Do you enjoy a good quotation? I do. Did you ever wonder what makes them enjoyable? Maybe you like humorous ones, or poignant ones, or quotes that are inspiring or motivating. Maybe you like the sound or the alliteration. Maybe the turn of phrase is just right – the right words, in the right sequence, with just the right twist of the unexpected.
If you’re like me, you occasionally like to sprinkle a quote into your writing or your casual conversations. A quote can give you credibility – especially if it comes from a well-regarded authority. It can help you express gratitude or to give remembrance. Sharing a quote can give you and your friends some perspective or distance from a current situation in your life – be it philosophical distance, cultural distance, or distance in time. Not least, but last for now, a stirring quotation can remind you that you are not alone, that there are others of a like mind. The quote author just said what you had in mind in the way you’d like to have said it … had you known it would sound that good.
Good quotes are memorable and worthy of remembering. Here are some of my favorites on the whys and wherefores, the joys and struggles of sticking to a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet. I hope you’ll email me or post comments with some of your favorites. I’m always looking for more.
On diet and disease
- Dr. Michael Greger: “If [you are] over the age of 10, the question isn’t whether or not to eat healthy to prevent heart disease, it’s whether or not you want to reverse the heart disease you already have.”
- Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr.: “Coronary artery disease is a food-borne illness”
- Norman Cousins: “Don’t deny the diagnosis. Defy the verdict.”
On diet and genes:
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.: “Nutrition trumps genes.”
- Dr. Pamela Peeke: “Genetics may load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.”
On perseverance and commitment:
- Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Mahatma Ghandi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
- President John F. Kennedy: “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win – and the others, too.” (Replace “to go to the moon” with “to be vegan” and you’ve got a pretty powerful personal mission statement).
On food
- Jeff Novick: “If it has a label, don’t eat it.”
- Michael Moss, author of “Salt, Sugar, Fat”: “At Coke, they refer to their best customer as a heavy user”
On poo (it all comes to this, doesn’t it)
- Dr. John McDougall: “I defy anyone on this [WFPB, starch-centered] diet to resist the urge to defecate.”
- Dr. Michael Greger: “Vegans are just regular people.”
Unless you have a fabulous memory, you might need some reminders of your favorite sayings. Here are a few suggestions:
In your physical world…
- Paint some quotes on the wall of your favorite room
- Plaster Post-It Notes with quotes on your cubicle at work
- Keep a notebook or journal
In your virtual world – (on your computer screen or tablet or smart phone) …
- Keep a list of quotes as a text document (in Word, Pages, or Evernote)
- Update your email signature once a week with a new quote
However you choose to do it, keep your favorite quotes at the top of your mind – to provide needed humor, perspective, and inspiration. And write down the sayings you come up with on your own, too. Because someday, someone else may be quoting you!
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