Stealing others’ words to describe my own being is hard
The troubles behind picking a senior quote
Senior quotes are due Monday. As we’ve learned through my previous posts (the one about college essays) I have trouble with encapsulating essence in written form when it’s meant to be significant.
But I know that senior quotes don’t necessarily have to be super poetic or powerful or insightful — plenty of them aren’t. But then I’m faced with the question: what’s the purpose of my quote?
Do I make it something funny, a reference to a favorite show or a movie I love? Should I quote Adam Sandler in Click or go for something a little more poignant — Paul Giametti in The Holdovers? Originally I planned on going for something from an author I love. I considered Didion, Eliot, Saunders, Shammas. Eliot’s too confusing — but I read “Four Quartets” often, so what then? It’s meaningful to me. Doesn’t mean I want it immortalized in the Flight. Didion’s don’t connect to me a crazy amount. Is quoting “Arabesques” by Anton Shammas too esoteric and random? There wasn’t a ton I related too in the novel, I just liked the prose and story either way. I learned toward Saunders but then the quote which I wanted to use was one that was in a speech we read of his in Lang. I don’t want it to make it seem like that’s all I’ve ever read. I care too much about perception, I guess.
So then I considered others of his. But I thought maybe I hit a dead end. Other poets? I made a vow to finish e. e. cummings’s entire poetry collection before I turned 18, and I’m pretty close. But I’m not sure how his style would replicate itself smoothly in typical yearbook quote format. And my next favorite quote of his “Teach us to care and not to care” is from his poem, Ash Wednesday, and my Catholic guilt stepped in soon to remind me that I hadn’t been to an Ash Wednesday service since I was like nine.
I considered Vonnegut, but the ones I liked referenced “farting around” and I already have an astonishing (to the regular Joe) amount of poop reference in my senior text so I can’t make it seem like poop jokes are my everything, even though they are.
So what about artists I like? I considered Bob Dylan, mostly. I landed on “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand” at first. Then I realized I unfortunately do that too often to put it in there in good conscience. One of my favorite songs is “I Have The Moon” by Lush but the lyrics aren’t too-well standing outside of context within the rest of the piece. Lana del Rey could be good, but there are too many that I love, and a few more that Lisa might not let slide.
So I went back to something funny. Do I quote Jay Pritchett in Modern Family when he references Oprah? Should I go way back and quote one of Mr. Walton’s sayings? What about using the Nikola Jokic quote which I used to have on the home page of this newsletter? My brother did something funny. What will my other brother do?
I don’t know! What will I!
I deliberated for days. I have a note on my phone full of sayings from Kahlo, Lennon, Hamlet, Paul Blart.
I even have a section in the note that just says, “Covfefe.”
Most of these came from just looking up quotes from certain people or about certain things.
That felt disingenuous though. So I crossed most of them. I went back to square one and decided I could only quote something I knew from my head or had before read.
So I went back to Saunders, paged through some of his collections I’d read. I found my quote. Well, mostly. The quote (that at least for now) I Think I’m landing on is situated in an interesting point. In his collection, “The Braindead Megaphone,” he tells the story of an alleged child monk who he met and observed. The quote partially describes the monk, but also describes the cousin of the monk who told him this information; but mostly, it provides insight — a price of advice — Saunders gained from the interaction: something the monk did all the time which touched me particularly. So I’m picking it. Announcing it in here seems corny so I’ll leave it for y’all to find if you’re as nosy as I am. I like it though — until I might not. Then I may make another post. Oh well! (Note: I think the child monk later turned out to maybe be a fraud. I won’t do that though. My intentions are good. And I Saunders’ takeaway was good — I’m quoting him, not the monk, after all).
The journey to search for quotes representing myself may continue evermore, but I need something to be printed in black and white for this year, at least. I don’t like when people go quote-less. I think you should at least quote yourself, or quote “anonymous” when we all know it’s really you. No judgement if you do that.
I’ll figure it out eventually.
P.S.: I have been inactive on here a ton but that’s because I’ve been cooking something and am struggling a lot with my wording on it. Two hints: James Joyce & TikTok lives. I’ll post it soon but I’m currently on the way to Austin and don’t have my laptop. This post has been written in my notes app. See ya!
ur senior quote should be "Wait senior quotes were due today?"