Friday Five – Quotes That Challenge & Inspire Me

In putting this piece together on my favorite quotes, I thought, “This should be easy. I have SO many good quotes to choose from!” Then I thought, “This is going to be hard. I have SO many good quotes to choose from!!”

I love, no that’s not strong enough… I ADORE quotes.  I am a quote keeper. It is not uncommon for me to hear a good quote while I’m driving and have to pull over to write it down. I have a document for storing quotes. It is usually always open when I’m in writing mode.

“[A] quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business.” ― A. A. Milne, If I May  The irony… How often have we quoted Winnie the Pooh? Oh, and this one doesn’t count in my five favorites. It’s free.

So yeah, thinking is laborious so perhaps quotes could make one seem lazy but for me they inspire and motivate. They may offer a simplicity of thought but the good ones spur me on to deeper reflection. I mean, isn’t all of scripture made up of quotes? I do believe so and they’re all signed “~God”. I love storing quotes and I love sharing them. I’m honored to link up for the Friday Five theme, Five Favorite Quotes, with some of my amazing blogger friends as inspired by Mrs. Disciple. If anyone would like to link up their favorite quote posts with me here, you are welcome! Just click on the blue frog link at the bottom of this post.

We have so many favorite family quotes that we’ve used over the years. You know, the ones the kids will quote to their kids one day, like… “We don’t do lazy.” “Don’t do anything stupid.” “With privilege comes responsibility.” “Nothing good happens after midnight or under a blanket.” “You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube.” and one of my husband’s favorites that he used to tell the kids all the time, “Want in one hand, blow your nose in the other and see which ones fills up faster.” These quotes have served us well over the years. Parents, feel free to use them as your own. You’re welcome.

Seriously, there’s no way I can list just five quotes on a post about my favorite quotes. It is a great privilege for me today to have a post solely dedicated to sharing five of my most favorites with you.

On Doing it:
“Just do it” ~Nike
This longstanding Nike trademark has become one of my life’s trademarks. So often I “just don’t want to do it” but those three words motivate me daily. What is it that you don’t want to do that you need to just do?

On being brave:
“Bravery goes viral, but one person always has to go first. When you go first with your story, your dream and your hustle you give everyone in the room a really powerful gift. You give them the gift of going second. It’s hard to go first. You don’t know the rules yet, you don’t know how it will be accepted, there’s no precedent. It’s easier to go second, which is why the world needs you to be brave first.” ~Jon Acuff, Do Over

When I started reading Jon Acuff’s book, Do Over, this quote quickly became one of my all time favorites. I’ve shared it countless times with friends who have been brave first and given the gift of second. Usually friends who are writers. A good writer has tapped into their vulnerable. We bear more than our words. We bear our souls. And we do it for the person whose words are stuck or whose words aren’t brave enough yet. We do it because maybe if we’re brave first someone else can follow. Every act of bravery I can think of is for the purpose of setting us free. Is there a way today that you can be brave first and give the gift of second?

On being vulnerable:
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ~C. S. Lewis

I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with this one, Mr. Lewis. I’m not great at vulnerability. I have, however, mastered the art of mask wearing. But mask wearing is acting, not living. If we want to live, really live, we have to unlock the heart. I’ve played it safe for many of my years, leaving my heart on the sidelines to avoid pain. I look back and realize that in my quest to avoid pain I also avoided so much of life. We can’t have love without pain. We can’t live without love. Which way do you prefer to live, with your heart exposed and at risk or locked up safe in a coffin?

On being a friend:
The two most powerful words when we’re in struggle, “Me too”. ~Brene’ Brown

I can’t get enough of Brene’ Brown’s encouragement. It’s nice when people tell us they’re sorry about our pain but it’s nicer when we know they feel our pain. Do you have a “me too” friend? Are you a “me too” friend? We may need to be the friend we want before we can have the friend we want. You can quote me on that.

On being a writer (or creator):
“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.” ~Pearl S. Buck

Andrew Peterson, one of my most favorite singer/songwriters and wordsmith, shared this quote at a recent concert I attended. My introduction to  Pearl S. Buck has made a powerful impact. Sometimes I feel that if I can’t write I might as well not breathe. What do you create that is your very breath?

What are your favorite quotes? I’d love to add them to my list. Please share with us in the comments.

~Andrea

Click on the frog box to link up your Friday Five post or to view those who have linked up! Do it, she said! It’ll be fun, she said!!