Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Quote Freebie - Quotes from Books I Want as Tattoos

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly bookish meme, brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl!

I've always known I was going to get tattoos. More than that, I always knew what I wanted them to look like. 

It all started as a kid, coming to terms with the fact that I couldn't travel with all of my books alongside me all of the time. What I really wanted to do was crack my ribcage open like swinging cabinet doors, and shove all of my favorites into my chest cavity, wedged in between my heart and lungs. It wasn't enough to have them lined up on my shelves at home; I needed to carry them with me always, more than just the heavy double-stack I typically lugged around in my backpack each day, on top of the requisite textbooks. 

So, instead, I decided it might be more appropriate to pick my favorite quotes, and carry those. Much more portable. Then, I could ink them directly into my skin, like words being printed onto a sheet of paper. It was the closest kind of transfiguration I could realistically accomplish, the closest I could get to turning into a book myself. 

It's only as an adult that I've been paying more attention to what it would realistically look like to get all of these tattoos. For instance, I'm 28: technically, I've had a large amount of lead time to start building my collection. But I'm poor, and I'm terrified of needles, and I have a huge amount of anxiety and a very low threshold for low, annoying, uncomfortable, sustained levels of pain, which is pretty much what I think tattoos are supposed to require. After all, you aren't allowed to look that cool without there being some kind of penalty for it...

But I've still got the Notes section on my phone filled up with a full roster of tats. Once I actually become a real-life grown-up, I'm going to get them. It's only a matter of time, and money... and pain tolerance. 

1. "This is not for you." - House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski

The book is a metatextual postmodern marvel; getting a tattoo of words from its pages is just a continuation of its already cult status among the nerds who know that it isn't really just a book... not really. This particular phrase references its "Dedication" page, which can also be read as the beginning of the font-specific narrative of one of its many authorial voices... that dual-status kind of plays into why this tattoo is so appealing to me. 

Because of the myriad of ways this book can be read, I really like the idea of this as a tattoo because of the inherent meaning change once placed on skin, instead of paper. Personal real estate makes this less of a warning of the horror story to come, or a rejection of anyone's individual ownership of the narrative, but also, a more feminist status, a declaration of independence and autonomy.

But, you see, unlike any of the other words in my tattoo list, I want this one printed backwards, so that when I look in the mirror, I can read it, too. 

Having a younger sibling - of which I have three - who works at a funeral-home-slash-memorial-park gets you thinking a lot about mortality, but the truth of it is, I've always been that kind of kid. I remember Father Kevin, one of the best religious persons I have ever met, including this phrase in a sermon when I was about eight years old: "You are condemned to death from the moment you are born." No one makes it out of here alive, folks. The only things you're guaranteed at the gate to Consciousness are a heartbeat and a death certificate. The rest is between you, Luck and Fate. 

So, I really love the idea of a tattoo along my collarbone - printed backwards in its specifically-designated Courier font, just like it is in the source material - that lets me read "This is not for you." every morning, every day, when I'm putting my contacts in. It's a nice reminder that my loose collection of atoms and neuroses is only on loaner; some day, I have to / get to give this all back, and prove that I have something to show for it. Because it wasn't ever for me anyways... just like it's not for anyone else, either, and just like that hallway off the living room definitely wasn't that long when you went to bed last night. 

2. "They passed down all the roads long ago, and the Red Bull followed behind them, and covered their footsteps." - The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle

I am a tremendous fan of The Last Unicorn. Like some of the other choices on this list, I fell in love with the 1982 movie long before I actually read the book. This classic Fantasy tale is so delightfully written, with whimsical anachronisms and beautiful descriptions, that it's up there with The Phantom Tollbooth for "Things to Enjoy When My Brain Needs a Reset." It's a reminder to not take things too seriously, and that even the strangest and most reality-defying of beasts can be overcome. 

