quotes

I've had a little "quote journal" that I've been keeping up since I was in junior high. I've always felt power in words. It is amazing to me that people can arrange these words, these arbitrary things that we've attached meaning to, in ways that can make me stop and think. There are some that help vocalize something I've been feeling or thinking. There are some that help me see something in an entirely new light. Then there are some that fill me with power, ambition and hope.

The beginning of the journal has mostly cheesy quips, sayings that you've heard a thousand times. As the pages get deeper, though, so do the words. There is a poem of Michelangelo's that we sang in choir my senior year. I still remember the vibrations of the music when I read those words. There is that quote my AP English teacher wrote on the white board one spring day that resonated with me. There are quotes that lift me spiritually.

I came across this quote while reading one of my favorite blogs (she is quote-worthy herself) and I loved it. It has stayed with me for a few weeks now. I repeat it to myself when I find myself following the crowd so I won't have to stand out. Standing out, after all, is much scarier. People look at you and I don't like people looking at me.