"Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting." -John Green

I am a firm believer in using quotes in most everything I do, whether it be in a paper to capture someone's attention, in a conversation to prove a point, or on social media to express my feelings. I find quotes that are similar to the topic or emotion at hand, someone else's words always seem to work better in these situations. That's just it isn't it? We pay more attention to someone else's words than our own, to someone else's emotions or struggles. Take Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, for example. How many women do you know that have quoted that movie repeatedly? Quite a few, right? As a woman, I know how easy it is to fall in love with the idea of a love story, to compare every aspect of it to your own romance, to wish for that type of love. Hate to break it to y'all, but it's only a story. It's not your life, and your life will never be like that. So comparing the two will only ruin your own love story. Don't confuse love with lust, loneliness, or laziness. Don't throw such a magical word in the direction of someone you're only looking to sleep with. Don't use it just because you're tired of sleeping alone. Don't say it when you're in an unhappy relationship just because you're too lazy to go find what's missing, because you've become comfy instead of in love. That's the problem, isn't it? Many people don't know the depth of this beautiful emotion, hence why they don't use the word correctly. Stop quoting John Green, Nicholas Sparks, or even Shakespeare if you don't understand what's being said. Let the quotations you use reflect you, let your own emotions shine through them. Don't say it just because it sounds nice, make it reflect your story instead of what you'd like your story to be. Understand love. Fall in love with as many things as possible: the sunrise, the sunset, a child's laughter, a puppy's bark, crashing waves. But most of all, fall in love with the person who understands you have many loves in your life, and loves you more for it. The person who falls in love with the smile on your face as you admire something you love. Stop searching for a previously written fairytale, and wait for your own version to find you.