But more than that, the story itself carries significant themes of change, experience, and personal growth, even when it is tragic. The final goodbyes to our characters are tremendously bittersweet, and I adore its truthfulness: an ending can be happy, but still carry weight; goals can be accomplished, but still require sacrifice. And that's a pretty good reminder, too. 

(But do I also wish that Red Bull was not the popular brand name of an energy drink? Kind of, yeah.) 

3. "She grew stronger by fighting with the wind." - The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden is another one of those books that has shaped my life and perspectives tremendously, but I can also agree that the movie is what sold me on the book first. Any child of the '90s with at least one parent who loved period films is no doubt familiar with the 1993 adaptation of the classic British children's novel. I know I certainly am... and its soundtrack is still among my most-played instrumental pieces of my Spotify account when I need to chill out a little. 

While the book itself is definitely a product of its time - including some high-key, definitely frustrating racism, British imperialism, and a big ol' thumbs up to marrying your cousin - it was one that still makes a major impact on me today. After all, it's one of the reasons I keep a pretty significant garden of my own, and I've always loved a good self-improvement story. It was even the basis of my 2018 NaNo project - one that borrows part of its title from this same quote! - where I began writing an updated, contemporary YA version, centered around a rooftop garden in New York.

This quote exemplifies the naturalist, romantic perspectives of not only the growth that becomes possible when you engage more meaningfully with your natural environment, but also, how much more fulfilling your life can become when you're willing to open up a little to the world outside your comfort zone.

4. "If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting the rest of our lives." - The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Lemony Snicket

As someone who entered into the first grade the same year The Bad Beginning was published - a phrase which here means "an upsettingly long time ago" - I really do feel like A Series of Unfortunate Events was a major through-line of my burgeoning educational experience. Lemony Snicket was a standout of every Scholastic Bookfair, and the subject of many a friend's elementary book reports. 

This particular quote bears weight because of how much this series shaped my early life, but also, because the sentiment is just as resounding now, as an adult. I experience pretty crippling anxiety most days... except for the ones when I've also made the mistake of having coffee, when it turns into a whole hydra of other issues, as well. But if I waited until I was ready to tackle even a quarter of the things I was anxious about, I'd go the rest of my life without ever leaving the house or answering my cell phone again. 

Which is, you know. Tempting. But unhelpful. 

5. "What's past is prologue." - The Tempest, William Shakespeare

Every single thing you've done or accomplished in your life, is only leading up to your next great story. 

The Tempest is my favorite Shakespearean work, in part because of the unique position it holds within his canon: it was the last play he wrote as a solo writer, leading up to his last-ever work only two years later co-writing. It's the perspective of an authorial voice in the shadow of his end, and it's reflected in quite a few major scenes within the work itself, specifically in Prospero. 

This quote is one of my favorites, because of how straightforward it is. You can sum up so much in just those four small words. And there's hope in it, for all of its status as a literary career's ending: because all that's gone before is just the backdrop for the greater that has yet to arrive. Which means there's always something to look forward to. 

6. "The only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that's hardly worth the effort." - The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth is an absurdist, fun, fantastical tale which humor that's accessible for children and enjoyable for adults. It was one of the first books my Dad bought and read to the four of us kids in our family, and the Lands Beyond have been some of my favorite places to return to time and again, even as a semi-functioning grown-up-brain-faking approximate-person. 

For something that has so much fun with its words, it gave me the language I needed to describe things like my experiences with depression (the Doldrums), or externalize problems I was facing in a way that made them easier to tackle, courtesy of foul beasts like the not-so-giant Giant and the Terrible Trivium. And while I consider myself to be a proud resident of Dictionopolis (obviously), I can understand those who prefer Digitopolis just as well, and consider them worthy friends, especially when I need to calculate the tip at a restaurant. 

The book carries with it about a hundred or so different and important messages, and each worth learning (and relearning again). The importance of trying new things, and putting in effort, despite the dangers of being unsuccessful, runs throughout, and it's one of the ones I need to hear the most often. 

