Top Ten Tuesday -- 10 Inspiring Quotes from Books

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Jamie's picks

1. “She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.” -- Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

It was just such an empowering statement. Really the whole series inspires me to be a little more badass, a little more confident, even stronger, etc. Be ferociously unapologetic when it comes to fighting for what I want in my life.


2. “The brick walls (in life) are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” -- The Last Lecture by Randy Paucsh

This whole book was pretty inspiring and I did a lot of dog-earring. Lots of wisdom from a guy who is giving his "last lecture" because he knows he is going to die soon.

3. “Because without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?” Finnikin of the Rock

If you love fantasy, you MUST read this trilogy from Melina Marchetta.  I just loved this quote so much because WORDS WORDS WORDS. They are important. They are everything.


4. “Books light the fire—whether it’s a book that’s already written, or an empty journal that needs to be filled in.” ― Meg Wolitzer, Belzhar

YAY BOOKS AND WORDS.


5. “It's easy to forget to look up when all you do is focus on the road straight ahead.”-- Golden by Jessi Kirby

Truth be told I could have done a whole top ten list just from this book. It's so inspiring and challenging and provoked something within me. This was one of those reminders I needed for sure.

Bridget's Picks

6. “I am too fond of reading books to care to write them.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

For YEARS, my dad has been convinced that one day I’ll be an author. And almost every time he’s brought it up, I’ve more or less paraphrased the above quotation. Just because I like reading books doesn’t mean I think I have any aptitude at all to write them (although the recent publication of crap like 50 Shades of Gray has made me want to try my hand at it, because if effing E. L. James can get three books published and made into movies, why can’t I???).

7. “Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said..."As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells...and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower...both strange and familiar.” ― Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

I’ve never read Inkspell, but now I want to. This quote is so true; when I reread something, I always find myself remembering how I felt the last time I read it. It can be jarring, but it’s also kind of amazing how certain words in a certain order can bring back such solid memories, sometimes not even related to the book. 

 Kimberly's Picks 

8. "There are moments when you can't believe something wonderful is happening. And there are moments when your entire consciousness is filled with knowing absolutely that something wonderful is happening." Rainbow Rowell ~ Attachments

I just love the optimism of this. Wonderful things happen! Sometimes we don't even know that it's happening right then. Other times... you just know. That moment of "wonderful" will stick with you forever. 

9.  "... People who create. People whose souls no longer live in their bodies because they've leached so much of themselves into their work." Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

This made me even more determined to keep doing the things I love. Theatre. Put everything you have into what you love. It will start to affect everyone else. Ever listen to a song that someone put their heart and soul into? You can't help but FEEL that! Or looked at a painting. Or watched a performance. Their very essence becomes part of what they make.

 10. "How is it possible that my crush -- my three-year-long crush-- has a  crush on me? This doesn't happen in real life." -- Stephanie Perkins ~ Isla and the Happily Ever After

This quote is so adorable, but it also has special meaning to me. I read this EXACTLY five months ago, literally the night before my wedding. It's how I felt about my now husband. I'd had a crush on him for five years (so did he, apparently) when he finally asked me out! I highlighted this and posted it to instagram. Roughly 10ish hours before I married my 5+ year long crush. <3 

Tell us your favorite inspiring quotes from books!!