Can we learn anything by writing down quotes? I ask myself this sometimes, when I read a punchy phrase in a crime story, or one that tugs my heart’s strings, or one that’s constructed expertly, each word placed like a brick forming a smooth column. I analyze the quotes sometimes, pick them apart like a vulture and savor each segment, then step back again to marvel at the thing as a whole. But how does this help me grow as a writer? I haven’t found myself mimicking the quote. Nor do I want to. I want the pride of having created something myself.
Perhaps it’s got to be a conscious effort. Perhaps it comes down to rereading those quotes a couple times in a week, and deciding to use its technique, whatever it may be for that particular quote that makes it stand out. Perhaps it comes down to rewriting it a few times, and then doing something similar on my own, and then finally my brain will guide me to making my own powerful quote. And if that method doesn’t work, doesn’t lead to me creating my own power quote, at least I’d learn how to appreciate more the one I already loved.
Quotes are like beautiful paintings you hang up and can look at again and again and always draw inspiration from. Quote me on this 😉
The Fiction Writer 
One of my favorites: “The truth will set you free, but not until it’s finished with you.”
Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace.
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Okay, so this quote is AWESOME for two reasons: I love how it takes the common phrase “the truth will set you free” and attaches that dependent clause. So clever, changes the meaning before our eyes. Gets us thinking about the original phrase differently.
The quote’s also awesome because it’s opaque enough to be up for interpretation. What does it mean for the truth to be finished with me? Does the truth lead to a series of consequences? And does the truth being finished with me mean something good, or something bad?
Thanks for sharing this with me! I’ve heard of Infinite Jest but I never read it. This quote definitely piques my interest.
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Oh wow, I love this! Quotes being as paintings is perrrrrfect!
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Thanks so much! I’m happy the idea resonated with you 😊
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