I quote: A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool.
Deep. And true. And yes, that’s a quote about quotes. Because this is a post about quotes. Joseph Roux said that, by the way. No, he wasn’t a second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-80s.
(Remember those baby blue uniforms?)
He was actually a French surgeon in the 1700s. I’m not sure which of these men I am, and that’s up for debate. What I’d like to do is write posts about quotes now and then. Because of words about words, right?
I use quotes at the end of every post, you might have noticed.
I do because sometimes others’ words are the best way to wrap things up. It’s like having a forward in the back of a book if a post was a book. Not to mention people like to pin the hell out of a good quote.
3 random quotes from past posts (and new stories they evoked).
Parents used to fuss a little that the Pacheco girls got props a lot.
Well, dad’s the coach. This makes a lot of sense in some cases. Not all. People who see the considerable playing time these girls get don’t see that they spend scorching summer afternoons not always watching New Girl on Netflix, eating guacamole.
They get out there on the soccer field and work their asses off.
It’s a labor of love and it inspires me. It helped me through a period when I didn’t know what was next. I wanted a next, that’s all. You add love into the equation, work feels more like dessert. Even when your quads are on fire.
Or you struggle to stay awake at night to blog because your day’s so damned chock full.
I see this in new writers and new players. In people whom I know and just observe getting their feet settled and their confidence up. It’s a good look. You must give up a little of who you are to get to who you will become.
You can quote me on that.
From: Guest post from Rory, of Time Out For Mom: Win or Lose, I’m in it
I realized weeks into my job how limited my work had been at the last gig. The words piled up. But they were anonymous. Placed on pages in futile places to serve a purpose. That purpose wasn’t anything special, didn’t require me to specifically do the work.
It struck me one day halfway through my stint.
I have nothing here I realized. I have teamwork and team contribution and an occasional pat on the literary back. But I’m just a collection of bits on a desk with a company-issued laptop. I’m replaceable. And then I really was.
Today, I learn.
I study how to make content marketing work. I subscribe to newsletters and watch seminars and see stuff on TV or billboards or blogs. I mash them through my processor and try something new with my words. It works, sometimes. Others, no.
I’m on a team that expects me to do this and appreciates that I do.
From writing email campaigns that stick to changing the headlight lamp in a 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Or making a barbecue chicken pizza on the grill. Or understanding something that just happened with a kid I love. In order that I may learn how to do it.
From: Blue and rose make my purple period
Me too, Mir.
As a non-sister, there are boundaries to my inclusion into any sisterhood. I can stand among the ponytails and cleats on the sideline. I can work alongside driven and talented women. But I will never really be a sister.
I love to see how the sisters my daughters are, interacting.
I just learned they have a message group, these three. The send videos and make plans and make fun of each other. They want tattoos on their wrists, simple Roman numerals to signify birth order. That’s big. That’s the three.
Long after I’m gone, my biggest wish is that they stay bound.
When they’re snuggled watching Psych, I say nothing. When they’re beating the holy hell out of each other in the backseat on the way to a soccer match … well, I say little. I might object when the car starts to sway into the next lane.
I’m just happy to be close to it.
From: Go Ask Daddy about prehistoric kids, noble research and the art of antagonizing
Just a dad ... 
like you, i love quotes. i think some words are timeless and can resonate in new ways and new times across the universe. you always choose well –
I love quotes. Sometimes they just sum it all up in a few words and I like that. I have a tendency to put quote memes on FB as an obtuse way of getting my point across. So that comes in handy… lol.
What comes to mind after that last meme is… “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you!” Dr Seuss ❤
Don't try to be anyone else… there is only one you and the original is always better than the copy! 😉
I’ve really thought about having to give up a little of who you are to become what you’re meant to become. I feel like I’ve lost myself entirely and I wonder what that really means.
It’s the most personal sacrifice, regardless how small the portion might seem Sara – to give up part of ourselves. Losing so much could mean that you have a blank canvas, and opportunity to build with pieces you choose.
Love this one! And yes, quotes rock. Boiling something down to its essence, like a delicious red wine reduction sauce. The part about sisterhood struck me particularly because I didn’t have much of one until later in life, and I’m still working on it. Such a precious thing.
Thanks! Quotes are the bomb. That you likened it to something so delicious seems fitting. Sisterhood is something I can experience only as a spectator, but it’s incredible to behold.
I’m grateful you did have much of one at all. Those sisters are lucky to share that with you.
Great quotes there! I love anything that can inspire me. This is awesome 😀
Thank you! I picked them at random, but they seem to have fit together in a way I didn’t even realize.
I love quotes. I post one on my blog every day. 😉 I wish I knew what it was like to be one of the sisterhood. Perhaps I am too much the tomboy, but I always feel I am on the outside and never quite fit in. ✨💕✨
Quotes are like the good cheese in the deli. I remember quotes on your posts, Jo. You just need to be found by the right sisterhood, I think. My girls are pretty tomboyish – and also braid their hair and paint nails, so it’s like having six kids all together.
Oh, how I like the good stuff. Champange taste on a beer budget the saying goes… Sounds like you have a full house. Enjoy it.✨😊✨
Sometimes you just need to say it the way someone brilliant said it before.
I’m sure the brilliant don’t mind, right?
The Cardinals baby blue jerseys bring back some great memories. And a few not so good, but I’m choosing to focus on the positive.
I feel the same way about the Denver Broncos’ old-school orange uniforms, and the D helmet. Yes, remember the good times!
Like you, I use quotes too. Sometimes they say what I struggle to say, but most often they add humour or a moment’s reflection, something we miss out on when we’re mired in the mud and trying to remember how to breathe. Thank you for sharing your words, and you heart! xoxo
We’ve been at this blogging thing a while, haven’t we Jenn? You’re so right about quotes! It’s great to see you here again, and I can’t wait to get back to your place.