Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
It’s funny that I get this prompt. When I saw it, I thought about what quote would I use? What quote would I write about? I know so many beautiful quotes. One of my favorites is from George Eliot, or Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot was her pen name), “You are never too late to be what you might have been.” As a late bloomer, I embody this quote, or at least I like to think I do. I’m still a work in progress, and progress is slow.
The quote that really sticks with me the most, though, is one my dad used to say to me. I never understood it at the time, and actually, it really irritated me when he would say it. He would always say, “It’s not for me to reason why, but to do and die.” The actual poem text, or excerpt from the poem is written as, “Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die:” when I was young , I was frustrated with that answer! What did it even mean? And why was my dad saying this to me?? I could not accept not questioning everything! I could not accept that quote, to sacrifice my right to question things, to just ACCEPT whatever people wanted me to do or think. That’s why I was frustrated. I thought perhaps I didn’t understand the quote…but I did understand it, I just didn’t want to follow that mindset. I don’t even know where my dad learned that quote from. He doesn’t seem like the poetry type. The whole thing just mystified me a bit.
Now that I am older, now that I have more work history under my belt, more wisdom, I think about that quote a lot. I understand it more perfectly and accept it. I do question things still but sometimes you just gotta put things down or not question and move on. You get too tired to question everything, and somethings just aren’t worth your time and energy. I get it. I still find it frustrating but it’s something that definitely sticks with me.
The quote is from the poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is a poem about obedience and war, specifically the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. (Wikipedia)
Jacquelyn's Space 