How to create a book of your favorite quotes and proverbs

Quotations, proverbs, sayings . . . why are these important? And why would we want to save them?

Certainly there are words that have inspired you. A saying that reminds you about something that is important to you. A proverb that has guided your own philosophy of life.

Putting these in a journal means that later you can come back to them when you need inspiration.

Or maybe to share them with others.

Or perhaps you want to create something you can pass along to your children someday.

📖 So where do you find quotes? 📖

Books are a major source. Often you'll find an opening quote (epigraph) that captures the story's essence or sets the stage. Sometimes these are literary and sometimes they're drawn from pop culture.

There are countless books dedicated to quotations. The granddaddy of them all is "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations." First published in 1882, the book has been revised and updated many times since.

Family sayings - is there a family saying or proverb that's been passed down from your ancestors? Be sure to include that in your book.

Magazines sometimes have quotes at the opening of articles or in an article that you might like. Just remember to write down anything that resonates with you.

Religious books are a great source.

Facebook - people often post quotations or if you look at the About page of any of your friends, there's even a section where they put their favorite quotations.

On the app Pinterist, do a search for quotations and see what comes up. Lots!

Google "quotations" and tons of websites come up.

You can even google a specific topic like quotations about love and get pages and pages of quotes related to this theme.

The possibilities on the web are limitless!

Emails - sometimes people will include a favorite quote down at the bottom with their signature. Whenever I come across one that I like, I just save it for later to include in my book.

Song lyrics are an excellent source. Think of how many times you've actually quoted from a favorite song. All you need is love!

Even on the street – there are quotations around you everywhere. You just have to keep your eyes open.

📖 Putting Your Quote Book Together 📖

First step is to find a journal. You want it sturdy and well-made so that it will last for many years to come. Who knows? Even for generations.

There are thousands of different styles and designs, lined or unlined, blank pages or illustrated, spiral or leather bound.

Remember your quote book is a work in progress. You'll be adding to it constantly, whenever you find a quote that you want to include.

Here's my quote book - a bit weathered as I've been adding to it for over 30 years.

My book happens to include some images from nature so I just write my quotes around them. When you can, attribute your quote to the person who said it. Sometimes though you have to write "anonymous."

Over the years I've used different color pen ink. Sometimes I print; sometimes I write cursive. I don't put the quotes in any particular order. How you put it together is all up to you.

Sometimes you'll find quotes that are with an image so you might want to cut them out and paste them in your book rather than just write the quote itself.

Sometimes you will find a quote already printed on paper and you can just cut that out and glue that in your book like I did here with this quote from Jack London.

I hope you've enjoyed this guide. Be sure to leave feedback and any other ideas you might have to share with others. Now you can get started - all you need is one quote!