Words

The intensity of life, whether good or bad, demands to be felt. To make sense of these feelings, everyone needs an outlet. In my life, I have always utilized writing as my main form of expression. I attempt to use words as a way to express all of the thoughts that clog my mind and all of the feelings that grapple my heart. Words, though nothing more than alphabets placed and spaced in various patterns, have a way of touching lives. Words, phenomenal words by inspiring people, have touched mine.

Anyone whom has ever borrowed any book from me will know that I treat my books like journals. I underline any and everything that affects me. I write ideas in the margins and notes on the cover pages. I treat my books like extensions of my own thoughts; my lifelines. When I pick up a book that I haven't read in years and find notes and coffee stains on the pages, I am immediately taken back to the moment when I first read those words.

I have a special place in my heart for every book I have ever read and will save a spot for the many books to come. Perhaps one day, if I ever figure out what it is that I am trying to say, I too may try and write something awe-inspiring. Until then, I will leave it to the masters and relish in their thoughts and the words that express them. As I flipped through the spines of a few of my favorite books to rediscover bits of myself, I came across the following phrases that touched my heart when I first read them and still touch my heart today. To all of the authors whom I so admire, thank you for the following beautiful words:

• "I was not proud of what I had learned, but I never doubted it was worth knowing." - The Rum Diary

• "I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette. I wonder what great things have come from such hours." - Atlas Shrugged

• "But I didn't want to get drunk. Nights like this one didn't come along often, and I wanted to remember it." - The Fault in Our Stars

• "We have come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will not bring us to the end of our quest." - Anthem

• "If faith were rational, it wouldn't be - by definition - faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch." - Eat, Pray, Love 

• "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen, 7 Sins for a Life Worth Living

• "Ask no guarantees, ask no security, there never was such an animal." - Fahrenheit 451

• "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joesph Campbell, 7 Sins for a Life Worth Living

• "This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something." - Eat, Pray, Love

• "I couldn't care less about evidence and proof and assurances. I just want God." - Eat, Pray, Love

• "Pain or love or danger makes you feel real again." - The Dharma Bums 

• "My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose." - Anthem 

• "Grief does not change you. It reveals you." - The Fault in Our Stars

• "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." - The Fault in Our Stars 

Though a small book collection, I love it dearly. If I don't have a library in my old age, I have done something wrong.