One of the greatest ideas the Victorians ever had was the Commonplace Book, a book or album where one saved photos, poems and other items of interest that one saw in the papers and magazines of the day. Its a practice I have followed much of my life and have a number of notebooks and folders full of quotes and clippings. A few years ago I aquired an exceptionally fat blank book and decided to fill it with some of my most favorite quotes so I could keep them handy.
I can't tell you how important this Commonplace Book has become for me. Inspiration, consolation and entertainment lies between its covers. Today I wish to share a few of my favorites.
"Furthermore we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labrynth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path and where we thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we thought to travel outward we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we thought to be alone we shall be with all the world."
Joseph Campbell--The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
"In a democratic society, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist, is to remain true to himself and let the chips
fall where they may. In serving his vision
of the truth, the artist best serves his nation." John F Kennedy
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intellegent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell.
"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood but of respect and joy in each others' lives. Rarely do the members of one family grow up under the same roof. Richard Bach in Illusions:the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
"There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live." John Adams
"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave 5 minutes longer" Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You've got to thank God, or whatever is up there is that we survived it all. We survived Vietnam, we survived Watergate, the tremendous upheaval of the 60's. We were the hip ones in the 60's but this is not the 60's; and we're going into an unknown future, but we're still alive, we're still all here, and while there's life there's hope." John Lennon December 1980.
Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy." Joseph Campbell.
These are just a few of the many quotes I have saved and use as inspiration and guides. I grateful to all these people for sharing their thoughts with us.
Do you have a favorite quote? Please share it.
My mom has scrapbooks and notebooks full of saved clippings and notes and poems- everything! She has given me some of them that she says she saved that pertained to me. I actually blogged them last year.
ReplyDeleteA favorite Quote of mine is Mother Theresa, from her poem "Do It Anyway"
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway. ~Mother Theresa
That is an excellent quote also...and so very true!
Delete