Daily Literature Quotes

[Ganyu]

Wooo!! Amazing novel! Harper Lee is so phenomenal. I really love this metaphor of the mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely a must-read for everyone. Like if you haven't read this book, I'm just gonna pretend I don't know you. It's one of those titles that spark intellectual conversation.

[Noblejanobii]

Today's Daily Literature Quote is…

“In my heart of hearts – (He thumps his chest) – I am much warrior!” “In your heart of hearts, you are much drunkard.””

This may not seem like an important quote, but it actually is a big quote. Here's why. It is a reflection of old culture versus new culture. In this scene, Walter is drunk and replicated an old African tribal dance. This represents the idea of afrocentricism. However, when Ruth points out that Walter is drunk, she points out the assimilationist within Walter as well.

[Noblejanobii]

Today's Daily Literature Quote is…

"Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure."

Today's quote was submitted by @Ghostwriter!

Anyway, this is an interesting quote. Jane Austen is great for thought provoking quotes and this is probably one of the best I've seen of hers. It's intriguing because it proposes that selfishness, itself, has no cure. This provokes the discussion Tenacity and I had a while back about whether or not every action and subsequent reaction is inherently selfish. And while that's a discussion that has already been made, Austen brings up a valid point in relation to this. If every action is inherently selfish, this shouldn't we forgive everyone from whatever action they perform because unless they are selfish they will not perform the action?

[Ganyu]

My favourite quote (or one of) by the character Mary Crawford, whom Austen used to represent liberal London's modernity and contrasts to Mansfield's conservative country. Mary is probably one of my favourite Austen characters, and many critics argue that she makes for a better protagonist than Fanny, given how developed her character is and how complex she is. I admit that I'm a hedonist myself, and materialism takes precedence over altruism in my life, which in the eyes of an omniscient omnipotent being may condemn me but you know, I can't give a damn. The world is cruel, and sometimes you just have to care about yourself before others. It's a survival instinct and perhaps that's why we can never eliminate the selfish element from human nature.

This is my cynical view, but imho, it's a view much better than that of an optimistic idealist's folly. #sorrynotsorry

[Noblejanobii]

Today's Daily Literature Quote is…

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go…”

I had to say this for a play once and it's stuck with me ever since. On top of being parodied by Phineas and Ferb in one of their songs (the line is "We've got heads full of brains and sneakers full of feet"), it's a pretty neat quote. It talks about how you have control over your own destiny, and that's a pretty neat concept, in my opinion. Since free choice is a thing, it takes that concept and says that it shapes the destiny of yourself and everyone around you.

[Ganyu]

Oh nice! Dr Seuss! Very motivational, and especially positive given how his writing is tailored to young children. I liked reading a lot of his stuff; it was trippy and so visually stimulating that it inspired my imagination as a kid. Oh the places you'll go indeed~

[Chibi Altaria]

I love Dr. Seuss! .u. I read quite a few of his books as a child, and they always stuck with me. Partly cause of the cutesy rhyming, and partly cause they're quite uplifting. That said, he does some really weird stuff. xD

[Noblejanobii]

I'll be honest, I totally forgot about this since I slept through the reminder I usually set for myself this morning. XD

Today's Daily Literature Quote is...

"I've always relied on the kindness of strangers."

Thanks to @Ghostwriter for submitting this quote! You should get a token or something for this. XD

Okay, so, never having read this tale, I can't really say what this quote means based on context. Nevertheless, this actually brings up a point that is very applicable to my everyday life. See, where I live, strangers help strangers without a second thought. It's just how we're raised. So, I can remember one time last year (like October time frame), I was giving a ride to someone who had just moved to my state from New York. While we were driving to wherever we were going, I saw someone's car broken down on the side of the road in the pouring rain. Long story short, I pulled over and ended up giving the poor person a ride to the nearest starbucks. It wasn't much of a bother to me but I can remember it freaked my friend out so much. She explained that, in New York, nobody would have ever done such a thing. There's also the parable of the Good Samaritan and if you haven't heard it I suggest looking it up. I think helping others in need is the right thing to do because if my car had broken down on the side of the road in the pouring rain, I'd want someone to give me a lift to the nearest starbucks too.

[Noblejanobii]

Today's Daily Literature Quote is…

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the road less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Congrats, @Fate! Your quote was selected!

This is an interesting quote because it seems to imply by taking the way no one else goes. I'm not sure I agree with this, because sometimes following the crowd is a good decision too. While following a road less traveled can help, it can also make your journey much more difficult for a less satisfying result. But it can also be much easier and give you a much more satisfying result.

[Fate]

Yayyy! I can finally complain a bit about this quote!

I'm sure everyone's seen this poem--especially the part I've selected to be quoted--on some poster plastered somewhere in a school or office. It's become an ode to individuality. But it's amusing to me because everyone ignores the rest of the poem and focuses only on these three final lines. I'm not one to say poetry is to be interpreted only a single way, but there's staggering evidence against this non-conformist cheer people seem to associate with the poem.

If you read the whole poem, you'll find it's a pretty depressing-sounding piece laced with gloomy undertones. I see the poem as one of regret and constant wonder about things past and choices made, not as one of individuality and independence. And its titled "The Road Not Taken." And in fact, the speaker mentions twice that both roads are the same and indistinguishable. Some people would say this poem is hugely misinterpreted. But I'd say people just carelessly interpret it.

If we are on the non-conformity angle, though, I agree with you, Noble! I'm all for embracing your differences, but I'm very much against trying to be different. We seem to be progressing to the point where it's good to be different and bad to be the same as everyone else. And that's crap. If you choose to like something do or like something many others do or like and it's a genuine interest, there's nothing wrong with it. If you force yourself to dislike something because everyone else likes it, there's something very wrong with it. This whole non-conformist movement can be tiring. And a bit hypocritical when you consider that forcing yourself to not conform is pretty much the same as conforming.