. It's incredibly moving. This quote may seem out of context if you haven't seen or read it, but there's a quote on page 285 that says “Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you". Grief is usually talked about as a sad thing after a death, and by technicality, it is a sad thing. However, after a death, we are in touch with our most inner feelings, and things like that reveal us as who we are and let us see ourselves in a deeper way. So, a death is bad, but there is always good that comes from bad.
5. Sanober Khan
I really don't think this one needs a background story, "when admiring other people's gardens, don't forget to tend to your own flowers". The majority of these that I live by have been about finding the good with the bad and vice versa, but this one is a little different. You have to take care of yourself. You have to or you won't survive. Mentally, physically, the whole nine yards. You can admire people in how they handle their lives, but their life isn't yours, their mental health isn't yours. Never forget that it's okay to help yourself.
I picked these 5 quotes, the majority of them about death, because that is something what has affected me personally since I was young. Everyone has different quotes that they love. Share them with everyone you know and get some in return!
