Recently, I have noticed an irritatingly large increase in the number of ‘inspirational quotes’ appearing in my fb feed.
Finding myself at something of a loose end yesterday, I decided to do a little bit of research into these glib staples of social media and why we feel compelled to not only pollute our own lives with their trite messaging, but also have a seemingly overwhelming compulsion to share it with others.
So, for those of you who are finding their Monday morning to be languishing somewhat, here’s what I uncovered.
First up, people like their inspirational quotes to come from someone famous.
It’s a little bit elitist, but the basic rule of thumb seems to be, the more famous you are, the more weight your words carry.
If I said to you “I’ve never lost a game, I just ran out of time,” you’d dismiss me as a halfwit. Because that’s precisely what losing is. Running out of time to win.
But if I told you that it was a quote from Michael Jordan, you’d have it on your desktop calendar faster than I can say motivation.
Why? Because for some reason, we as humans believe words from the talented or famous are worth more.
We eagerly devour quotes from actors, musicians, celebrities, sportspeople, businessmen, motivational gurus and the like. We nod sagely at their astute observations and treat their words with an appropriate level of gravitas. After all, they are famous, so it must be true.
If a quote comes from someone who is dead and famous, then that is even better.
Deceased favourites include spiritual leaders like Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa and philosophers such as Socrates and Plato. And of course, the ever-voluble Confucius.
The latter is responsible for what is arguably the most oft-repeated quote of all time.
‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’
Some dispute the origins of this quote, maintaining steadfastly that in fact it came from Nelson Mandela, whilst a third school of thought are adamant that it originated in Chumbawamba’s immortal earworm “I get knocked down, but I get up again.”
One sector that really seems to be trending off the charts right now is dead boffins.
Pretty much everything Einstein and Isaac Newton ever said can now be found adorning a tee shirt or a tea-towel.
Marie Curie still enjoys some sort of half-life, long after succumbing to the effects of Radium.
And any self-respecting inspirational quote site can’t consider itself truly au fait unless it has some caustic and insightful drollery from Stephen Hawking – the current poster boy for the dead genius club.
So, what makes a great quote?
Well, as far as I can make out, they generally need to contain one of the following three elements.
1: A glorious sweeping statement.
Ideally, this should magnificently ignore the truth and all known laws of physics.
Like this famous quote from Muhammed Ali.
Impossible is nothing.
What a load of old cobblers. I mean impossible is obviously something, and quite a big something at that. All of us can think of at least 20 impossible things in a single minute.
But, because Ali came up with it, it has slipped into legend. Probably, I assume, because no-one had the temerity to openly disagree with “the greatest.”
2: A trenchant observation.
Another staple of inspirational quotes, these are superficially obvious comments that simultaneously hold a deeper and more recondite truth.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take - Wayne Gretzky
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - Lao Tzu
For every minute you’re angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Unfortunately, this “deeper truth” usually reveals itself to be just as fucking obvious as the superficial quote.
3: A clever word play.
These little gems mask their complete lack of original insight by employing tricksy word play.
Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life - John Wooden
Love the life you live. Live the life you love - Bob Marley
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail - Benjamin Franklin
Winners never quit, and quitters never win - Vince Lombardi
Provenance:
Human nature being what it is, you won’t be surprised to know that many of these quotes have multiple parents. After all, we all like to sound clever to other people.
Here’s one from Alexander Graham Bell.
When one door closes, another one opens, but we often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, we do not see the ones which open for us.
And here is another, uncannily similar, attributed to the redoubtable Helen Keller.
When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.
The plot thickens when we realise that Bell and Keller actually met and in fact Bell took a photo of her in 1899.
Now, clearly one of them must have seen it or heard it and then appropriated it for themselves. And bearing in mind the fact that Keller was both blind and deaf, the finger of suspicion must surely point squarely at Mr. Bell.
The old phoney.
Visuals:
Visuals play an integral role in the inspirational quote’s make up.
A quote from a dead person will usually be accompanied by a visual of them looking suitably wise, intelligent or compassionate.
Whereas a quote is from a sportsperson will inevitably have them either glowering moodily at camera, or caught in the act of doing their thang, whether that be dunking, punching, serving or shooting.
If, God forbid, the quote is from someone less famous or even unknown, then the visual has to work overtime to compensate for its lack of star power.
To this end, you will often see one of the following images being employed.
Someone, anyone, standing on a mountain peak with arms raised triumphantly.
A person running through waist-high fields of arable crops. Hay fever be damned.
Person or persons staring vaguely out to sea.
A road winding off into the distance.
Anything to do with the sky.
That’s it from me folks. I will leave you to your lockdown lethargy.
But remember!
DON’T COUNT THE DAYS. MAKE THE DAYS COUNT.
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