7. "Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle." - Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Fun fact about me: in high school, my calling card was ridiculously long and overly-detailed English projects, including - if not especially - research papers. We were required to do one a year, and while my Freshman and Sophomore experiences were definitely worthy of merit (Modern Falconry, and the Injustice of Book-Banning, respectively), I really hit my stride with my Junior and Senior installments. Junior year was a perspective on Nancy Drew and the Women's Movements of the 20th Century, and I handed in two copies: the required six-page-max length, plus a twelve-page version, just for funzies. Senior year was The Impact of Charles Dodgson's Personal Life on His Writings As Lewis Carroll, Particularly Alice in Wonderland. 

I read about five or six different books about Charles Dodgson for that project, and explored not just his various biographies, but psychological perspectives, philosophies represented in his characters, his passion for photography, and the enduring legacy of Alice in Wonderland in children's books, fashion, movies, and more. 

Do I remember much of what was in them now, over a decade later? Absolutely not. But maybe that makes some of them worthy of a reread. What I do remember, was how completely I had fallen in love with the actual story, not just the Disney-fied version I'd watched as a kid, or the overly-sentimental antique-lovers perspectives that seem to accompany every overly-twee tea party on Pinterest.

Here's the thing, though: I don't know if this is going to be the actual quote I want to go with... as it so happens, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass happen to be chock full of really great ones! This is just the one I've been leaning towards right now. 

8. "They would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever" - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

Another fun fact you might - or might not - know about me, is that Tom Sawyer was a pretty important character for childhood Savannah. I've read this book every single summer since I was in the second grade, and have done so multiple times in various interims throughout the years, as well. Like with The Secret Garden, it's one that I've done some major reflecting on while growing up (aka, this book is ALSO high-key racist in some very unfortunate period-accurate ways), but that's kind of been part of the importance of revisiting it so often: I grew up with it. I learned more about the world as I learned about Tom's world. It always feels like there's something new to take away. 

Take, for instance, this quote: it's not exactly a standout. It's not necessarily something that the book is particularly known for, or one that gets printed on tote bags or anything. But for some reason, reading the novel this past summer, it really popped out from the rest of the text. I'd rather live in Sherwood Forest than the White House, too... and it's a reminder that fame and distinguished titles don't stack up even a little bit to independence, family, fun, and doing the right thing, either. 

9. "There's something at work in my soul that I do not understand." - Frankenstein, Mary Shelley 

It has ALWAYS been the case that at some point in my life, I was going to get a Frankenstein tattoo. I read the book for the first time at sixteen, and it hit me over the head like someone striking a church bell, and the reverberations have echoed in my heart ever since. I'm lucky to have been able to revisit it multiple times in various college courses, and even more times since, and beyond it all, it remains a steadfast favorite. 

The thing is, I feel like this quote isn't the typical one people go with, either: "Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful" feels like the more popular tattoo choice, which you can easily verify with the power of the Internet.

The reason I like this particular quote so much, instead, is because it leans into feelings of uncertainty. Themes of learning, self-reflection, and humanity's continued inability to comprehend the ramifications of scientific progress are obviously a main factor in Frankenstein, but I like the idea of pushing further into that "grey area" feeling that we all, as thinking, emotional humans, still wander into when we consider the essence of our being. 

There's something at work in my soul I don't understand, too. But not getting it, is just part of the journey to knowing myself better in the future. 

10. "Beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze" - "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," William Wordsworth 

I don't particularly like Wordsworth, and poetry isn't tremendously appealing to me, so I'll keep this particular explanation short and sweet: this section of the poem rather famously describes a grouping of daffodils on a Spring day.

If you've been around myself, or this blog, for any definite amount of time, you know why daffodils are incredibly important to me, and I think this is a fitting way to memorialize that particular relationship in tattoo form. 

What's in YOUR Top Ten? Let me know, in the comments below!