Some of the hardest things to do in life are having positive self-talk, being comfortable in our own skin, and celebrating our differences that make us truly unique. It’s hard to not let others’ opinions influence how you see yourself or what they think you should be/act like. While the book is about introverts, this quote has a good message that can extend to other identities.
“I am okay with me. I know, understand, and LIKE myself. I need you to accept me, not change me.“
Today’s spectacular quote is from one of TJ Klune’s beautiful novels, The House in the Cerulean Sea:
“Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. And the one thing I’ve learned about being human is that we can’t do this alone. When we’re lost, we need help to try to find our way again.”
I love today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt because it’s all about bookish quotes! Specifically, book quotes that fit a similar theme.
I chose to do quotes related to self-worth expressed by characters in any shape or form. Since it’s Mental Health Awareness month I thought this would be a befitting theme. Our self-worth defines us and dictates how we interact and response to the world around us. It is integral to our mental wellness.
I tried to pick quotes that I haven’t done in past post, but some quotes are just timeless.
1. “…be who you are and the hell with the rest.”
– The Awakening by Nora Roberts
2. “I smile a little. Am I prepared for that? It’s kind of like how being a Black kid from the projects makes Mr. Jenson feel the need to watch me extra close every time I come in his store. Or how surprised my scholarship interviewers were that I could speak so well. People assume stuff about you based on things you can’t change about yourself. So I just do my best to prove them wrong, to be the person they’re not expecting. Amari Peters, changing minds one person at a time.”
– Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
3. “You’re imprisoned within a self that doesn’t feel wholly yours…But also, to you that self often feels deeply contaminated…You are as real as anyone, and your doubts make you more real, not less.”
– Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
4. “I wanted people to see me, to like me for who I was and what I had to offer. I wanted to use my talent to transform people’s lives and how they saw the world.”
– From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
5. “Our choices define us: The stars may set us on a given path, but it is we who must decide whether we take it.”
– Wandering Star by Romina Russell
6. ““‘I always dreamed of doing something that mattered. Of leaving my mark o the world in some way that would make me worth being remembered. But the spirits seem to have different plans for me.’
Words that echoed a sentiment held by his own heart. The desire to be someone in a world where nearly every aspect of his life had been preordained. ‘F**k the spirits,’ he said, knowing it was probably dreadfully disrespectful. ‘Carve your own path.’““
– Tarnished Empire by Danielle L. Jensen
7. “What you are has no bearing on who you become…It is never too late to chase the better version of yourself.”
– The Damned by Renee Ahdieh
8. “Her heart thrilled at the sound of that nickname. It was blank. Unfinished. Filled with so much possibility. Aurora had kingdom-sized baggage attached, but Roar was whomever she wanted her to be.”
– Roar by Cora Carmack
9. “For the most part, he’d accepted that some people were born to be Extraordinaries, and some people were born to be medicated so they didn’t spin out of control. Fair? Not really, but Nick was learning that his brain could do things that others couldn’t. In a way, he had his own superpower, even if it was called a disorder.”
– The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
10. “I don’t need made-up strength. I’m strong enough on my own—me, Meira, no magic or conduit or anything.”
– Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
“All your life, you thought you needed to find a woman who would love you despite the stutter, but you should have been looking for a woman who loved you because of it, because it was part of who you are.”
“We are all the sum total of our experiences at any given time, and our reactions to things are shaped by them. Just like in romance novels. Whatever character went through before the start of the book will eventually determine how they react to things that happen in the book.”
The Bookshelf Corner 