“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.” 
Marlene Dietrich

In my German class junior year, we were learning about Marlene Dietrich, and we all had to memorize some quotes, one of which is above. We, of course, did this in German, but I thought that the English translation would be more helpful here. As it turned out, Dietrich had a lot of great things to say, but I liked this the most. I have always loved quotes, and this one beautifully articulated why, something I had been trying to explain to people for years. I love using others’ words to express thoughts better than I ever could myself. I would, however, like to add something to what Dietrich said. Quotes express thoughts you may have had, but they also help us think about things we may never have thought of on our own. There are a lot of things that I have learned in high school, and a lot of things that I think about when it come to life after high school, so here are some of them, beautifully expressed by someone wiser than myself.

 “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Mark Twain

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.” J.K. Rowling

“You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” Vince Lombardi

“Love your neighbor, but don’t tear down your fence.” German proverb

“When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.” Mark Twain

“We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.” Unknown

“Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right.” Walt Disney

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” Mark Twain

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” James Baldwin

“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.” Jimmy Buffett

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain