Collecting Words

I love words.  And as Steve Jobs so eloquently put it...

“the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.  Don’t settle.  As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”  (Steve Jobs)

No surprise that I am working my journey as a writer. 

But regardless, I have begun collecting words. 

“What do you read, my lord?” 

“Words, words, words.” (Hamlet, Act II, ii) 

In my reading, or researching, or cyber-stalking, networking, I, all too often, happen upon those perfect words, all strung together like an exquisite pearl necklace.  And a small bell rings in my soul.  

So, I have started to save words.  You know, those quotable quotes that pop up on Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, fortune cookies, and even in email signature.  Like...

“Be the change you want to see in the world”  (Ghandi)

So in addition to my First Line collection, I have begun another collection -- of words.  Some can be found on my Pinterest board. On my website, and on my computer desktop.  All of them add a little inspiration, community and philosophy to my day. Like...

“...What disturbed him was the discovery that in sensibly ordering his affairs he had got out of step, and not into step, with Life.”  

(Dashiell Hammett)

And in my quest toward minimalism, okay to be honest, I am nowhere close to minimalism, but I am working on reducing my stuff, yet I can still satisfy my collection gene.  The saving of written quotes does not add to more stuff.  And to quote one of our own...

“it will all work out.”  (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

So here are a few more of my favorite quotes. 

“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd.  The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.”  (Albert Einstein)

If the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain’t enough! 

(from The Little Blue Engine by Shel Silverstein)

“Stuart rose from the ditch, climbed into his car, and started up the road that led toward the north…. As he peeked ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in  

the right direction.”(from Stuart Little by E.B. White)

"Now I say that with cruelty and oppression it is everybody’s business to interfere when they see it." 

(from Black Beauty  by Anna Sewell)

"Start where you are.  Use what you have. Do what you can." (Arthur Ashe)

“Housekeeping ain’t no joke.” (Little Women by Louissa May Alcott)

So be sure when you step.  Step with care and great tact and remember that LIfe's a Great Balancing Act. 

(Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss)

Uncle Edisto always said, “It takes courage to look life in the eye and say yes to…the messy glory.” (from Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  (Matthew 7:7)

So I pulled on my chain mail.  

“I thought that was for slaying dragons, not for talking to girls,” said Anibelly, who had appeared behind me.    

“It’s the same thing,” I said. 

(from Alvin-Ho: Allergic To Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-Made Casastrophes by Lenore Look)

Calories (noun):  tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.  (Anonymous)

Do you have a favorite quote?  Please share.  

Or is there something you collect that doesn’t take up space?  Feel free to tell about it.