Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Don't Quote Me On This ...

Have you ever noticed how much our society likes quotes? Funny, inspirational, long, short--we collect them all. Writing down talking points so we can embed them into our minds and hearts has been around since caveman days, but back then they were called petroglyphs.


This one means: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” 1
 (It really does say that. Go ahead, sound it out.)



This one means: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago. 
The second best time is today." 2
(See, they are thrusting their sickles with all their might. The people on the right 
are holding the small tree. Or maybe it's a turkey. Hard to tell.)


 This one means: "Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company." 3 &4
(See how crowded it is down there? Looks like a Par-Tay.)


And my personal favorite, "There is no such thing as fun for the whole family." 5
(This mom is fishing, ironing, babysitting her son's pet lizard (look carefully) and giving birth (again, look closely, but not too closely if you get squeamish at the sight of such things) simultaneously. Talk about an expert multitasker. Modern women have got nothing on her.)

Quotes attributed to:
1 Mahatma Gandhi
2 Unknown
3 Mark Twain
4 Do I need to repent for LOLing at this quote?
5 Jerry Seinfeld

Anyway, since the dawn of time, we have been decorating the walls of our homes (or caves or walls on Facebook and Pinterest) with quotes. Perhaps you have a few favorites you would like to share?

I have a few more favorites:

"We are mirrors whose brightness is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us." C.S. Lewis

"So often we become focused on the finish line that we forget to enjoy the journey." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"We cannot improve the world if we are conformed to the world." Neal A. Maxwell

"The best and most wonderful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched--they must be felt with the heart." Hellen Keller.

What are your favorite quotes you have collected over the years? Do you keep them on your walls or just write them in your journals? Share them with us! Inspire us! Make us laugh! Make us think! (That might be a challenge for me, as I seem to be brainless 90% of the time.) (I'm just so nice to myself. I'm my #1 fan.)

AND: I'm moving to the summer schedule RIGHT NOW. May is so dang busy with all of the end of the year celebrations, so we will have this post, and then one again on May 20th. A winner will be selected from week 1 or week 2, but I won't announce the winner until the beginning of the next month: in this case it will be on June 3rd. Okie dokie artichokey? (The prize will not be an artichoke though, sorry to disappoint.) 

OK, ready, set, QUOTE!

12 comments:

Mary Allen said...

Should read on my fridge

Mary Allen said...

THIS is messed up. It should have read the quote on my fridge is from President Henry B Eyring's mother, Mildred Eyring. It reads, "If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill." A reminder that Satan doesn't want us to go the right may, so he will put obstacles in our way. Life too easy? Check the path.

Jennifer Lovell said...

I'm a big fan of quote collecting! I keep a running draft in my gmail account and add quotes to it periodically. Here are some of my favorites:

My little niece (age 4ish), on why she refused to wear the pants her mom asked her to put on: "Because I am special. And those pants are not special."

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -Pablo Picasso

"Losing weight helps you look good in clothes. Exercise helps you look good naked." (a Weight Watchers quote of the week)

"Be HAPPY for no reason at all :)." --Mary Englebright

"It's okay to make a mistake when you're trying. It's a mistake not to try." --poster in the band room at ELCO Intermediate School

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

And a favorite that you gave me from Kiersten White (which I wrote in permanent marker on an 8x10 mirror that I bought at the Dollar Store and hung on my bedroom wall): “Being generically perfect isn't beautiful. Thighs and necks and skin and (heaven forbid) ears have nothing to do with beauty. Beauty is in the stories of our faces, the people who have loved us, the people we have loved and do love and will love. Beauty is what we have survived and what we will create. Beauty is stamped into the way our eyes shift when we smile, the things our hands do, the kindness that comes out of our mouths. Beauty is not how the world sees us, but what we take of ourselves and give to the world.”

"Your BELIEFS don't make you a better person. Your BEHAVIOR does." -unknown

"Wow, I really regret that workout." - No One Ever ♥ —

One last one:

"Being brave doesn't mean you're not afraid. It means that you are afraid, but you do it anyway." -Julie Pearson, a friend of mine who was helping me face a big scary cross-country move :).

Unknown said...

Just enough time to jot down one quote. It came from my daughter the second week of kindergarten. "Teachers take away little children's creativity because they take away their imaginations and make their spirits go down... (thoughtful pause) that's what I don't like about teachers!" -Reagan Krogh kindergarten 2010

The Newmans said...

One of my all time favorites is "While in the pursuit of happiness, one should stop, and just be happy." Yes, this quote hangs on my wall!

Lori Folkman said...

Mary: That's a good one! I think it's about time I invested in some good hiking shoes. :)

Jenna: did her mom get her some fancy pants? You are a great quote collector--and thanks for reminding me about the Kierstan White one, I'd forgotten how amazing that was. Also, every time I read something from Pres. Hinckley it makes me miss him so much! 97 years just wasn't enough! (I hope someone can say that about me someday!)

