I have always had a love for words and the way they string together, producing heavenly sounds. I tend to take a liking, as most of us do, to specific excerpts from pieces of writing that speak to me. Words are not just words; they are feelings. My soul is changed every time it latches on to a new quote and throws the words into a blender, along with my heart. I feel my heart melting, spilling out beneath every inch of my skin. The words infuse themselves into my body as I ponder what they mean and why I have deemed them worthy enough to rest upon my heart for eternity.

All the pain and tragedy in the world is debilitating, and inescapable, so we must find solace in something greater. I find my solace in words. There are countless poems, quotes, and stories that have touched me deeply, and many that have yet to be discovered.

The following quotes are ones that speak to me and have stuck with me since the first time I came across them. Each one holds a deeper meaning, only visible to those who dive in and discover it.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
- Ernest Hemingway

Human instinct is to compete with those around us in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. Whether it is in school, your career, or your personal life, peer competition is hard to avoid. Hemingway offers words of wisdom, encouraging man to focus on bettering himself rather than striving to become superior to the person standing next to him.

Lesson Learned: Every individual has different strengths and weaknesses. The important thing to focus on is how to better yourself, not how to become better than everyone else.

"I hope you live a life you are proud of. And if you find you are not, I hope you have the courage to start all over."
- F. Scott FitzGerald

As a senior in high school, I chose this as my senior quote to put in the yearbook underneath my graduation picture. FitzGerald's words spoke to me then just as they do now. I have often found myself trapped inside my own world, living my life in solitude. This quote has stuck with me because, upon first reading it, I felt a chill run down my spine. For the longest time, I was never proud of my life nor had the will to change a thing about it. I have now come to realize the courage was within me all along. I simply did not possess any desire to search for it.

Lesson Learned: Life is a continuous cycle of highs and lows, but we mustn't give up. Courage and determination are the building blocks for transforming a sorrowful life into something beautiful again.

"I exist as I am. That is enough."
- Walt Whitman

This quote is an excerpt from Leaves of Grass, Whitman's most famous collection of poetry. The poem this excerpt derives from, "Song of Myself," is about the appreciation of self and nature and the acceptance of all exactly as they are. It is quite difficult to stay true to yourself when all who surround you are trying to change you.

Lesson Learned: The person I am is the person I am supposed to be. I shall never change who I am for the benefit of another. I am mine, and no one else's.

"To destroy is always the first step in any creation."
- e.e. Cummings

Destruction is everywhere. It comes at inopportune times and knocks each of us down from time to time. In times of despair, we may feel like we will never be able to pull ourselves off the ground and begin again. However, creation and destruction work hand in hand. Destruction paves the way for creation to emerge until creation reaches its maximum height and destruction begins to reveal itself once again.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes bad things must happen in order for the good to shine through the cracks. We need the ugly just as much as we need the beautiful.

"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."
- Robert Frost

I have been writing my own poetry and prose for as long as I can remember; therefore, this Frost quote speaks to me on the deepest of levels. It properly describes the process of writing a poem using two broad yet important steps. Writing poetry is gathering all emotions festering up inside and spilling them out onto the page. "An emotion has found its thought" is the building block for a poem. Once you are able to pinpoint the emotions brewing inside you, your thoughts will allow you to ponder the meaning of the specific emotion and the way your body and mind respond to it. When "the thought has found words," everything is laid out in front of you and all that is left to do is piece together your words, thoughts, and emotions to create something magical.

Lesson Learned: Poetry comes directly from the heart. We must look within ourselves for the words hidden inside buried emotions.