A Collection of Concrete Inspiration Courtesy of My Mom: AKA The Best Quotes Ever

The woman.

The Inspiration.

If you’ve ever received a card from my mother, there’s a 90% chance you’ve had tears stinging your eyes before getting to the end of the carefully arranged text, scrawled in that perfect “mom cursive.” (Is this a thing? Let’s make it a thing.) My mom has this incredible ability to pick the right words for every situation, whether it be excitement and anticipation for a high school graduation or words of comfort and grace after a loss or breakup.

As a kid, I’d tiptoe into the room we termed “the study” which housed a towering wall of bookcases, next to my parents’ desks and reach my growing arms to the middle shelf until I landed on the crown jewel of every written document that came out of the Hughes house:

(Aka my mom’s secret weapon)

The Big Book of Quotes. 

Maybe my mind is permanently trapped in the hyperbole of 11-year-old Emily (ok, or let’s be honest here: 29-year-old Emily), but I remember this book being BIG. Like, Harry Potter spells-and-potions trilogy kind of big. And somehow, among the hundreds of pages brimming with everything from cringe-worthy, school-poster style inspirational quotes, my mom always knew exactly how to find the right words, from the right prolific person, in the right section of this monstrous piece of literature, to make you feel something. 

I spent many years trying to fine-tune my quote selecting skills, opening essay-after-essay with wise words from everyone like Eleanor Roosevelt to Dr. Seuss. And thanks to the Big Book of Quotes, I started to understand when and where these sayings could be really compelling; enlisting the words of others where my own had maxed out their potential. 

And wouldn’t you know, many years, countries, and a wild career ride later, I found myself in the midst of a neverending lockdown in Hamburg, Germany, feeling like my own words had maxed out their potential yet again. It was about six months ago, in the midst of a beautifully tragic relationship and an unfulfilling job, that I found myself grasping at straws of inspiration. If you’ve been around the blog before, you know that perspective is quite possibly one of my favorite words. That unicorn-unique feeling of looking at something beyond yourself and observing life from a bird’s eye view. And it’s safe to say that earlier this year, plagued with coronavirus and stuck in quarantine in a tiny apartment with the man I’d just broken up with (the story is RICH, let me tell ya), I was losing sight of it. In fact, I’d say I damn lost it. 

So in a stroke of dumb luck, I stumbled across a quote on some vague inspirational Instagram account one day:

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you” -Fred DeVito

And BAM. I was back to 12-year-old Emily pulling down the Big Book of Quotes from our library shelf, thumbing through page-after-page of inspiration. And just like that, I started stacking my days with quotes, from morning alarms to setting weekly intentions based on the quotes in my Passion Planner (the best planner ever, in my humble opinion). Don’t get me wrong, these little word bites weren’t suddenly injecting a purpose into my life, but they were helping me regain the perspective that was slowly slipping out of my grip, on day 15 of living with coronavirus and my ex. 

I started to see each day with my challenging boss as a learning experience. 

I woke up every day of my quarantine on a quest to find something positive to fuel the book I’m determined to write, later on in life.

And I just kind of realized that if you’re feeling like something is shitty, the chances are, it probably is. You’re probably meant to get out of there. But changes aren’t that simple. There’s often time, hard work, and a myriad of other factors, like a pandoozy, crowding your path. But with a good quote, somehow it makes it easier to navigate all of the nonsense. 

At least that’s what I found. So without further ado, I want to dump a few of my absolute favorite quote gems below, so that you can copy, save, or bookmark this page for whenever you’re feeling a bit stuck.

And before you go thinking I’ve forgotten myself, please know that I’m still the queen of sarcasm and get a royal kick out of a good mansplaining joke. But some days require an extra cup of coffee and the presence of some outside perspective. And for that, I hope the below will help you just as much as they did me.

Cheers from a curfew-heavy, lockdown-laden, unvaccinated Germany.

Perspective is everything.  

“In your calm is your strength”

-German proverb

(Look at Germans getting all mushy and inspirational!)

“Fortune befriends the bold”

-Emily Dickinson

“To live, will be an awfully big adventure”

-J.M. Barrie

“Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,

Listen to the DON’TS

Listen to the SHOULDN’TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT’S

Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me-

Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be.”

-Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

“It’s a great day to have a great day”

-Anonymous

(I love having this as my alarm in the morning)

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you”

-Fred DeVito

“Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will”

-Suzy Kassem

“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

“Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

-Paul Brandt

"It doesn't happen all at once," he said. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

-The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

-Louisa May Alcott

“I’ll love you forever,

I’ll like you for always,

as long as I’m living

my baby you’ll be.”

-Robert Munsch 

(I grew up with my mom reciting this quote and it gives me the feeling of a warm hug every time I hear it)

“One day or day one. You decide”

-Paulo Coelho

“'What day is it?', asked Winnie the Pooh.

'It's today,' squeaked Piglet.

'My favorite day,' said Pooh."

-The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

“Don't compare your life to others. 

There's no comparison between the sun and the moon. 

They shine when it's their time.”

-Cassey Ho 

Shine on, friends. 

And share your favorite quotes in the comments below, if you’re feeling generous today.