Fifteen quotes for 15 years.

“Although I’m only fourteen, I know quite well what I want, I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child, I feel quite independent of anyone.” ~ Anne Frank.

Anne Frank was 15 years old when she died in the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Born on June 12th, 1929, she would have been 86 years old today.

If you’ve ever read Anne’s diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, you know that her words draw you into her world, into her reality and the way of life she was forced to live with. You’ll know what I mean when I say her words take you to another place, another time—but make you feel like you’re living exactly how she did, hidden in that attic over 75 years ago.

Anne’s writing encompasses a lifetime of lessons shared from a heart filled with courage, faith and hope. Lessons we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

These words are here to honor a beautiful soul. To remember a young girl’s life whose wisdom spreads far beyond her too-short 15 years in this world.

Anne’s honest words bring a sense of clarity. A sense of hope and inspiration to never stop wondering or wandering around this great planet we call home. To keep our loved ones close. To stop and take a look at the simple beauty which surrounds us. That what we give to the world should always be more than we get. That kindness can do more good than we could ever imagine.

Because Anne shows us that in the end, as always, it is the little things in life that matter more than anything:

1. “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

2. “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

3. “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

4. “We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”

5. “As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?”

6. “But feelings can’t be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem.”

7. “Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy. Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction.”

8. “In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

9. “I think a lot, but I don’t say much.”

10. “Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”

11. “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

12. “I love you, with a love so great that it simply couldn’t keep growing inside my heart, but had to leap out and reveal itself in all its magnitude.”

13. “I’ve found that there is always some beauty left — in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.”

14. “I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!”

15. “Although I’m only fourteen, I know quite well what I want, I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child, I feel quite independent of anyone.”

Happy birthday, Anne. Thank you for your words and your courage. You are remembered. Forevermore.

Relephant Read:  

The Only Known Footage of Anne Frank.

~

Author: Carlene Kurdziel

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikimedia; Flickr