Literary [Q]uotes

The Blogging A to Z Challenge is on the 17th letter of the English Alphabet. I, however, am severely behind with this challenge. But dagnabit I am determined to finish it. So, just to forewarn you for the remaining challenge there will be two posts per day – one for that days letter and one for a letter I missed.

And now on to today’s letter.

I didn’t have a book or an author I wanted to talk about that began with ‘Q’ or had the letter somewhere in the title or name; so I chose to go with Quotes.

Some quotes I truly enjoy are some of Shakespeare’s insult quotes. There is no better way to say, ‘You just got burned’ than by using a 16th century burn by the penultimate burner. Here’s one of my favorites.

Thou hast no more brain than I have in my elbows

Shakespeare,  Troilus and Cressida

I’m just going to put this out there. Sometimes I wonder, typically on a daily basis, how in the world do some people function. And I really feel like saying this to some folks.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

Oscar Wilde

This is perhaps one of my favorite quotes because it truly sums me up. From an early age I marched to the beat of a different drummer and typically find myself going right when everyone else is going left. I like being different and it’s pretty darn important to me.

I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light.

Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X

Oh the power of finding your voice and using it. It is indeed so liberating.

Never let anyone lower your goals. Others’ expectations of you are determined by their limitations of life. The sky is your limit, sons. Always shoot for the sun and you will shine.

Kwame Alexander, The Crossover

My mother often relays one her goals or dreams from childhood and regrets that she let someone else dictate her path. She wanted to go into science and was essentially told to stay in her place by her math teacher.

Poor slob, poor slob without a name. It’s a little inconvenient, his not having a name. But I haven’t any right to give him one: he’ll have to wait until he belongs to somebody. We just sort of took up by the river one day, we don’t belong to each other: he’s an independent, and so am I. I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found the place where me and things belong together. I’m not quite sure where that is just yet. But I know what it’s like.

Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

I liked Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but I didn’t love it. A few quotes did stand out to me, like the one above. I found it interesting and a little sad, but I thought about a friend of mine who had a similar thought process.

So, these are a few of my favorite literary quotes. What are some yours? Literary or otherwise.