Wednesday’s Writing: Inspirational Quotations

We’ve all seen them before: inspirational quotations. They frequent prominent areas on people’s Facebook and Myspace profiles. They appear on daily quickwrite questions and are used by friends and families to give an uplifting word to one another. So how do these quotations become popular and inspirational in the first place? The inspiration begins with the writer. An inspirational quotation must be well-written, catchy, and relate to struggles/joys of a wide audience. One of the most famous playwrights to date, William Shakespeare, knew how to use his literary genius to create sayings that are currently used due to their timeless content. Here are a few that continue to circulate today:

All that glistens is not gold.
– Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
– Shakespeare, As You Like It

Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.
– Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
– Shakespeare, All’s Well

Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.
– Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Now, try and create three inspirational quotations of your own! Write them on a letter to someone, or post them on your favorite social media site. A true test of whether or not your inspirational quotation will stand the test of time is if people start using your inspirational phrase or sending it to other people.

Comments are closed.