Inspite of me being a big sucker for quotes that fill my insides with warmth, rejuvenation and smiles, I often wonder about the context of the quotes that fascinate me. Many a times, I reckon that the quotes that we liberally use in times of need, were used in a specific context and time. While it seems quite easy for us to extract two lines from what a Mark Twain or a Gandhi quoted, we often don't see the larger picture.
On the other hand, quotes by great people always seem to uplift us and it appears that they have uttered those quotes just for us. And today, these quotes by great men/women are doing in the rounds quite often. Instead of posting what I had for dinner and tea, I always like putting up inspiring and wacky posts as my status messages. Why do I do so? Whenever I open my page, I see those wise two liners and instantly I warm to the truth in those lines. For a minute or two those lines assure me that in spite of the many failings of the human race, there is hope, love, joy and peace. Sometime I wonder whether I am using these quotes as a pill that instantly energizes perhaps, like Ginseng or a Viagra. Perhaps, yes.
On days when time is slow paced, I wonder about the context of those quotes which I greedily lap up. Why did Maya Angelou or Michelangelo say something? Did they know that years after they have uttered the words, it would be quoted and re-quoted by eager people who gain strength and energy by simply reading those quotes. Do great people such as Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Coco Channel and others also have quotes that gave them inspiration? What makes people great? Power? Do you and me have quotable quotes within our selves? Whose quotes are clarified to become quotable quotes?
I did not hear my dad quoting extensively except from the Bible and few leaders. Neither did my grandfather. Maybe, today's exposure to the plethora of materials available gives us access to the speeches and letters of men and women who were great in their own fields. And, a line here and a line there from their interviews, speeches and other sources, might have been extracted and re-quoted in life-improvement websites, which in turn are used by people like me. Well, whatever said and done, these quotes are indeed grabbed greedily by me.
Maybe, someday, someone will quote something from what I have written and I will be completely oblivious about it AND maybe someone will blog about quotable quotes.
What's your take on this, dear reader.
Image: Internet
On the other hand, quotes by great people always seem to uplift us and it appears that they have uttered those quotes just for us. And today, these quotes by great men/women are doing in the rounds quite often. Instead of posting what I had for dinner and tea, I always like putting up inspiring and wacky posts as my status messages. Why do I do so? Whenever I open my page, I see those wise two liners and instantly I warm to the truth in those lines. For a minute or two those lines assure me that in spite of the many failings of the human race, there is hope, love, joy and peace. Sometime I wonder whether I am using these quotes as a pill that instantly energizes perhaps, like Ginseng or a Viagra. Perhaps, yes.
On days when time is slow paced, I wonder about the context of those quotes which I greedily lap up. Why did Maya Angelou or Michelangelo say something? Did they know that years after they have uttered the words, it would be quoted and re-quoted by eager people who gain strength and energy by simply reading those quotes. Do great people such as Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Coco Channel and others also have quotes that gave them inspiration? What makes people great? Power? Do you and me have quotable quotes within our selves? Whose quotes are clarified to become quotable quotes?
I did not hear my dad quoting extensively except from the Bible and few leaders. Neither did my grandfather. Maybe, today's exposure to the plethora of materials available gives us access to the speeches and letters of men and women who were great in their own fields. And, a line here and a line there from their interviews, speeches and other sources, might have been extracted and re-quoted in life-improvement websites, which in turn are used by people like me. Well, whatever said and done, these quotes are indeed grabbed greedily by me.
Maybe, someday, someone will quote something from what I have written and I will be completely oblivious about it AND maybe someone will blog about quotable quotes.
What's your take on this, dear reader.
Image: Internet
You may realize I am a glutton for quotables. Just moments ago I posted on Face Book:
ReplyDelete"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the right to be free." - Charles Evans Hughes
Two things. I believe quoting others' quotes sort of defines us...sort of--grin!
Other thing is...before posting a quote, I Google the original "person of greatness" and find out SO MUCH about those Peeps! Makes life utterly more interesting.
When my wi--SOMEONE--says to me, "Are you STILL on the computer...blogging?" Only I know how beneficial to my mental health it is to learn about history, different cultures, art, law, etc. Example: my quote source today ran against publisher Hearst for governor of NY--and WON! Also a Chief Justice of Supreme Court, and on-and-on.
Sorry about length of this comment SD, but I wanted you to know how much you truly strike a chord with me, in almost everything you write. And when you do blog a topic you cover the bases, almost as if you are doing a project 'research'...and I LOVE IT (them)!
THANK YOU.
PEACE!
Ah, Steve. I do realise that you are like me, when it comes to quotes. And, even I like to dig the trivia behind a quote.
DeleteAnd you know that I absolutely looove long comments and so please write acomment even longer than this. I will be too glad to read, reread and think and rethink, as always.
Lots of love back at ya, lovable Steve :)
Sorry. For some reason, my comment repeated itself. So I deleted. Now that WAS a long comment-dissertation--grin!
