I read a lot, and I used to keep a diary of quotes that I came across. I also cut quotes of out magazines and used them for collaging binder covers. For a long time, I posted a quote of the week in my classroom. I’m not sure when or why I stopped — something about the obvious sincerity of the practice just made me embarrassed. I started up again months ago, this time in my notes app.
Here are some I’ve collected so far:
“It’s never all bad.” -My friend Ashley’s instagram caption.
“I’m never afraid to be seen trying.” -unattributed. Swiftie adjacent. A few years ago, the biggest insult at my school was being called a “try hard.” We had a long conversation as a class about why this was a toxic insult, and we had some kids take the conversation to heart and put “try hard” stickers on their lockers. One of my teaching philosophies is to try something new every year so that I always stay in touch with how difficult the feeling of being a beginner is.
“There are three aspects of reality: the pain will never go away, uncertainty will never go away; and there’s no getting away from the need for constant work. Everybody has to live like that, no matter what.” -Jonah Hill’s Therapist. Both of my grandfathers had Parkinson’s disease, so his movie is very special to me.
“Authenticity is dangerous and expensive.” -Tina Fey. Has she ever been more correct? I don’t think so.
“Everything that degrades culture shortens the paths that lead to servitude.” -Albert Camus.
“Most misery is caused by rushing.” -Melissa Kirsch. Absolutely true, especially when it comes to parenting.
“When wonder is a practice, you feel less alone.” -Aimee Nezukumatahil. I had never heard of this poet before, but then she was featured on Morning Person and Big Salad. What a delightful presence!
“None of us is anywhere near as interesting as we think, yet neither are we as appalling as we fear.” -I think I found this on Twitter. I cannot verify because if I log into Twitter, I will lose my two-step verification process, which is keeping out a very pesky person (bot?) who tries to log into my account once every few weeks. I repeat this line to myself every time I post. 🙃
The tone of mainstream internet culture has made earnestness and sincerity kind of uncool, but I think it's likely that many people who outwardly think that sincere quotes are cringe have their own secret quote scrapbooks. 😊