Snack-Sized Wisdom
I love quotes. I love words in general, but quotes are the best.
When I was a kid, I read every single “Quotable Quotes” section in the Readers Digest every single month. Loved them.
I still love quotes. They are like snack-sized bites of wisdom. Need a quick fix? Have one. Need more? Keep going until you’ve had your fill.
I will often grab a quote that crosses my path at just the right moment and stick it on a Post-It somewhere obvious – or on Pinterest, of course. When I write a letter or a card, I often look for just the right quote to include for the recipient for that particular occasion.
Given the opportunity to consider some of my favorites, I submit the following:
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” ~ Forest E. Witcraft.
“Half of being smart is knowing what you’re dumb at.” ~ My Mom.
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” ~ Washington Irving.
“You are only about as miserable as you allow yourself to be.” ~ My Grandfather.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau.
What are your favorite quotes or bits of wisdom?
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Love these! The Thoreau quote is also one of my favorites of all time and had to smile at the quote from your mom – such a mom thing to say. Wink-wink. I linked to Mama Kat today too – choosing the same topic, because, like you, I’m a quote-ophile (if there is such a word).
Quote-ophile can most certainly be a word! Thanks for coming by, Barbara! 🙂
I used to read my mom’s Reader’s Digest when I was a kid, too. The quotes section and Life in these United States were my favorite parts.
I have a lot of notebooks stacked in my closet and bedside table that have numerous quotes that I’ve copied in them throughout my years. Some of my favorites that I can remember offhand:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”- Gandhi
“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” – Buddha
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
LOVED Reader’s Digest – all of those regular columns with the short features? My favorites. Right after I plowed through those, I went for the “Drama in Real Life” features.
Love the Twain quote – he’s another one of my favorites.
“Never let the things that you want make you forget the things that you have” – Anonymous (from Pinterest, of course)
What did we ever do without Pinterest? 🙂
Mind if I steal your idea of a quote-book? I think it is brilliant! A recent favorite: “Be carefull about reading health books, you may die of a misprint” Mark Twain.
Leave it to Twain to offer some actually useful wisdom buried in humor!
I love quotes…. you have some great ones there… I especially like the one from your mom… LOL.. leave it to our mothers to be able to give us one that will mean different things over the years but yet still ALWAYs make sense!! 🙂
Thanks, Jess. Stopping at six was hard…I could put about fifty up there, easily. Mom’s is one of my favorite and most often-quoted.
Your Mom’s quote is easily one of my favorites. It’s so simple, and true every time. Love your list!
Thanks! My Mom is a smart lady.
Lisa, your mom rocks! It kinda reminds me of Forrest Gump but in a good way. Simple and to the point. My personal favorite quote for the time being is, “I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” ― Marilyn Monroe
Enough said…
My Mom does rock.
Good quote – I think I saw that on someone else’s list, too.
Your mom imparts the same kind of wisdom that my dad does. Your grandfather has some pretty wise words as well. They can both hold their own with Thoreau and Irving 🙂
Hi, Dyanne. I like to think of it as good old-fashioned common sense – maybe the best kind.
Many people don’t care for quotes these days, but I have always loved to use them. They have so much wisdom and even one liners can be so meaningful. For example, where there is a will, there is a way. It’s only one line but it covers so much! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Elena. I love quotes – always have. Like you said, they often hold much wisdom – and humor, too!
I love quotes too. I’ve probably spent hours looking through quotes online on those websites devoted to them. Even then, you listed some here that I haven’t seen before. Obviously the ones from your family I wouldn’t have seen, but the Forest Witcraft one is new to me.
I don’t know if I have a favorite quote, but anything from Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln are usually the ones I like most. They just have good ways with words.
Ooh, Lincoln – hadn’t thought to use him. I really like him. Recently rented the movie Lincoln and quite enjoyed it. I do love Tawin – always wisdom hidden in wit.
Hi Lisa!
I’m a fan of quotes myself. Like you, I also have a love affair with words. There is an art to their use that awakens something deep in the heart and opens the mind to exploring various depths of meaning.
I was just reading the comment you left at my place when the title of this post caught my attention and I just had to follow the link over to see what “Snack-Sized Wisdom” was all about! I’m glad I did.
Speaking of Lincoln (You and Steve above), your grandpa said something very similar to Lincoln; “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Great minds think alike, right?
Thanks for coming over, Ken! Hmm…maybe my Grandfather knew Lincoln’s words. Both great men and great minds, yes.