Collecting Notable Quotes

My mom collected articles. She’d clip them out newspapers, magazines and local publications. Then she’d write one of her offspring’s names with a black sharpie at the top of the page. If we still lived at home, she’d leave it on our dresser. If we’d already flown the coop, she’d  stuff the story into a manila envelope and mail it off to us.

My youngest brother amassed beer cans. Where he found them is anyone’s guess. But, he’d proudly display them in his bedroom in pyramid fashion. Whenever our older brother, with whom he shared a bedroom, got mad at him, that tower of collected cans would clatter to the floor. 

I once cleaned the house of a woman who collected kerosene lamps. Out of curiosity, I counted them one day as I swept the feather duster over and around their delicate chimneys. She had one hundred just in her living room.

My mom once asked me why I never collected anything? “I’m not interested. I’m a minimalist. Why bother?” Is what I thought, but did not say.

Then, after becoming an adult who prefers reading and filling up composition books with her writing rather than conversing, I discovered that I do collect something; I collect notable quotes. 

At first, I’d write my notable quotes in those little fat notebooks. I’d write the date at the top of the page, the quote in the middle and note the author at the bottom of the page. Now, I just write the quote at the top of a page in my journal and scribble the author’s name beside it. 

“Why?” you may ask do I collect quotes?

Those few words of someone else resonate with me for a reason. They cause us to pause, consider, mull over, muse and meditate. The words validate what I’ve already been thinking, but could not put into words. And sometimes those quotes prime the pump of my brain, giving me fresh and clear thoughts for writing my next blog.

Why Bother?

Why bother collecting notable quotes? Collecting notable quotes doesn’t require a pair of scissors, any dusting and they won’t clatter when they fall to the floor. You might find they put clarity to the thoughts that were once obscure.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.