Sharon: oh my gosh, I can't stop laughing! Those are deep thoughts for a little mind! The kindergartener I talked to yesterday just talked about farts! :0

Newmans:That is perfect! And you are the perfect example of that! Nice to see your smiling face on my corner of the internet!

Nicole Jessop said...

I like quotes, but I pin them to my pinterest board. I don't generally put them on the wall and if I put them in a journal, they'd never be read again.

The most important work you will ever do will be within the wall of your own home. -Harold B Lee

Don't forget to love your parents because while we're busy growing up, we often forget that they are busy growing old. …. Excuse me while I go call my parents!

Faith in God includes faith in His timing. - Neal A Maxwell (that one got me through waiting for Brae)

When in doubt, chose the kids. There will be plenty of time later to choose work. - Anna Quindlen (this has been my motto for work. There's always meetings or lesson plans or IEPs but I leave strictly at 3:30 every day so I can spend some time with my girl in the evening. Also my motto for house work ;P)

You will never be this loved again. So on those days when you are feeling stressed out, touched out, and depleted, just remember that you will never be this loved again. One day you will long for their affection. So choose a soft voice, choose gentle hands, choose love. (it hits you right in the feels, doesn't it?)

Marie said...

I actually collect quotes. Seems funny to some people, however those are the ones who usually collect things like husbands. My favorite quote right now is the one I got permission to use in my upcoming book.
"There is a divine moment in our lives when we become One. It is called pro-creation and it is reborn continually and forever in the future we call our children. They are our destiny and we are theirs. The extent to which we fail as parents...we fail as God's children.
Dirk Benedit

Jennifer Lovell said...

I know--I will always miss President Hinckley. Always. Until I get to see him again :). He came to speak to us when I was on my mission. I will never ever forget how much we all laughed when his opening comment to us was, "I think this is the skinniest microphone I have ever seen! And not only that, but the front of it looks like the face of a pig!" So unexpected and hilarious!! How's that for one of the best Hinckley quotes ever :)?

Lori Folkman said...

Nicole: You crack me up: I don't put them in my journal either because I don't have one! For shame! Love that Maxwell one--his entire life was one big quote! I also like your housework theory. You can come over to my house anytime and I'll know you won't judge me!

Marie: collecting quotes is a perfectly normal thing to do. I collect dust bunnies and there's nothing inspirational about that! That is a great quote you are using--I need to find out more about what project you are working on! :) Yay you!

Jenna: hilarious. What a great memory!

Little Miss Devree said...

Sorry for the length again. "How about a game of rock, paper, scissors? (Why dont' you just tell me who wins?) I do, excellent!" Alice from Breaking Dawn I had this quote on a pin I got for my 15th birthday. On my Team Devree shirts there’s another quote from Alice(she’s my favorite you know.) It says “Yes, yes. You’re always beautiful.”
This is one of my favorite exchanges between Charlotte and her sisters in It’s a Mall World After All. These are the things that make me burst out I laughter while reading it. When is Colton coming over again?"
I straightened magazines on the coffee table and pretended the subject didn't bother me. "When he realizes the truth about either me or Bryant."
Julianne's head popped up from behind the couch, where Ken and a collection of tiny plastic picnic food had fallen. "When will that be?"
"Oh probably around the same time hell freezes over."
"I thought Colton was your friend," Evelynn said. "I thought you liked him."
"I do-well, I used to." It made me feel sad just to say the words.
Rebecca gave me a long look. "But you're not going to talk to him until hell freezes over?"
I straightened another magazine. "Well, anything is possible. After all, Colton is in the same business as the devil, so he probably has some pull down there. Hell might be cooling as we speak.”
Some time passes….
“Hey Charlotte," Julianne yelled. "Hell must have frozen over!" And then in a quieter voice she added, "Charlotte was hoping it would."
"What?" Colton asked.
I sprinted the rest of the way to the door. As I rounded the corner I saw both Wesley and Colton in the entryway. Julianne stood in front of them transfixed, staring up at Colton with adoring eyes.
"Julianne, it's time for you to go to your room," I said. "Right now."
"Do you really know the devil?" she asked Colton. "Have you ever been to hell?"
"Sometimes I think I have," he answered, glaring at me.”
― Janette Rallison, It's a Mall World After All

Lori Folkman said...

Devree: ha ha ha! I REALLY need to read that book! Janette Rallison made me spit my milk across the room in one of her books that I read a few weeks ago. (No, not really. I wouldn't spit milk across the room because I would have to be the one to clean it up and where's the fun in that?) I love the "You're ALWAYS beautiful" one too. I should write that across my mirror in big bold letters with bright red lipstick that covers the entire mirror so I can hardly see myself. I'm doin' it!