Q is for Quotes

A couple of months ago I was browsing through a store and saw this adorable little notebook with teacups on the cover. Said notebook became the home of my collection of quotes – from books, movies, songs, people. I think the quotes I collect say a lot about me as a person, and for this particular post, I thought I’d share a few of my absolute favourites.

“I want to be the best version of myself for anyone who is going to someday walk into my life and need someone to love them beyond reason.” ~ Jennifer Elisabeth

“I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.” ~ Patrick Dennis

“Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.” ~ Dalai Lama

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” ~ Herm Albright

“No one has ever drowned in his own sweat.” ~ Ann Landers

“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.” ~ Ingrid Bergman

“Rudeness is the weak person’s imitation of strength.”

“I melt. And am not of stronger earth than others.” ~ Coriolanus

“I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you. Especially when you are near me as now; it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in a corresponding quarter of your little frame: and if that boisterous channel and two hundred miles or so of land some broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapt, and I’ve a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly.” ~ Jane Eyre

“You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate. There is more eloquence in a sugar touch of them, than in the tongues of the French council; and they should sooner persuade Harry of England than a general petition of monarchs.” ~ Henry V

J is for Jane Eyre

Over the last five years or so, I’ve fallen in love with the classics. Not all, as I am struggling with Thomas Hardy, but among my favourites are Shakespeare, Austen and recently Orczy (thank you again, Holly, for introducing me to the Baroness).

I tend to favour romances, and as a rule, only read stories with happy endings (real life is hard enough and I unapologetically prefer my entertainment to be as far from reality as possible). It is for this reason that Austen is a particular favourite of mine.

However, Austen’s heroines are too perfect. I like stories which depict women as equally strong and vulnerable, and equally virtuous and flawed, and Anne Elliot is the only Austen heroine, in my opinion, who portrays this beautifully, which is probably why Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel.

My absolute favourite classic story though, is Jane Eyre. Those who know me well might find this surprising, as the story has a very dark element, as is indicative of the Brontë sisters. I’ve read Jane Eyre quite a few times, and in addition to the story, the language always surprises me. I know language changes and evolves with time, but I wouldn’t mind at all to be wooed in the way Rochester woos Jane. Some of my favourite scenes include the part where Jane leaves to visit to her sick aunt and Rochester’s happiness at her return to Thornfield Hall.

My favourite line from the novel comes from Rochester, when he tells Jane, “I have a strange feeling with regard to you. As if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly knotted to a similar string in you. And if you were to leave I’m afraid that cord of communion would snap. And I have a notion that I’d take to bleeding inwardly. As for you, you would forget me.” In all of my reading, I have yet to come across a more beautiful way of saying, “I am in love with you”.

As regards the actual story, a few things come to mind, which gives me hope as regards life and romance…

The heroine is a teacher, and makes a significant difference in the life of her student; Jane does not compromise her principles or dignity for the sake of a man; Rochester falls for Jane’s mind, heart and spirit, not for her arse; Jane is tested in many ways, but never takes the easy way out; the plain Jane, not the princess, gets the guy in the end.

Of all the tales I’ve read in my life, this one will remain one of my all-time favourites, for imparting the simple wisdom that life may not be a fairy-tale, but it is quite possible to experience fairy-tale moments and fairy-tale endings.

random thoughts

I have quite a lot on my mind today.

1.      Dreams.

Some people say that dreams are suppressed desires. Others say that dreams are warnings and reminders from God. My eldest brother (who is kind of a genius) says that we shouldn’t really dwell on the things that we dream.

In my case, I tend to agree with my brother, because if I were to dwell on the dreams that I have, it would serve no purpose other than to confirm that I need to be institutionalized.

I have had some weird dreams in my lifetime. Once, I dreamt that I was being chased by a werewolf Michael Jackson (this too after I saw the Thriller video...to this day, that song and video creeps me out).

But I have been dreaming again of my fantasy guy. Dreaming of Jackson Rathbone. And when I wake up from these dreams, I think to myself, “Is it normal for 28 year olds to be dreaming of celebrities?”

2.      Language

Two days ago I went to meet a friend at a mall. We haven’t seen each other for a while, and I really needed to get out of the house and do something fun. In all honesty, I would have been very happy to just spend the afternoon eating and talking to her. She is someone, probably these days the only one, with whom I can let my guard down completely, and just be myself, without being afraid of offending her, or censure from her. But she suggested that we go see a movie, and we ended up going to watch the latest film adaptation of Jane Eyre.

I was so happy we decided to watch that. Not only did the movie remain true to the literature, the acting was absolutely brilliant and the person portraying Mr. Rochester was just (for me at least) too divine. I’m quite in love with Michael Fassbender.

Watching it made me think of this time (about 2 years ago) where all I wanted to read were classic romance novels. I read all of Jane Austen’s novels, I read Jane Eyre (which I absolutely loved, despite the fact that it drags a bit at the beginning), I even read Wuthering Heights (which I will never read again, as long as I live – I think Emily Bronte might have had serious emotional and psychological problems, to have written such a depressing book).

Two things drew me to this genre of literature – firstly, they are romances, and I love romance novels. But more than that, it is the way people used to talk in that era. If I listen to people talk today...it actually upsets me, the way people have massacred English.

But in those novels...wow.

My current favourite quote (from Jane Eyre) is by Mr. Rochester, trying to make Jane aware of his feelings for her, in quite a clever, indirect way...

“I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you – especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapt; and then I’ve a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly.”

Oh, I am quite in love with this quote and this character. And quite in love with the way people spoke during that time.