Creative Inspiration: Kissing Words

As we continue our 15th anniversary celebration for Sokoloff Harness Communications LLC, it's only appropriate to go back to the moment that inspired me to launch the company.

In 2002, my sweet sister Eva took me to a women's health conference in Columbia, Mo. The heart of the keynote speaker's presentation came down to one essential question: "What would you do today if you were brave?"

Words matter. Words change lives. That question changed mine. As I drove back to Kansas City, I knew what I would do. And, with support from family and friends, I did it.

Given the power of words, it's only fitting that our next Fabulous 15 list focuses on a few of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

15 Fabulous Favorites: Quotes

Photo by the wonderful Leslie Adams,
my creative partner throughout!

1. Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
   Confucius. I love this line so much, it's on my business cards.  
2. Though she be but little, she is fierce.
   Shakespeare. Self-explanatory. 
3. We write. We talk. That's what Jewish women do. We kiss words. 
   We kiss words. Three is magic. By Susan Schnur in Lilith.
4. People change, and forget to tell each other. 
   Lillian Hellman. And she was right.
5. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
   Edmund Burke.
6. If you rest, you rust. 
   
   Helen Hayes. She's gone, but she didn't rust away. (Yes, I know. Some rest is good. I'm working on it. Hmmmm. Can you work on resting? You see my challenge.)
7. Everything happens for the best. 
   Lillian Sokoloff. Vastly different than the popular Everything happens for a reason. When I was a kid, the family went to Galveston and Dad locked the keys in the car. The locksmith who came to help saw our Star of David medallion on the dashboard -- turned out, he was anti-Semitic. He and Dad almost got into a fistfight. When he finally left, the three of us kids turned to Mom and demanded to know what happened for the best. And she said, "We got to stay a little longer at the beach."
8. To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
   Ralph Waldo Emerson gave me my definition of success. (Different sources differ on a word or two, but the essence remains and it speaks to my heart.)
9. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. 
   Eleanor Roosevelt. I wonder what she would have been like as president. 
10. Any landing you walk away from is a good landing. 
    I don't know who said it first. I heard it from a World War II pilot 40 years ago, and I'm sure he never knew how much it meant to me. I've used this line as reassurance many, many times after many, many rough landings. 
11. Measure twice. Cut once.
    Yiddish wisdom. I come from a family of tailors. This will help you avoid some rough landings. 
12. In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.
    Robert Frost. It does. It goes on. Even when you feel like it shouldn't. 
13. At the moment of commitment, the universe conspires to assist you. 
    By Goethe, maybe? Not sure. But I am sure that it's true. And it's a lovely conspiracy. 
14. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 
    Aesop. Truth.
15. Not all who wander are lost. 
    I love the J.R.R. Tolkien line and the poem it comes from, including this stanza:
    All that is gold does not glitter,
    Not all those who wander are lost;
    The old that is strong does not wither,
    Deep roots are not reached by the frost.  

Since I'm a writer, not a mathematician, I'm going to ignore the numbers -- I'll give you 16 Scintillating Sayings rather than the 15 Fabulous Favorites. Why? Because my list wouldn't be complete with this final quote, one that shapes my life and my perspective. Still. Despite everything:

"I still believe that people are really good at heart."

Anne Frank