Most people collect things. We save certain objects, keepsakes, knick-knacks, and they become our prized possessions.

Maybe what we save changes as we get older, but sometimes the things we treasure most stay with us throughout our entire lives.

I collected Barbies, Polly Pockets and Beanie Babies when I was a little girl, but there has always been something else that I simply can’t get rid of.

I collect words.

Specifically, the perfect words, strung together into quotes that always bring me comfort no matter what is going on in my life.

I started this when I was in middle school. I came across a quote website that I truly fell in love with. I would spend hours scrolling through page, after page. I would save the ones that my heart clung to in a Microsoft Word file and would continuously go back and re-read the ones I had saved.

I added to my collection daily, until sadly one day the file got deleted. This was before I knew what a USB drive was. So I simply started over, but the new compilation would never be the same as the first. The first was a window into my childhood.

Behind every saved quote is a story waiting to be told. I save the words that make my heart beat faster. The words that make me happy I’m alive. I save conversations that I don’t want to forget because of how wonderful they made me feel.

I like to save those feel good moments and bottle them up for a rainy day when I need a pick me up. I highlight favorite quotes in every book I read and I constantly look up lyrics to songs that give me goose bumps. I lock all of these words in my heart. They fill me up and make me feel whole.

There is just something about finding the right quote at the exact time you need it. It’s like a long hug from your favorite person in the world, or your coziest blanket on a cold night. I can wrap myself up in these words and know that everything is going to be okay.

Words are our most powerful gift. They have the strength to rebuild something that’s been destroyed and they also hold the power to destroy that very thing again. We must use them often, but always with caution.

Below are a few of my favorite quotes. I hope they cling to your heart because they are tattooed on mine:

1) “Almost. It’s a big word for me. I feel it everywhere. Almost home. Almost happy. Almost changed. Almost, but not quite. Not yet. Soon, maybe.” ~ Joan Bauer

2) “I am, in every thought of my heart, yours.” ~ Woodrow Wilson

3) “Trying to forget really doesn’t work. In fact, it’s pretty much the same as remembering. But I tried to forget anyway, and to ignore the fact that I was remembering you all the time.” ~ Rebecca Stead

4) “Close your eyes and imagine the best version of you possible. That’s who you really are, let go of any part of you that doesn’t believe it.” ~ C. Assaad

5) “I wanted to run / but there was just no where to go / living in a dream world / praying it don’t show / Who I am / is who they want me to be / But I’m having a hard time finding me / Don’t take my hand, darlin’ / Just let me go / I’ve gotta do this by myself / That’s one thing I know” ~ Randy Rogers, One Thing I Know

6) “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you overcome hardships, that is strength.” ~ Arnold Schwarzennegger

7) “That’s the thing about ‘what ifs’; they don’t matter. They don’t change anything. All they do is make it unable for you to heal.” ~ Lindy Zart

8) “Distance is not for the fearful, it’s for the bold. It’s for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It’s for those who know a good thing when they see it, even if they don’t see it nearly enough.” ~ Meghan Daum

9) “For hearing my thoughts, understanding my dreams, and being my best friend. For filling my life with joy, and loving me without end.” ~ Unknown

10) “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” ~ Joseph Addison

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Author: Briana DeLucia

Images: Author’s Own

Editor: Travis May