How to Write Realistic-Sounding Inspirational Quotes (Part I)

Okay, there’s nothing wrong with quoting something useful once in a while.   But it seems to be getting out of hand, in my opinion.

Seems like half of Blogo-Land and the Planet Twitter has a copy of Bartlett’s Quotations on hand, that they just can’t WAIT to share with the other half.

Because apparently what some dead guy said 100 years ago is more valid and more inspiring that what we can come up on our own.

And apparently, we’re incapable of deciding how to run our lives unless we read what someone ELSE thinks first.  (Someone who most likely has never met us, and never will).

Well, call my a cynical old Friar, but I’m not that impressed with all these famous quotes.

Because, really….it’s NOT that HARD.

Follow these tips, and you can come up with inspirational quotes on your own,

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1.  Make a list of Pleasant Nouns
Touchy-feely ones, that invoke warm fuzzy feelings.

Love, Hope, Inspiration, Music, Joy, Character, Dreams, Perseverance, Patience, Truth, Beauty, Creativity,  Beacon, Light, Tool, Knowledge, Honesty, Success, Jewel, Leadership, etc.

2.  Make a list of Unpleasant Nouns
That evoke negative images.

Hatred, Ignorance, Procrastination,  Sloth, Ignorance, Racism,  Failure,  Greed, Selfishness, Hesitation,  Cloud, Storm, Lies, etc.

3.   Make a list of Verbs
Think of “Action” verbs, including some opposites.

Illuminate, Shine,  Bathe,  Dirty, Soothe, Aggravate,  Drive (us),   Push (us),  Lighten/Darken, Conquer,  Shed (light),  Sharpen/Dull,  Succeed/Fail,   Win/Lose, Stop/Start, Lead/Follow, etc.

4.  Follow the generic template:
“(NOUN) is the (NOUN) that  (VERB) (blah blah) (NOUN)

Examples:

Music is the truth that soothes our soul.
Knowledge is the beacon that sheds light on our ignorance.
Creativity is the tool that sharpens success.

5.  Don’t be afraid to slightly modify the template, and mix and match opposites

1. (NOUN) is the (blah  blah) by which (VERB)
2. (NOUN) are (blah blah)  (VERB)

Examples:

Perseverance is the means by which we succeed.
Procrastination is the means by which we fail.

Dreams are never realized by procrastinating
Dreams are always realized by perservering.

You can pick one or the other.  Either/or.  They mean the same thing.

6.  Pick a word, any word, and free-associate.

Take “Leadership”, for example.   Hmmm…what makes a good leader?

Leadership is knowing when to stop.
Leadership is knowing when to never quit.

Notice these two sentences are totally different.   Doesn’t matter which one you pick.  It’s all good.  (Because it’s an inspiration quote. It CAN’T be wrong, right?)

What would a shitty leader do? Try a “negative” sentence.

Hesitation and leadership never lead to winning.

To make it less obvious,  twist the words around, and make it a positive affirmation.

A leader who hesitates is the key to failure.

(You could have just as well used “procrastinates” here, or “is dishonest”, or anything else negative).

How about adding something with “dreams”?   (Dreams is always a sure-fire winner).     Hmm..let’s see.

A leader follows his dreams.

…(too simple!).    Let’s make it sound more artsy.   How about adding something about the leader’s dreams pushing us forward?

A leader is one who’s dreams propel us forward.

Still too simple.  Lets turn this into a simile.  (Or metaphor…I never could get those straight).

Fuel is to the engine, as dreams are to a leader : They both propel us forward.

(Oooh…now isn’t that DEEP?)    That one could have been said by René Descartes himself (if internal combustion engines existed in his time).

Go on…give it a try…you’ll be surprised what you can come up with.

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Stay tuned for Part II:  More tricks and templates.  And coming up with fake names.

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Tags: famous quotations, humor, inspirational quotes, rant, writing tips

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