I have been thinking about the importance of quotations. Of all the things that are said and written, why do some persist and often are quoted in all different contexts? Think about some of your favorite quotations, ones that have been meaningful to you and stayed with you over time.
My Favorites
Here’s one of my favorites, from George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman: “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
My favorite part of this is “instead of a feverish, selfish little clod.” Isn’t that wonderful! Haven’t we all at times felt like that little clod? “I want this and I want that, and why won’t someone give it to me? I’m entitled!” As we get older, we have to be increasingly careful about feeling this way because we’ve lived a long time and given a lot to others and to the world.
Another Great Quotation
I also love this quote from Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”
I know so many people for whom this sometimes is true. This reaction is unwarranted. They have done such good things in their life, made significant contributions to the world in some cases, and in many others to their families and communities. Do you ever feel that you really are “powerful beyond measure”? If you sometimes have these feelings, do you quickly suppress them out of fear or to avoid feeling boastful? Think what we are all missing from you because of these reactions.
Third Time Is A Charm
And the third quotation I love is from “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver: “What do you intend to do with your one wild and precious life?” This has been so widely quoted I’m sure you all have seen it. The quotation becomes more poignant as we get older. If we consider ourselves to be quite old, we may think we have very little life left. That, of course, can be true for all of us at any point in our lives. Whatever our age, we still can think about what we can do with the time ahead of us that will make a difference for others, or at least for those we love.
Taken together, what do these three quotations say to you? Do you like them? Do you agree or disagree with them and why?
What Are Your Favorite Quotations?
Take a minute and think about one or more of your favorite quotations. What do they say to you and about you? Have your favorites changed over the years? Have you ever said any specific thing that you or others have remembered? If so, what does this memorable quotation say about you?
I’ve tried to remember quotations I liked when I was young, and I can’t! The farthest back I can go is the late 1970s when the original Star Wars came out: “May the force be with you.” If that can be called a real quotation, then it still is one of my favorites! Can you remember any from when you were young? Do we have to be a certain age before quotations become important to us and we remember them?
Please let all of us know what some of your favorites are. If you remember any from when you were young, what are they?
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