Thursday, September 9, 2010

"He who trains his tongue to quote the learned sages, will be known far and wide as a smart ass." -- Howard Kandel

Quotes - I heart them.

A friend of mine once told me that he thought quotations are the uneducated's version of reading. But now I've gone and quoted him hating on quotes.

I do love reading...don't get me wrong, but I believe he is horribly incorrect when it comes to quotes. I have deep-seeded love for quotations - whether they be famous, funny, insightful, or witty.

" It is a good thing for an educated man to read books of quotations. " - Winston Churchill


Why yes, Mr. Churchill - I agree.

You see, quotes in no way replace a thought-provoking novel full of imagery and metaphors and themes. However, they do in fact let you know that you aren't alone. No matter how I'm feeling, I can always find a quote that perfectly describes it. Even when words fail me, I can trust that they haven't failed someone else. This does not make me feel unoriginal and it doesn't take anything away from the feelings I might have. Quotes that exactly describe how sad I feel do not make me happier. Quotes that describe how excited I feel do not take away from my joy. Quotes, for me, are a sort of haven. They give me solace because I know even if people I know can't relate to how I'm feeling, someone at some point in time can.

Our brains tend to generalize things to fit into certain schemas...so yes, I'm sure I have taken many quotes way out of context. I do not recommend taking my advice about quotations and putting them in a scholarly essay, because I do believe a lot of quotes are completely taken out of context. But who cares? Use quotes for your own peace of mind. Even if the situation of the author was different, the emotions were the same.

So the next time you find your feelings to be simply indescribable, look up a good quotation resource and feel at ease that someone "gets you" or "knows where you're coming from."

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