“A book on a dusty shelf is like a friend you have not spoken to in
ages.” I had read long time back. I am not an avid reader, per say. I don’t
read like I breathe but I do read never the less. I am more of a re reader… I read
same thing over and over again. After some time post finishing a book I find
myself yearning to read it once more (Just for old time sake, I tell myself). And
owning up to this tradition of mine, I have read and reread and reread and
reread yet again the famous series called “Harry Potter”. Not just the books
but the movies and the PDFs and the Audio Books and almost every video I could
find on YouTube… I have witnessed the Harry Potter Universe virtually. And every
time I live it. I know Hogwarts passages and love Hagrid and cry when Dobby
dies and feel extremely sad for Snape… Always. It feels so real even though it
all happens in my head. But if it’s happening in my head why should it mean it doesn’t
exist, right?
Every time I read or watch it, I find myself learning a lot.
Learning about friendship, love, hate, loss, dealing with death and so much
more… I have learnt from The Brave Potters and Loving Snape and Naughty Black
and even Lestranges… You can bet that they are fiercely Loyal to the Dark Lord!
Moving on, today I am going to
enlist some of the quotes that have stayed with me. The ones that motivate me
when need be and that bring a smile to my face many a times. So here we go…
Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only
remembers to turn on the light.
We all face times when life will
bring us down. Every day is not sunny and bright and everything nice. Some
nights may be darker and longer. When such days come, it’s important to
remember to look for the candles. What I mean is, when you feel low and lost,
all you need to do is look for the positive moments. Search your memory closet
for the ones that make you happy or give you strength. Look at the trusted ones
around you to show you a way. Trust your dreams and aspirations to enlighten
your path to your future. Light as many lights as possible. Even one candle can
wade off darkness and make you see the world around you.
We have all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the
part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.
No one is born good or bad. We
are born with a clean slate and as we grow we scribble on it our experiences,
learning and dreams. We build a belief system that’s based on our knowledge and
experiences. These experiences are what help us take decisions. This is what
forms a basis on every choice we make. And in turn the choices and their
outcome make us who we are. It is a cycle! We gather both good and bad as we
go. We learn good virtues as well as bad influences… and somehow we have enough
space for all of it in our minds and hearts. It is our judgement call and
wisdom that helps us to make the choices that need to be made. It is we who
chose which part – Good or bad – that we chose to act on. It’s like they show
in cartoons… a particular character had a white angel with halo as well as a
red horned devil telling them what to do… it’s exactly the same! We have two
voices that always keep us company, it’s our belief system that governs which
we select to heed.
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but
just as much to stand up to our friends.
I have not taken this literally
because having enemies is not really something I fancy. I do dislike quite a
few people, but they are not worthy to be my enemies. Having said that, it does
take a great deal of nerve to stand up for yourself. It’s not easy to voice
your opinion at all times, thanks to the courtesy lessons we all get. Imagine a
relative telling you how a photo you shared on Instagram is inappropriate… You
want to yell at them saying “My business is my business, none of your business”
(Dialogues do come in handy at times, don’t they?) Do you do that? If you do,
you become the black sheep of the flock. It does take a great deal of nerve to
really say things to others. And God forbid, if you have to stand up to a
friend, it will be the most energy you will have to spend. Because there is a
fear of losing them, isn’t it? Your friends more often than not are the ones
who know you the best and hence they also understand what’s good for you. Many
times they run around with that idea that they know you better than them and
you find yourself constantly justifying. You want to tell them off because you
too are wise enough to understand what is good and what is not. You want to
remind them that you understand and you know. But somehow you just say “ahaa”
and move on. Similarly, even when you know that your friends maybe wrong in
their words or actions you don’t really take a stand unless it affects you. It
takes a lot of gut to crunch out the truth to the ones you love. You don’t want
to hurt them or you don’t want to lose them or why should you bother to correct
anyone or keeping quiet is easier than confrontation… all are signs of not
wanting to stand up for their own good. Your love and sensibility become bigger
than your bravery, don’t they?
I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. Never be ashamed, my ol’ dad
used ter say. There’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth
botherin’ with
This one is not really a famous
quote, but it is so relevant to everyone who always tried to fit into the
Social Idea of Perfection… You have to be good and well qualified, get a decent
job, get married, have a couple of children, buy a house, buy a car, live a
healthy life, retire with savings and live in a country home waiting to die a
peaceful death… a picture perfect life, isn’t it? And if you stray that path, God
alone can save you… maybe not… even God cannot save you if you dare to be
different. If you don’t get a conventional job or family trade and decide to do
something different with your life, you are an outcast. If you are overweight,
no matter how much you have tried to shed off the curves, you are good for
nothing. If you don’t get married at the “right age”, you are deemed to have
some issues. No one thinks what your thoughts behind your choices are. And if
they don’t understand, how is it your fault. Just because your mind is
conditioned to think different, why should it make you wrong? Why should you be
ashamed for your personality or attitude? Almost everyone you know will
question your decisions and maybe abandon you because you don’t walk the path
that they do, but remind yourself that it’s their loss. You have all the right
to be yourself, pursue your own thoughts and do your own stuff your way. No need
explaining anything to anyone. The ones who ask for justification, have made
their mind against you and those who didn’t don’t bother what you do. Few may
also trust you for who you are.
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible
source of magic - capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.
They say, “A tongue has no bones, but can break a heart.” Words have immense
power. What you say and how you say it can make or break stuff for you. Man has
been gifted with language that he uses liberally. And it is also a gift that
has helped educated to be civilized and vice a versa. In wrong hands, it’s a weapon
that can provoke, hurt or even leave a scar for life. You need to taste your
words before you spit them out… you need to think what the implications of the
things you say would be. Words you use have the power to build a reputation for
you and also the prowess to break the impression you have striven to make. They
are powerful enough to help build bridges across distanced hearts and also have
the strength to drill a trench between two peas in a pod. Hence, words need to
be dealt carefully with. They need to be used resourcefully to bring good to
the world. They should be chosen with a hawk’s eye to ensure that they don’t slash
anyone across… they should be used for positive imprint!
These are but a few of my go to
quotes amongst many others… let me know the ones that appeal to you!
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