Emerson wrote:
“I hate quotations.
Tell me what you know.”
There’s no need to take that so literally.
(as people sometimes do)
Because everything we know is influenced by everything we’ve heard, and everything we’ve read, and everything we’ve seen, and our interpretation of such things.
So, tell me what you know about you’ve heard, what you’ve read, and what you’ve seen. Quote someone verbatim if you need to. Then tell me how your experiences has shaped what has become true for you.
Writers write and people speak, not only to express themselves, but to connect with other people. I don’t care how much Emerson wrote about originality and non-conformity. I think he was smart enough to know that people would read his work and become influenced by it.
Quoting someone doesn’t make you unoriginal.
To share what makes you feel connected to a person, an Artist, a Writer (and even better – to state why) is better than being original – it’s being human.
It takes bravery and vulnerability to not only create something new, but to agree when someone else said it or did it better. And to support that Artist in sharing it with the world.
Disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing won’t make you more original. That’s just a bunch of hipster nonsense. It isn’t very clever or original at all.
I love the way a quote can resonate because you finally see in words something you have felt for a long time, and you jump out of your chair and shout, “Yes!” One of life’s great pleasures.
Great post, Denise, and I agree with you about the “hipster nonsense,” too: there are few things more annoying than people who enjoy playing devil’s advocate simply as an outlet for their own negativity.
Very well said. I think one thing about the human experience, is that we do make connections to other people–either through reading or writing. That is what makes life rich and rewarding, to know that you were not alone.
Amen. Not a fan of alone – connection is more my thing :)
thanks for your thoughts, Kalley :)
What’s funny about quotes is how they stand in for so many things, inside jokes, moral standing, status, shorthand. They can be almost hypnotic in that they evoke uncontrollable memories and behavior. My musician friends talk about quotes in terms of 3 or 4 note phrases played during a solo. You can have little jokes going with the band and other musicians with just a flick of a finger toward My Favorite Things flashing up images of Coltrane or Julie Andrews depending on the nuances.
Quote away, it’ll never ever be the same as the mythical “original intent.”
Cool. I could see that about music.
Thanks for your thoughts! :)
As they say, there’s nothing new under the sun… I’ve always thought that it’s not creating new things but rather forming new connections between things that is true creativity… so bringing a new insight or perspective to that old idea or old quote is a creative process as well. :-)
Great way to look at it! :)
Exactly! Quotes often clarify to me what it is I think about something and just say it more coherent and profoundly than I ever could. It’s all just about the framing of ideas really. And I guess that’s where it’s sometimes important to unpack the personal significance of a quote if needs be, but equally just a quote on it’s own is a vicarious way of expressing something within yourself. If that makes sense!
Makes perfect sense! Vicarious is a fitting word.
Appreciate the comment, Andy :)
I think being truly original is just following your own voice. So if that means mimicking another artist or genre, so be it.
Well said.
Using quotes in writing is a lot like using samples in music. It’s awesome to tie your new work into something that’s already established and something that gives people a sense of familiarity. Of course, if you’re using nothing but samples, then it’s called a cover song. And that’s completely different. ha.
I really find it intriguing when people use quotes that I haven’t heard before. Then I want to go and read the source material, and, oftentimes, that source material will quote someone else. I’ve found a lot of my favorite books that way.
I’ve found books that way too! That one quote could leave you wanting to learn more.
Hi Erin
Quotes can help with making a point, like may be we know what we are talking about. Of course some quotes are just crazy and not worth repeating.
Also, quotes being used a lot can make me wonder if the writer has any imagination of their own. Post after post laden with quotes can get quite old. Question would be “is your blog about defining quotes”?
Used sparingly and depending on the content, it can have a huge impact on the post. Nice post to getting us to think on the subject.
Mary
Oops I meant to say Denise…sorry
Right, I see what you mean.. if every article one writes is centered around a quote, then I would suggest digging a little deeper into personal experiences.
Great thoughts, Mary, thanks!
I love quotes! We use them to quickly connect with people. It shares a common philosophy or outlook near immediately.
Using quotes is a wonderful way to help people come to their own answers the way an artist can use paint to help the viewer come to their own emotions. Since we’ve begun keeping records, we have reflected on the personal meaning to others’ words.
They can even offer comfort in trying times particularly when you’re at a loss for words… or times where you don’t want to say “when that happened to me…”
To believe we can say something better or clearer than someone else who already “hit the nail on the head” is a “bunch of hipster nonsense”.
Hey Stewart,
I appreciate your comment. I do something similar with quotes, although I primarily use them to express something I can’t state nearly as well (or as concisely).
Don’t you think it’s all about context? Using someone else’s words – or really any kind of creation – is meaningless without imbuing them with our own context. When you can take what’s already been written and infuse it with your own thoughts and skills, the sum truly does become more than the parts.
Stewart, I like your point about being at a loss for words. It’s always to nice to see in words what we were feeling.
Joel, I think we’re all infusing our thoughts and experiences into what content we’re consuming – and yes, it definitely becomes more than the parts.
Appreciate the comments, guys.
Well played, Joel. Well played. Denise beat me to the conclusion. Are we capable of not applying our own experience to anything we say or do? After all, we’re the one choosing the quote in the first place… and that choice is based on our view of the quote’s meaning as it applies to our life’s filters. The sum IS not only greater, but unique.
To me, quotations are kind of like when people ‘test well’. The quotes are often evidence that they can memorize and parrot back exactly what they’re told. Plus, there’s a sort of “excellence by association” thing going on, as evidenced by how much stuff gets attributed to “Gandhi” “Nelson Mandela” “Einstein” “Ben Franklin”. All people we’ve heard of, right? I find myself being veeeerrry suspicious of quote attribution on the web.
Still, there’s something be said for people, long dead, who hit the nail right on the head. Someone you can point to and be like, “See? See? I’m not the only one who thinks this.” I know when I started reading bits of Nietzsche, I got a serious sense of deja vu. I’m actually glad I didn’t run into him earlier in life so I don’t have to feel totally derivative!
I’m with ya on quote attribution. I really wonder how those fake quotes attributed to a famous person that float around social media start. I tend to favor quotes that I have personally read in a book or essay by the Author him/herself.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Yes! I think it’s really easy to get stuck in one of the extremes: either trying to be original in all things or just giving in to the majority. But the most rewarding path, at least for me, has been somewhere in the middle, connecting to ideas and approaches and such when something resonates and exploring on my own at other times.
I love quotes — one of my favorite things is to come across a quote in a novel I’m reading that feels like it was written just for me. It’s like somewhere out there is someone else who sees some part of the world the way I do, or has experienced what I’m experiencing so similarly that she can put into words what I can’t. It’s exactly that, a connection, that is so appealing to me.
I feel the same way when reading a good novel or memoir that makes that personal connection with me. The author might as well be sitting next me having a conversation.
Appreciate your comment!