Bons Mots

Cover of Walking a Literary Labyrinth

Do you wonder if you will ever be quoted? Will you ever have something so astute or stunningly beautiful to say that your bons mots will be worthy of repetition?

I wrote a short essay in this blog that started with a quote from myself, so that if no one else ever quotes me, I have been quoted (that counts in my books if not yours).

Here are a few of my favourite quotes gleaned from various sources. I  am a collector of quotes and have several journals filled with them, so I thought I might share a few.

My definition of life is aptly defined by Adair Lara in her book “Naked, Drunk and Writing”.  She said that she read it somewhere. Without further ado (drum roll please):“It’s all very hard, but there’s a lot of collateral beauty along the way.”

This quote can be directly attributed to Lara: “She painted in all the shadows; but I remember the sunshine.”

William Faulkner sums up how I approach writing: “I never know what I think about something until I’ve read what I’ve written on it.”

English: Portrait of Virginia Woolf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And  this from Virginia Woolf on the love of reading.  It is from her essay, “How One Should Read a Book”:

“Yet who reads to bring about an end, however desirable? Are there not some pursuits that we practice because they are good in themselves, and some pleasures that are final? And is this not among them? I have sometimes dreamt, at least, that when the Day of Judgment dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their reward—their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble – the Almighty will turn to Peter and say, not without a certain envy when he sees us coming with our books under our arms, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give here. They have loved reading”.”

I find the words of Nancy Malone, from her book “Walking a Literary Labyrinth, A Spirituality of Reading” astute, smart even : “…literature can crystallize our knowledge of ourselves.”

To dispel any seriousness which this post may have wrought, I leave you with my very favourite words of wisdom:

“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.”  ~ Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do you have a favourite quote that is on the tip of your tongue for sophisticated chatter? Nash’s poem is my contribution to any cocktail hour that starts with the words—“Well, it is five o’clock somewhere.”