A Literary Perspective

I love to read. Often I’ll reach for a mystery or a bestseller, but I also enjoy the classics. Enduring literature makes me think, reflecting life truths in clever and intriguing ways. This week I’m sharing some of my favorite literary quotes relating to organizing, time management, setting priorities and change. I hope these will bring a smile or a spark of inspiration. Enjoy!

 

Thoughts From Literature

 

On getting started…

Joseph Conrad quote

 

On overwhelm…

Thoreau

On taking responsibility…

JK Rowling

 

On clutter…

JD Salinger

 

On change…

Shakespeare quote

 

On living with kids…

Dr. Seuss

 

On priorities…

Tolkein

 

On the pace of life…

Sylvia Plath

 

On what matters most…

Oscar Wilde

 

On time management…

Dickens

 

On perfectionism…

Steinbeck

 

On effort vs. results…

Melville

 

On memorabilia…

Bronte

 

On organization…

Shakespeare

 

On having a bad day…

Woolf

 

On finding purpose…

Dickens

 

On starting fresh…

Hugo

 

On housekeeping…

L. Frank Baum

 

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Do you have a favorite literary quote? I’d love to hear it!

27 thoughts on “A Literary Perspective”

    1. I know we share a love of reading. There is just so much good stuff out there. Sometimes I have to force myself to put the book down and get moving:)

    1. Aw, happy birthday to your little guy. Those Legos… I find them all over. Gotta love them, though. They are just a bit pile of possibility, right? Hope he had a great birthday and that you had a happy Mother’s Day:)

  1. I always enjoy literary quotes, Seana. A great literary quotes is able to concisely say what my tumbled thoughts are trying to form and say The Tolkien one is my favorite, with Dr. Seuss running a very close second. 🙂

    1. I completely agree. Authors have a gift for crystalizing thoughts in a memorable and “portable” way. I carry them around and hang them up and love memorizing them. I wish my brain were better at holding and accessing them on demand!

  2. I love these literary quotes. I am in awe of others who can gather the appropriate words together to inspire someone to take action. I find sometimes I have a loss for words when writing, but when I find a quote that relays exactly what I want to say, it helps me go even deeper into the explanation. Thank you for sharing.

    1. I have great admiration for authors as well, Sarina. The gift of capturing a thought in a succinct and relatable manner is so powerful. A good quote can stick with me in a way that vague thoughts can’t.

    1. The research was the most fun part of this post, Janet. I’ve been collecting for awhile and thought it might be fun to put them together and share them out:)

  3. What a great quote collection! I love collecting good quotes because you never know when they’ll be just right for a situation or person. The ones you shared are wonderful. I have a special place in my heart for all things Dr. Suess, so that one in particular resonated with me. How about this one from Albert Camus, “Life is the sum of all of your choices.”
    Linda Samuels recently posted…5 Strong Motivating Reasons to Get Rid of Your ClutterMy Profile

    1. Good one, Linda! I am loving getting feedback on other favorites. Dr. Seuss has been a big hit… we can all relate, right? Such a gift these authors have for capturing a truth in a way that sticks with us:)

  4. This is a wonderful collection of quotes. The Dr. Seuss one made me laugh. I feel that is what my home organizing clients really want to say when I walk in the door.

    1. I so agree, Nancy. When you life with children, there is just usually a bit of mess. It goes with the territory. In some ways, this is freeing… you know that you are not alone or failing. At the same time, it can be discouraging to feel like you never get things in order. That’s where we come in, right?

  5. I enjoyed all of these. I haven’t read all those books but it is wonderful when a statement jumps out at you and you read it enough to memorize it. You have it with you every time you need it.

    1. I would love to commit more of these to memory. When they are in your head, they are more likely to serve you well in that moment when they matter most!

  6. Oh, Seana, I love these quotations, and the Winnie the Pooh one above! I started “screen-shooting” them to share, but found I wanted too many of them!

    1. Dr. Seuss is definitely getting the biggest reaction. He really knew how to put his finger on life experiences in a relatable way. Always helps to laugh, right Marcia?

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