The game of quotes

Ever wonder why some people struggle to name their favorite quote? It’s not about forgetfulness, but rather a fascinating aspect of how we internalize wisdom.

Once upon a time (last week) a fellow writer Carl, asked me what my favourite quote was.
It was a simple question and I thought to myself “I’ll choose 1 from 100 of my favorite quotes”
But to my surprise, no quote came to my mind. I checked my notes but nothing seemed to be my favourite quote.

How could this be? I’ve read a hundred books, thousands of concepts, and a bazillion quotes. How can I not have a favorite quote?

The answer is: A Quote feels like “a quote” as long as it’s foreign to you. Once the idea becomes normalised in your mind it turns into a normal sentence.

So I’ve had favorite quotes in the past when I came across them for the first time. Then it went through this process:

Steps of the game

  1. You come across a quote that feels inspiring and novel.
  2. Your mind stays with the idea and it no longer feels novel to you.
  3. You work on it until it becomes obvious.
  4. You make it part of your nature / lifestyle / routine.
  5. That quote is now just a sentence.

Don’t have favorite quotes, become your favorite quotes.


“Eat food every day” was my favorite quote as a newborn, but within a week it became a sentence.
I don’t have favorite quotes, I have favorite sentences.