Words have the power to change the world, and no two people see them the same. Why else do we stick them on the backs of cars and post them on Facebook and Instagram, why do writers thrive and readers keep coming back for more? Below are quotes I’ve come across over the last couple of years.

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”- Albus Dumbledore

The Harry Potter series has always been my favorite. I love this quote specifically because it talks about your mentality. If you look for the good things, you will find the good things. The world is full of bad things. Most of the time, we cannot choose how we see the world. But when we actively look for the light, we find it. Whether that is by complimenting someone’s outfit or noticing the flowers on the side of the road, there is always light to be found.

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different.”

Another quote from another author. This one is from C.S. Lewis, the author of Narnia. This quote instills a sense of nostalgia in me. Life is constantly moving. If we do not stop to reflect, we may miss something important. This quote reminds me of the feeling of realizing you are not a child anymore. Growing apart from your best friend. Watching your pets get old. Knowing you have left the good old days.

“Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway.”- Edgar Allen Poe

I like the idea that love is this deep. Love, true love, can overcome anything. If you love someone so much, you want to know everything about them, the good, and the bad. The metaphor of rose-colored glasses is used primarily in a negative context, but I think it can also apply positively. That someone can love you so much, that they are willing to overlook all the negative parts.

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts and all the stupid ones are full of confidence.”

My next quote comes from mid-1900s German American poet Charles Bukowski. I like the witty undertone of this quote. I do agree with Bukowski in this quote. He is correct in saying that stupid people have far too much confidence. The way the world works is a lot of people make rash decisions or bad choices that end up haunting them for years to come.

“She didn’t look nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

Wrapping up, we have a quote from the book Eleanor and Park, written by Rainbow Rowell. This quote has always resonated with me for a multitude of reasons. I came across this quote on a sticker I found about a year ago. It has quickly become one of my favorite quotes of all time. Beauty in today’s society can be so subjective. There is a standard to how we look today. We have to look put together, wearing makeup, having all the new clothes and trendy things. But beauty, true beauty, comes from a much deeper place. When you choose to look at people like art, awe-inspiring and individually beautiful, we can see the world as something much lovelier. The world has become a place of more than just skin-deep beauty. This is why I love this quote. I love the idea that even on my worst days when I don’t look nice, I still look like art.

Those are my top 5 favorite quotes. Now I have a challenge for you. Whether you see them in movies, hear them in songs, or read them in books, try to find some quotes that speak to you. When you find those, write them down, internalize them and don’t forget them.