You know how you will be reading this random textbook or see a magazine article and be like "I feel like everyone should hear this quote at least once in their lives?" That is what I am here for. I am going to showcase some recent obscure quotes I have come across that I believe will generally add meaning, happiness, or otherwise general emotion to your current life. Although most of these are famous for their authorship So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

1. "The mere smell of cooking can evoke an entire civilization." - Fernand Braudel (French Historian)

I stumbled across this quote in my American studies class from this semester. I have to say that this is probably one of the most memorable quotes I have come across and the reason for that being how profound it is. You never view food as a lens with which to look at all other aspects of human life. Yet, this quote captures the quintessence of food as a function for remembering our roots and the profound impact that it has bringing entire groups of people together with a common factor.

2. "In other words, the conclusion I came to was that it was not so much myself that was to blame for my unhappiness, but the society in which I lived." - Thomas Merton

This quote hails from the book The Seven Storey Mountain: An Autobiography of Faith. Merton's quote is fascinating because it is seemingly a universal feeling at one point or another: unhappiness occurs frequently and often without a direct source or cause. I believe that Merton's quote provides insight as well, to the kind of society that we live in today, as well as speaks to the valid argument that within every generation and society, there occurs this feeling of unhappiness experienced by at least a few.

But I also find a hidden meaning in the quote; one that inspires strength and not just illuminates the places where society falls short. I take this meaning to be that even if there is unpleasantness around you, take control and be your own happiness; make yourself happy and change your own reality, even if that of the society tells a different story. The moral here being, inspire your own happiness and the perils of society will harm you less than if you were to dwell on the insufficiencies of human nature.

3. “Most people muddled through events and only in retrospect realized their significance.” - Kate Atkinson

This is true for many. Unfortunately, we as humans do not possess the power to see the future and therefore, our hindsight often fails us. Yet we learn from it and attempt to prepare ourselves for similar future situations and trials. Form Atkinson's book, Life After Life, this quote comments on the stupidity of people in their ability to adapt successfully. The theme of the book is as the title suggests, what happens when one is given infinite lives, and infinite chances to change moments within the life? The question is not so easily answered, but ultimately we discover that there are recurring results of all the collective lives: either you live to serve the greater good and others, or you live to serve yourself and those close to you. If you could know the outcome of every decision you have ever made, would that affect your choice? It is reasonable to say that Atkinson believes this to be true.

4. "You cannot hide the soul. Through all his unearthly tattooings, I thought I saw traces of a simple honest heart; and in his large, deep eyes, fiery black and bold, there seemed tokens of a spirit that would dare a thousand devils." -Herman Melville

You know the saying "the windows are eyes to the soul"? Well, I think this quote from Melville's Moby Dick plays off of that saying. The main character's ability to see through the physical form of this person in front of him and to be able to capture the essence of his heart and soul is a lesson we could all stand to use. Not judging someone or something from the outside, but by the person themselves and by the experiences these things and people give us. I also personally enjoyed the last phrase of the quote: "a spirit that would dare a thousand devils." I believe that we all face our own demons and we make it through; we survive because we grow up learning that life is hard and we face all kinds of difficult and heartbreaking experiences. But the image of coming through the flames, our soul scarred from the experiences, and yet still finding the strength to carry on, is amazing and is an image that evokes strength demonstrated on the outside as much as the inside.

5. "You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi

Patience truly is a virtue. I extremely dislike feeling angry or upset; it makes me feel like I'm someone else who has replaced the normal, happy-go-lucky, Ashley. This one kind of feels like a no-brainer, but simply treat others how you want to be treated and try with all your might to not go through life wanting to punch people in the face.

6. " Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself." - Henry James

Following along the lines of the last two quotes, this one speaks more to the individuality of your own mind and your ability to take the less-trod path. The quote preaches having the ability to decide for yourself about the world around you and I think that that is one of the most important things. Now I'm not talking about refusing to buy a new brand name jacket cause you don't want to to be too bourgeois, I'm talking about not talking to someone at the same table as you because they don't look exactly like every other girl around. We aren't in high school anymore and ultimately, in the real world, there are all kinds of people that matter who have interesting things to say. Again, don't judge a book by its cover, as much as you can help it.

7. " Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson

As an English major, nothing is more important than setting yourself up for success, especially if you are like me, and want to go to grad school. So how do I spend some of my days? Instead of watching Netflix for 8 straight hours, I'll watch it when I have time and I'll search for resume builders and individual internships/ opportunities that I know will help to set me apart from the sea of other English majors applying to graduate school. This is one of the most important things to remember: while setting goals throughout the day for yourself, remember to also work towards the bigger picture and you will overall, be more satisfied.

8. "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." - Charles R. Swindoll

This is all too real for college students and especially real for honestly anyone. Life is infamous for throwing curveballs at the worst possible moment. Whether it's the death of a loved one, spending your exam season in the hospital or your dog dying while you are on vacation at the beach, life loves to be a b*tch. But it is all in the way you handle it; you either give up and wallow in self-pity, do nothing and just laugh off your problems, or take control and get your crap together and do everything you can to make the best of the situation. The choice is yours, but I know what I choose every day.

9. " To love at all is to be vulnerable" - C.S. Lewis

No truer words have ever been spoken. But I don't want there to be any misunderstanding about this being a negative thing; it is exclusively a positive thing. Even when you have your heart broken, you learn and become all the stronger for it. In loving someone, you discover yourself and when the love is right, you become better and happier. You laugh more, cry more, and have the purest bliss that a human can experience. To paraphrase Nathaniel Hawthorne, one has not lived until they have loved.

The vulnerability in love lies in the very essence of it: love requires you to sacrifice and place yourself at the mercy of someone else and it is this vulnerability that opens up the possibility to many new things. And that in itself is worth all of the risk.

10. "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A hero can be anyone. You, me or your best friend who managed to keep you from throwing up all over your bathroom after a night out. But seriously, it takes nothing more than make the right decisions and to be the brave one, the one to stay true to yourself. In classical Greece and Roman, heroes were those that were separate from us, so clearly different they were conceivable as a separate race (demi-god, superhumans, etc.) But in reality, in life as we know it, they are not much different than us, we are the heroes and the ones that can change the world.

So there you have it. 10 obscure quotes that I hope have made your day better, have given you strength or at least have brought you something to meditate on.