I am obsessed with quotes, and I find that there are certain quotes I always end up falling back on when my depression feels like it’s getting too out of control. Those quotes can get me through those hard days or weeks when all I want to do is curl up in a ball and stop existing for a while. Here are some of the more impactful ones that I’ve found and held onto.
“For a star to be born, there is one thing that must happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.” — Zoe Skylar
Whenever I start beating myself up for having a breakdown, or start worrying that everything is too much and that I’ll never be OK again, I remember this quote. I tell myself that I’m in the process of becoming who I’m meant to be. I tell myself that it’s OK that I’m stumbling. I’m becoming a star.
“Why do we fall, sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.” — Alfred Pennyworth
This is the first of many “nerdy” quotes that helps me. I find that fiction helps me express my innermost fears, anxieties and emotions, and this quote gives me hope. It’s OK to fall, just so long as we try to recover.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” — JRR Tolkien
There is so much beauty embedded in the Lord of the Rings books and many quotes to choose from, but this one in particular highlights depression. There is light, and it may be far off in the distance, but we will be OK. This pain, this fear, this is temporary. There is beauty waiting for us.
“Happiness can be found at the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” — Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter is my life’s blood, and many quotes found within the pages of those beloved books are helpful, but this one stands out to me the most. “The light” can represent anything, such as friends, family, and other resources that help people through difficult times.
“At the end of the day, I walk with the heart of a lion.”
A lot of my personal quotes have to do with lions, because I think they’re the most beautiful creatures to ever grace the earth, and I plan on working with them in my future. At the end of the day, I try to remember that. I try to remember that our paths will someday intertwine, and I will be OK.
Sometimes, all you need to do is remember that everything will eventually be OK, and if your brain won’t let you do that, a quote may be just the thing you need to get you through the passing storm.
