The Quote Collector

I am an obsessive collector of quotes. This is, perhaps, unavoidable for anyone who devours the printed word like I do. When one averages a book every few days, finding and treasuring snippets of inspired prose becomes second nature. I don’t even know I’m doing it. I finish a book and when I look back I’ve dog-eared half a dozen pages.

I know, I know, but I can never find my bookmarks when I need them. Please don’t tell my library colleagues.

The first quote I actively remember treasuring enough to write down was from Shakespeare. Hey, you can’t do much better than the bard, right? The faculty advisor for our high school newspaper had inspirational quotes plastered on all four walls of the classroom, including “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.” (Julius Caesar, act 2 scene 2). My only complaint with that quote is that it took me years to spell “valiant” correctly.

Things really took off when I started keeping a reading log. I’m not certain why I decided to include a favorite quote with each entry, but I’m so very glad I did. Every so often I go back and re-read some of my favorites. I realize that makes me sound even more overwhelmingly bookish than I already am, but think of it this way. Do you enjoy looking back at pictures from your vacation? For me, this is the same thing. A single shot of a particularly enjoyable moment during a terrific journey.

When I was going through breast cancer, the printed word became even more of a lifeline. I took both courage and comfort in quotes that reminded me to stay strong, to fight, and to never back down. Here are some of my favorites:

• Scars mean you were stronger than whatever tried to kill you.

• Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the decision to continue on in spite of the fear.

• Do not think of the scale of it, just attend to each task lying before you; keep your eyes on that. Focus only on what you know, on what you can do, on what you can command.

• Life is like a tapestry. And we’re looking at the back. We’re looking at the mess of tangled threads—knots and threads going every which way. It’s seemingly meaningless. Walk around that same tangled mess and on the other side is a breathtaking piece of art. We only get to look at the back of the tapestry most of the time. I know that one day I’ll get to look at the front and it’ll all make sense.

Books and quotes--words--have seen me through some of the worst experiences of my life. They distract me, comfort me, and sometimes act as a catalyst for my emotions. With a book, I never feel alone.