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteAm on you on this one - yes I love reading quotes their contexts - an dI often wonder if whatever I have written will have the power of recall long after I am gone (most often that no i am disappointed cos that doesn't seem like will be the case :))
ReplyDeleteYou raise some interesting questions, because sometimes we don't know the original context of a quote. But when a line catches one, it take on a life of its own and means a lot of things to different people. I should be that lucky for my words to become quotable! :-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Adriene and thanks for taking the time to stop by. You are right when you say that teh context of the quote is often overlooked.
DeletePerhaps, someday, you will be quoted. Maybe I might quote someday!
I am a sucker for quotes also,they inspire me,and makes me wish I could create one too...
ReplyDeleteSmiles :)
DeleteI have a very intelligent senior called Sumedh who I greatly admire and under favourite quotes on his facebook profile he's written a bunch of clever and inspirational quotes as he is wont to, and the last one on his list is a quote that goes "Quoting non-famous people is never a smart thing to do." - Sumedh. :D I thought it was so funny and clever to include such a witty original quote underneath that long list of well-known and well-read quotes that I always remember it and quote it back to anyone who cares to listen to this story. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the awesome quotes that you put up as your status updates, I always enjoy them and I thank you for them. :) I'm sure one day if we attain some small or large measure of greatness, people will quote us to the world. I'm just hoping to have some pithy and/or inspirational words noted down by then. :D
Sumedh is one intelligent friend you have. People like him are quite hard to come by, these days. I wish his tribe increases.
DeleteGlad that you like teh quotes I put up, dear Karishma. They never fail to uplift me.
I do like clever sayings and quotations like anyone else, but I think they should be used in moderation.
ReplyDeleteI have a relative, a retired engineer, who writes articles on different topics in a local newspaper. I don't like to read his articles mainly because he uses a lot of sayings by famous people to sustain his views.
I've told him that at his age and with his life experience he doesn't need to adorn his work with stuff like this anymore. It is superfluous
and contributes nothing special to the topic discussed.
Yes, they should be used in moderation, always otherwise our work will be very minimal. Point taken.
DeleteI love quotes and often use them in my blog posts! I am also very particular in what I choose :)
ReplyDeleteSame here, Nelieta. Glad that you came by :)
DeleteI love quotes that lift my spirit, that enhance my wisdom and increase my insight. I would not be at all surprised if someone quoted you. Maybe I will sometime.
ReplyDeleteAh, Myrna, you make me blush and feel good.
DeleteThanks dearest Myrna for your lovely compliments. Always welcome :)
I had a notebook as a teenager, where I wrote parts of text from books I read or any kind of sayings or quotes I heard or spotted anywhere. Even inscriptions that spoke to me. Then I stopped writing in it all of a sudden. I guess it just shows that quotes or text speaks to us at certain times in our lives. I still love hearing words that I can relate to - a sentence or two that can so eloquently summarize something I feel and recognize, but fail to put into words.;)
ReplyDeleteI am sure you will be quoted one day dear Susan.;)
xoxo
Even I stopped writing those lovely quotes at one point, dear Zuzana.
DeleteThanks for your warm words of appreciation, dear Zuzana. They never fail to make me warm!
I carry a small journal with me everywhere I go, and on the very first page of the journal, I have a small list of some of my favorite quotes. For some reason, when I'm hitting a tough spot in my day, I just flip open the journal and... bang... there is an explosion of joy! I see it like this... when we have exhausted our own sources of joy, inspiration and meaning, sometimes we have to go outside ourselves to seek more. After all, one single person can't think of everything.
ReplyDeleteFunny, as I started my latest post with a quote... something I don't really do that often. But... I needed those words... just at that moment. And there they were. And they did not belong to me. :-)
I wish you a lovely week, dear Susan!
Nevine
Nevine, your journal is one prized literature that I wouldn't mind stealing! Of course, the quotes provide us with an instant joy.
DeleteI wish you a lovely remainder of the week, dear Nevine.
I have multiple word documents on my computer all carrying quotes. I guess I'm a quotaholic! And as any visitor to my blog knows, a perfect quote greatly adds to a photograph.
ReplyDeleteAnd the pictures that accompany the quotes, in your blog is just wonderful. I like stopping by there.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Please Don't get me wrong about LOLing but I just thought I found someone like me who's so crazy of quoting quotes. I think it makes our deepest sense of something so authenticated giving all the weightage it deserves!! :)
ReplyDeleteI super love this post! :) Wish blogs had the "love this" button!
Welcome Jen. Glad to have you here and read your thoughts.
DeleteYour words are quite infectious, I mean that they show me your state of mind: Honest and warm.
Thanks for your kind words.
Joy always :)
I have always been fascinated by quotes, they inspire me. Growing up,I actually filled a 200page writing book with quotes I would collect from sources such as readers digest etc.Later on I would buy quote books. For me it is about funny quotes, inspiring quotes or quotes that make you meditate. Good post Susan. All the best!
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDeletewonderful blog
ReplyDeleteI love quotes. But what I do is that I mould them, change the words here and there and give them a certain different flavour.
ReplyDelete"All men are bastards. But some men are more bastard than others."
Now, it's for you to figure this one out!
Today, I made a totally personal one and put it up on Facebook: " Never complete any task. It gives you
complacency."
So, you can quote me. I won't mind! ;)
Suraj:
DeleteSpot on. I admire people who can make quotes!!!