Three Quotes That Impact My Life
August 9, 2025Today's Question
Write about a quote that has impacted your life.It's hard for me to choose just one quote, so I've actually chosen three. Each of these quotes has had some form of impact on my life, whether on my belief system, my outlook, or my way of thinking. I've done my best to explain their impact on my life, but sometimes, this is easier said than done.
Henry David Thoreau
"The question is not what you look at, but what you see. It is only necessary to behold the least fact or phenomenon, however familiar, from a point a hair's breadth aside from our habitual path or routine, to be overcome, enchanted by its beauty and significance."
- Henry David Thoreau
I first came across this quote in my adolescence. Actually, I didn't come across the full quote until more recently. My first exposure to this quote was a misquotation, one that is often spread online and in writing: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
As a young girl, this quote gave me peace because I knew that as long as someone saw me for who I was, my appearance and quirkiness wouldn't matter. I was bullied a lot growing up, from people close to me as well as people who didn't matter. Words were often flung at me with malice for no reason other than being different. I remember clinging to the words of Thoreau, going so far as having a print with his words hanging on my wall. That was more than 20 years ago, now, and to still find peace with this quote says a lot.
As an adult, I hear Thoreau's words a bit differently. Granted, they still give me peace when I'm doubting myself, but they also echo what it means for me to be a witch: step away from the mundane for just a moment and you will realize that everything around you is full of magic. The routines and structure I crave, even in my religious practice, have magic, meaning, and purpose. When I begin to feel like I'm just going through the motions, I step away for a moment and really look at what I'm doing. It only takes a moment for the routine-feeling to shed away and be replaced with the sense of peace and purpose the routine initially brought.
Charles Addams
Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.
- Charles Addams
A rather simple quote, but it holds profound meaning when you let it sink in. To the fly, buzzing around and finding food is normal. To the spider, lying in wait in the web is normal. The fly's life is interrupted when they become trapped in a spider's web, but the spider carries on like everything is as it should be. On the flip side, the spider's life would be interrupted if their web came crashing down around them, forcing them to scurry off.
My normal is different than your normal, and your normal will be different than your friend's normal. The word itself simply means something that has come to be expected. It is normal for me to hear heavy traffic outside my bedroom window in the Summer, but that may be abnormal for you. On a broader scale, this quote is a perfect reminder that comparing myself or my practice to someone else's is a great way to make me disappointed and full of doubt.
I have to remember that my life is not the same as someone else's, and even if our practices or beliefs are similar, our lived experiences are not.
Aunt Frances
My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."
- Aunt Frances
The last quote I have here comes from Practical Magic, because of course it does. One of my favorite things about the Aunts in Practical Magic is how little they care for the opinions of others. They live their lives exactly as they want, doing whatever makes them happy and ignoring those who would scoff at their eccentricities.
I have always wanted to live my life this way, but I'll admit that I'm afraid of being ostracized. Being seen as quirky, hippie, eccentric, or whatever else, and being looked down upon, is terrifying to me. I know there are places where I am safe to be myself, but this fear of being "othered" and bullied stems from a childhood of traumatic experiences, coupled with an adult life of living in fear and hiding myself from others.
This quote is one to live by, and it is one I am constantly working toward.
Feel free to journal your answers, leave a comment here, or start a discussion with your friends! I encourage you to get deep with your answers -- this is a learning experience, so learn a bit more about yourself and others!
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