Dirty Little Secrets

I have a confession.

I'm a quote collector. Not like Bartlett.

Letters for sale on Etsy by custompapercuts

I memorize quotes. I write them in a journal.  I bookmark, I highlight, I tape scraps of paper to the fridge. I repeat my favorites to myself as if they could explain the world to me.

When I shop for books, I look first to see if the author has a included a quote after the title page. Here's one I saw at Borders today although I forget what book it was in - "Everything you can imagine is real." -- Picasso. That's cool.

It's a little like this quote from Walt Disney - "If you can dream it, you can do it." I used that in a ppt. presentation at work once. It totally worked.

My all time favorite quote is the first line in Daniel Martin by John Fowles, "Whole sight; or all the rest is desolation." 

And a 2nd fav, "They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Romantic in the doomed kind of way that he loved Zelda.

And..."Curiouser and curiouser!", "No room, no room". The second one is said by the Dormouse when Alice arrives at the Mad Hatter's tea party. I love every sentence in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I must re-read it again soon.

I'm always looking for new great quotes, so please leave your favorite quote in the comments by midnight Friday Jan. 30th, I'll pick someone at random and send you a copy of Zakka Sewing or The Softies Kit - your choice. :-)

Comments

[KristyK]

I like this Gloria Steinem quote:

"America is an enormous frosted cupcake in the middle of millions of starving people."

It makes me remember that while I think I'm feeling miserable, I'm really just whining about getting vanilla instead of chocolate.

[Sharlene]

Love the one from Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks Movie) - "It could be worse, it could be raining!"

Sharlene

[Lindsey]

it's a lyric!! From a band called Jellyfish, the song is called New Mistake. Hoorah!

[Lindsey]

"you better catch me when I fall, I'm on my rollerskates" I know it's a quote, but I'm not positive of where it came from... A good one regardless. I don't know why, but it's always spoken to me.

[Mary]

Among many, from Sacha Guitry to Woody Allen, I love this one from Confucius
When the wise man points at the moon, the idiot looks at the finger

[Lou]

I LOVE QUOTES AS WELL.

my favorite right now is

give every day the chance to become the best of your life by marc twain

[Fran]

"Every angel is terrifying" - Rilke

[jessie]

Shoot for the moon: even if you miss you will land amongst the stars.

[anastasia boswell]

There isn't much I have to say, that I wouldn't rather just shut up and do.
Ani Difranco

[Em Stronach]

"Vae puto deus fio"

Which means "Alas, I am becoming a god!"

I say it whenever I have made someing that is finally good enough, ahhh artistic narcissim :P

[Era]

“ When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it." Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner

[Leith]

"To thine own self be true." - Shakespeare

[Persephone]

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
-John Lennon

(My personal mantra)

[squirrel momma]

I try to keep these words of wisdom in mind as I travel through life: "Wherever you go, there you are."

From "Buckaroo Banzai"--because who says bad movies can't have great quotes?

[Jessica]

"And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make" - The Beatles (from their song "The End")

[Donna Pedaci]

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" attributed to Samuel Johnson, but apparently he didn't come up with it on his own according to this website:

http://www.samueljohnson.com/road.html

[Ginger]

>"The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things." - Plato

[francie]

"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." -Aeschylus

[sarah]

When I was in high school, I had a friend who wrote this in my year book. "I am not who I am to spite you; please don't underestimate the substance of my character. Spiting you is just my added bonus." I've always really loved that!

[Beetlegirl]

Here is one from a favorite Jimmy Stewart film:

"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" -- she always called me Elwood -- "In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me."

Elwood P. Dowd (Harvey)

[Karissa]

Here are two on my desk:

"Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love." --Wally Lamb

"I have a compulsion to confess. It's some kind of lingering Catholic damage." --Alison Bechdel

[Ellen Ault]

Whenever I doubt what I'm doing, I remind myself of this:

"Artists cannot fail. It's a success to be one." -Charles Horton Cooley

[Kathy]

When I was a little girl, my father and I loved watching PePe Le Pew mainly b/c of his adorable quotes. To this day (and I'm 35) my dad will send me a quote from time to time via e-mail. It brightens my day. So although these couple of quotes aren't earth moving perhaps they will put a smile on your face. To get the full effect, you have to read it with a fake French accent.
"You know, most men would get discouraged by now fortunately for you, I am not most men!"
“Where are you, my little object of art? I am here to collect you.”
Have a great day and thanks for the offer!

[melissa sue]

"What I hope for is a de-emphasis on short routes to success and less concern about whether or not what we makes belongs in the art world. Outstanding talent will always be found and rewarded. What most of us will experience through our work is a deep sense of personal fulfillment and pleasure from whatever meaning and beauty it communicates." Val Cushing.

Hangs over my desk in my studio :)

[raggyrat]

for one who has lost a dear pet, "my heart has joined the thousands, for my friend stopped running today", the rabbits' prayer from watership down. a bit sad but i like it ... one i think that departed pets might enjoy hearing us say for them :-)