Are there times that you have a craving to hear words of advice or wisdom?
Me too. Quotes have always been a dear friend of mine. I love reading other individuals' words and connecting them to how I feel, act, am or want to be. A few simple words strung together creating a flow of voices, colors, ideas and emotions can help individuals see another’s perspective. Although I have far too many to count, here are eight of my favorite quotes that I think every woman in their 20s should hear.
1. V.E. Schwab, "A Conjuring of Light."
“Love and loss,” he said, “are like a ship and the sea. They rise together. The more we love, the more we have to lose. But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love. And what a sad world that would be.”
Love those around you. Love is what brings light to our lives.
2. Jhumpa Lahiri, "In Other Words."
“What does a word mean? And a life? In the end, it seems to me the same thing. Just as words can have many dimensions, many nuances, great complexity, so, too, can a person, a life. Language is the mirror, the principal metaphor. Because ultimately the meaning of a word, like that of a person, is boundless, ineffable.”
Life is boundless, unlimited, immense. Live it as so.
3. Lauren Oliver, "Liesl & Po."
“Coincidences; mix-ups; harmless mistakes and switches. And so, a story is born.”
The mistakes are what craft our unique stories. Appreciate the unexpected.
4. Megan Hart, "Tempted."
“There are few times when we know with absolute certainty we are going to do something for the last time. Life has a way of moving in circles, bringing us back to places we didn’t expect and taking us away from those we do. There are too many times we don’t pay close enough attention, and moments are lost in our assumption we’ll have another chance.”
The little moments allow us the chances we want or didn't get the first time.
5. Rainer Maria Rilke.
“You love most of all those who need you as they need a crowbar or a hoe. You have not grown old, and it is not too late to dive into your increasing depths where life gives out its own secret.”
You are in your 20s. You have your whole life ahead of you. Dive into your goals and passions.
6. Cora Carmack, "All Lined Up."
“This is just what it feels like to get older. It won’t be the last time you look back at your life and realize just how stupid or naïve or terrible you’ve been. I’m pretty sure that’s a reoccurring thing until death do us part. The truth is… We’re all a little screwed up. If humans were capable of being perfect there would be no such thing as Jerry Springer, and the world would be filled with unicorns and fairies, and families would never be broken, and children would never disappoint their parents, and things wouldn’t hurt as badly, but it also wouldn’t feel so damn good when things go right. And friends wouldn’t have anything to stay up late and talk about because everything in the world would be too boring to matter. The only thing we can do is try to find people whose scars complement our own.”
We all have scars and flaws. Not one of us is perfect. Accept those flaws and learn to fiercely love yourself. Your unique self makes the world a bit brighter.
7. Emma Cline, "The Girls."
“You wanted things and you couldn’t help it, because there was only one life, only yourself to wake up with, and how could you ever tell yourself what you wanted was wrong?”
Self-love is important. You are going to wake up to yourself every day for the rest of your life. Practice self-love.
8. David Arnold, "Kids of Appetite."
“We are all part of the same story, each of us different chapters. We may not have the power to choose setting or plot, but we can choose what kind of character we want to be.”
We may not choose our circumstances in life, but we do choose how we react to them.
Our 20s are meant to be some of the best years of our lives. Life them this way.
