I know most people adorn the walls of their homes with family pictures or expensive art work that moved them in some particular way. And while my homes do have family photos scattered around, the majority of our walls have words on them in the form of quotes that spoke to me.

Near our front door we have a small piece that speaks about small houses and the love they hold, above the sink is a quote by Mother Theresa, there’s another quote by her hanging in our stairwell. There’s a wall of love quotes in a bedroom that I add to now and again. And above my writing desk is a collection of writing quotes that made me smile, inspired an idea, or simply made me laugh out loud.

One of the quotes above my desks reads: Writing is the painting of the voice and is credited to Voltaire. I feel that deeply. I may not be able to draw much more than a stick figure. The maps I create for my stories are little more than blobs on paper, but I hope when people read about them they come to life. They see the small town for what it should be, not the strange blob I drew on scratch paper.

While many people fill their Pinterest boards with colorful paint swatches, recipes, and clothes, I confess I fill mine with quotes. I label them all as Beautiful, but that board became so full I had to break it down. And then I gave up pinning anything when saving them to my camera reel was so much easier, and came with the added benefit that I scroll through my photos on a daily basis. I only end up on Pinterest when research drags me there.

Today, I’m sharing a few quotes that spoke to me in one way or another when I stumbled across them. Rather than leaving them in my camera reel, I thought I’d dust them off and share them here, because maybe you’ll find as much joy in them as I did.

Every year, as part of my goal planning process, I create a vision board. I take quotes that I’ve collected that point towards my goals and inspire me to take action. This is one that sits on my 2023 vision board. 

It made me smile when I saw it, as I thought about how often people think that I’m not paying attention, or I’m just silent because I don’t want to speak up. While in reality I’m generally absorbing a lot of what is happening around me, and sometimes fighting wildly not to start writing, or working on, a story in my head.

Dreaming while I’m awake is the perfect way to sum it up. 

This is a quote we pass around in the local writing group quite often. It’s the one we shout when someone thinks that everything they’ve written is pure trash and they should just throw it out. It’s the quiet reminder that it’s just a work in progress.  

There’s a second quote I’m notorious for following this up with that goes: Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist. — Smiley. And someone else will often echo with, “You can’t edit what you haven’t written.” 

One of the hardest parts of writing is fighting the critic who hovers over your shoulder, and tells you that everything you’ve written is garbage, that no one will want to read. And quotes like this are the ones that remind me that just because I write it doesn’t mean it’s polished— yet.

Here’s another quote from my 2023 vision board. It speaks volumes on its own, at least to me. The other reason it sits on my vision board, is that a very dear and sweet friend reminds me often that I have a gift for writing, and I shouldn’t let it go to waste.

This sounds like a perfect retirement plan, except for maybe the coffee part. I mean, I enjoy the smell of coffee, but not so much the taste. I’m sure a perfect hobbit hole will have plenty of other refreshments to choose from though, don’t you?

The very first time I saw this quote, I actually sighed with delight. Then I saved it, and sent it to a group chat where the others smiled at my joy even if they didn’t quite grasp just how deeply the quote moved me.

It’s one of those quotes that explains so well, what sometimes can be so hard to sum up in just a few short words. It’s also one of my most favorite wordy quotes ever.

Do you have a favorite quote that moves you? I’d love to hear it, drop it in the comment section below, email it, or tag me on Instagram. I love words, and your quote might just be one I fall in love with and absolutely must add to my ever growing collection.