Optimism

I didn't even have to Google that.

It's one of a few quotes that I know off-by-heart. I told my friend mid-English lesson as we studied Romeo and Juliet for our GCSEs that I would remember it forever. I'm not sure what it was about that passage that appealed so much to my fifteen-year-old self - clearly Romeo had been a lot less spotty than the lads I went to school with.
It's just the kind of quote I love. It makes me think of glitter. It's pretty, but it holds no deeper meaning for me.

Everyone's got a favourite though haven't they? Whether it's a verse by Tennyson or a one-liner from Only Fools and Horses. I've got a mug with my favourite line from Les Mis painted on ... I made it myself. It makes me smile every morning.

On my first day of college, my media teacher, who will have no recollection of me now, hit us with this cracker:

Nice isn't it? I didn't have a clue what it meant, but I scribbled it down, intending to copy it on to the front of my notebook later so that my classmates would read it and think I was cultured. It was only on reflection that I realised it's a metaphor for ambition, hard work and ultimately, happiness. That media teacher has no idea what a profound effect that quote has on me now - I think about it to punish myself every time I procrastinate.

Some of the best quotes crop up in the most unexpected places. This blog's based on a sliver of poetic eloquence from Doctor Who of all places:

It seems nine-hundred-and-three-year-old aliens have got a way with words.

The world is a cynical place and we can all be pessimistic from time to time, but while negativity won't get things done, a little bit of optimism goes a long way. So I call for more of it. Lots more - and this blog's been made to boost the quota. Pessimism has no place here, so expect only loveliness. I hope it raises a smile or two.