Do you like reading quotes? I like reading quotes. Occasionally I find myself reading through several. Those that stick in my mind have a certain insouciance, tend to be amusing, or encapsulate a pithy observation. The authors span many fields from the sciences to literature. I rarely read those of celebrities, actors, or sports stars. It isn’t that they don’t have things to say, they do. It’s just that what they say doesn’t always click with me. It is the click that I wish to bring to your attention.

What does it mean to click with something? The dictionary classifies its usage as informal, having transitioned out of slang and into somewhat general usage. To click means to become suddenly clear or understandable. I would add a nuance to that. To click is also to resonate with one’s state of mind.

Some quotes I found of interest:

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

-Ray Bradbury

“It may be that the most striking thing about members of my literary generation in retrospect will be that we were allowed to say absolutely anything without fear of punishment.”

-Kurt Vonnegut

“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors.”

-Jim Morrison

“Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”

-Oscar Wilde

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

-Mark Twain

“A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.”

-Marcel Proust

Some quotes click with us. Some don’t. Anticipating what will click with a reader is difficult to know. The best one can do is to discover what thoughts click with oneself and why. That can be an eye-opener, which is likely why I read quotes in the first place.

Lastly, one by Tolstoy:

“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.”