Happy Tuesday Friends! I love quotes, so you would think this week’s topic would be a snap for me, right? I’ve been collecting quotes in notebooks since middle school, so I should have had a lot of material to work with, right? That would be right, except those notebooks are in a box under my childhood bed in my childhood bedroom. These are some of the most inspiring ones I either remembered (then checked on the Internet), found saved on tumblr, or gleaned from an google search on inspiring quotes from books. Some I think are helpful as a writer, others as a person. I might not have hit all of my favorites, but I do like all of these ones quite a bit. Let me know your favorites in the comments!
- “The ability to think for one’s self depends upon one’s mastery of the language.” Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
- “I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” John Green, Paper Towns
- “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
- “To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.” Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
- “All good things are wild and free.” Henry David Thoreau, Walking
- “When I got older I decided I wanted to be a real writer. I tried to write about real things. I wanted to describe the world, because to live in an undescribed world was too lonely.” Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
- “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- “I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now.” Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming
- “Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.” Madeleine L’Engles, A Wrinkle in Time
- “Pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Big thanks to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting this weekly book meme!
Alison Doherty 
I love the Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe quote – I pretty much highlighted half the book when I read it on my kindle.
I know. That book was as near to perfect as a book can be.
So many people have quoted Harry Potter 😛 I love that Paper Towns one! Here’s mine: https://victoriajaynesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/top-ten-tuesday-17/
Thanks!I like the Harry Potter quote you put on your list as well. So many inspirational tidbits in that one!
Harry Potter is so quotable! I love the quotes that you’ve selected this week. 🙂
Thanks Chrissi!
Great choices… love them all but especially the John Green quote 🙂
I try to remind myself of that one when I’m having a particularly hard/frustrating day. Thanks for commenting!
Love the Paper Towns quote. I almost used it, but I went with one from An Abundance of Katherines. But I’ve got the quote from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on my list. Love that one!
My TTT!
Not at all surprised that we have similar taste in quotes, since we have such similar taste in books. Can’t wait to read what John Green quote you used.
“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
This one’s my favorite. 🙂
-RB
I love that quote! So helpful to remember not to want to go back to the past.
I really like the quote on Paper Towns! I love John Green
Top Ten Tuesday
Thanks! I love that quote too (obviously).
Some great quotes here. Including the HP quote, of course. I love this topic.
I love the Wrinkle in Time quote. I read the book as a child and am looking forward to rereading it. The Harry Potter is one of my absolute favorites!
You’ve got a great mix of current, classic, and historic quotes.
HERE’S MY TTT
Haha I needed that Paper Towns quote! So morbidly humorous! Perfect timing when your life resembles a country song.
My TTT: http://bookclubbabe.net/2015/04/14/top-ten-quotes-from-my-favorite-books/
I love all of these! This is the best list I’ve seen.
My TTT: http://www.lazyladylife.com/blog/2015/4/top-ten-book-quotes
I am LOVING this quote from Paper Towns: “I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.”
I haven’t read Paper Towns but I’m really excited for the movie (and loved TFioS and Looking for Alaska) so I really should get around to reading it before the movie!
It’s one of my favorite John Green novels and definitely one of my favorite quotes. The movie looks so good!