From a writer’s perspective, I can easily say that the last thing I ever want to be is cliche throughout my work. Throughout most things actually, I make it my priority to be a least somewhat original. However, no one really tells you how hard this actually is. Many of the people responsible for these cliche quotes are still remembered for their work today, despite the fact that the quotes themselves have been overused. Your surroundings may tell you to not become a cliche. But aren’t so many of those cliches also the things that people tend to love? A lot of cliches are words that inspire us the most, which is why we all wish they weren’t cliches.
1. “We Accept The Love We Think We Deserve.” --"Perks of Being a Wallflower"
Have you ever felt like you’ve accepted something that you thought would be enough, then realized you were just settling for something? That something could range from various things, like a significant other, a friend, or a career. It’s easy to feel as if you need to hold onto that relationship or friendship that you don’t really want. You think you have to hold onto it because truth be told, you know you’re just lonely. This is something that "Perks of Being a Wallflower" got just right. This cliche touches me so much because there have been many instances when I settled for short-lived friendships or relationships, even though I knew it wasn’t the kind of love I should be receiving. Sorry, I’m getting a little too cliche.
2. “Be The Change You Want To See In The World” --Mahatma Gandhi
Honestly, this cliches feels like the most annoying, yet occasionally motivating, quote that’s ever been heard. Sure, the world is full of new ideas and everything. But how easy is it for one person to change it? Don’t get me wrong, I truly love the motivation in this quote, but it’s highly overused. However, if there’s one thing I could wish for myself, it would be that I could actually find the confidence in myself one day to do what the quote says.
3. “Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken." --Oscar Wilde
I feel like this quote is made for little kids, or at least for kids who are still on the verge of going into middle school. This quote feels the most cliche to me because it feels quote obvious and juvenile. Honestly, it’s not easy for me to be myself all the time. Sometimes I don’t even like to do be myself until I’ve gotten to fully know someone first. Despite how much I seem to be bashing this quote, I do wish that when I was younger, I didn’t follow along with the behavior of my friends just because I wanted to fit in. So, I guess you could say this cliche is rather painfully realistic and relatable.
4. “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, Smile Because It Happened." --Dr. Seuss
Okay, I low-key find this cliche very hard to actually follow through with. As a highly emotional person, I tend to cry at so many things, especially when someone in my life has left me or when a significant event in my life has ended. And is that bad? No. Should I be commemorating it all instead of getting so upset about it? Probably. This quote is one that I truly wish wasn’t so overused, because I struggle with being happy whenever good things come to an end.
Everyone may tell you that life is full of cliches, and that you shouldn’t be another cliche yourself. But you can just say to hell with it, and embrace those cliches by letting them encourage you more and more. All of these quotes are known as cliches because they were overused. And why were they overused? Because they are so damn inspiring, meaningful, and motivating. Can anyone change the fact that this is true? As a writer, I feel like the one job I have is to use my own mind to come up with something stellar, because this writing world is quite competitive.
However, no one can help the fact that these are quotes labeled as cliches, but we can affect how we actually view them as ourselves. Also, I apologize again if this last paragraph sounded overwhelmingly cheesy, realistic, or cliche.
