Day 3: Quote 3

Well, I decided for my last quote for the quote challenge Bumbles Books tagged me in.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I read The Lord of the Rings back in elementary school and absolutely loved them. I was largely inspired by the movies coming out, of course, but the books are all good in their own right. I always have loved this quote, even if it’s one of the more popular ones.

I love this quote so much, just in showing us that even when things are hard we have one thing we can control, and that is how we behave in those circumstances. It’s easy to just sit back and mope when things are difficult. It’s easy to give up. But when things are out of your control, all you can control is how you react.

Anyhow, for my final choice of person to tag I choose Rollan Wengert at Tone-deaf Troglodyte Tries Mozart. He’s been a great friend on Twitter and writes fascinating material about Mozart and music. So though I’m not sure he’ll want to do a quote challenge, I thought I’d put this up as a chance to highlight his blog, which is one I really enjoy. Again, the rules are to post one quote a day for three days and then to tag one person each day. Since this is the last day I definitely wanted to say anyone who wishes to do this challenge is welcome to and if you let me know I’d be happy to make a reference to you on my blog.

What quotes do you love? Any LOTR lovers out there? What moments have you had to decide what to do with the time you’re given?

Day 2: Quote 2

So for my second day of quotes I chose from one of my favorite books of all time Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte that I’ve read at least three or four times (or at least it feels that way…perhaps I haven’t).

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Not quite the same profound quality as De Profundis, but it is one of my favorite books, and I have always related to Jane in feeling quite passed over at times. I’ve felt like her in terms of having to make choices where I’ve either had to choose to be nice to someone else or not allow myself to be treated like a doormat. And this year in particular I’ve tried to be better at respecting myself. I’ve tried to remember that I matter too. And in this moment where Jane wonders if she should simply give in because no one cares about her, she realizes how important it is to care about yourself.

So I suppose all that’s left to say is this is important. You must care for yourself. Even if no one else does. Even if other people around you constantly treat you like you don’t matter. You need to know you matter. Self-worth is just so incredibly important. And if a character like Jane who was abandoned by her only family, and abused in school, and made fun of by wealthy ladies can have some sense of self-respect, then so can you.

I’m not saying to be a jerk. I’m saying, like Jane, recognize moments when people are treating you wrong and don’t let them. Recognize when you need to walk away from relationships. Recognize when you deserve an apology and shouldn’t compromise on getting one. Let yourself be bold and brave and unwilling to back down sometimes. There are moments for forgiveness and passive behavior. And there are moments you need to stand up and say no.

For today I tag Natalie at Fluent Historian. She’s a wonderful blogger who writes on history and writing. She makes beautiful observations about the world! Anyhow, the rules are that you post three quotes in three days, tagging one person each day. Obviously, anyone I tag is under no obligation to actually do the challenge, and anyone I don’t tag is free to do it if they wish!

So, short post, but I wanted to put this up. Honestly, I wish I read more books with beautiful, meaningful quotes. But this one is just one of my favorites regardless.

Any favorite quotes to share with me for non-tagged readers? Any thoughts on self-respect? Any thoughts on being bold and balancing that with being kind? Any fellow Jane Eyre lovers want to speak about what you love in this book?

Day 1: Quote 1

So I was tagged by ehbates at Bumbles Books to participate in a 3 days, 3 quotes challenge. Basically I guess I have to just post a quote, write about it, and tag one person each day. So here goes nothing!

For my first quote I thought I’d start with a book that had me actually writing in the margins because of how many beautiful parts inspired me to want to mark favorite sections. I hate defacing books, but with this one I simply had to, and I’ll explain why. The quote is:

“The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?”

― Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

I read De Profundis by Oscar Wilde this last year while struggling with a number of different troubles. Though I wasn’t sitting in a jail like Wilde, I was on a tough path of trying to determine what I wanted to do with my actual life, and who I wanted to be, and was struggling with friendships and life and religion and so much more. The book spoke to me on such a great level in so many ways.

Though I have never had a true romantic relationship like Wilde, I sympathized with him in his struggles with Bosie in knowing what it’s like to have people claim to care for me and then act completely differently. Though I have never sat in a jail cell to contemplate what life is like, I have wondered on matters of God and the divine in my own life. Though I have never been published, I have wondered at the idea of vocation in terms of my art. I have questioned what matters most in terms of what I do.

But I loved this quote. I loved the way it encompassed how I wonder about my own self. I think it is true, that even to myself I’m a mystery. Something to be explored.

I know it’s sort of cheating, but I did want to include one more section of quotes from this book that spoke to me as I prepared to go into the world and find a career, and I hope any fellow students preparing to do so should read this as well.

“The more mechanical people, to whom life is a shrewd speculation dependent on careful calculation of ways and means, always know where they are going, and go there. They start with the desire of being the Parish Beadle, and in whatever sphere they are placed, they succeed in being the Parish Beadle and no more. A man whose desire is to be something separate from himself, to be a Member of Parliament, or a successful grocer, or a prominent solicitor, or a judge, or something equally tedious, invariably succeeds in being what he wants to be. That is his punishment. Those who want a mask have to wear it.”
-Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

I thought this was a great reminder that we are not what we do. We are more than a job. We are more than a vocation. And to make ourselves only that is indeed to wear a mask. Don’t tack down your own identity as your career. That can change. And we are so much more.  Recognize the unknowable element of identity, and let go.

For today I start by tagging a mutual follower calensariel at Impromptu Promptlings. She has been a loyal follower and great commenter, and she runs a fantastic blog on writing and poetry and all kinds of other interesting topics. The challenge is to post one quote a day for three days, and to tag one blogger each day to participate.

If anyone is inspired by this of course feel free to participate even if I don’t tag you. I don’t have enough quotes to tag all of my amazing readers of course!

What have been moments you’ve struggled with in your own life? Have there been times you’ve recognized that self and identity are difficult to determine? What are some quotes you really like? What was the last book you read that inspired you?