An Inspiring Quote for Every Month of the Year
“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.” So wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in Nature and Selected Essays, and his observations are still relevant today.
As we move through the calendar, it can be challenging to sit still and appreciate what season we’re currently living in, rather than anticipating the next. Even those who pride themselves on living in the moment can easily get caught up in FOMO, forgetting that sometimes the best place you can be is exactly where you are.
Whether you’re in a season of reaping or sowing, resting in your abundance or working to build something that lasts, it’s important to keep yourself firmly grounded in the moment that you’re currently in.
This list is a compilation of inspiring literary quotes that capture the symbolic essence of each month of the year and inspire you to keep moving forward. Rather than anticipating the next exciting moment in life, it’s crucial to take time to enjoy the view.
Bookmark this list. Come back to it when you need to. As the months press on, you may find it helpful to carry these words of hopeful wisdom with you.
January
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus, L’été, “Return to Tipasa”
February
“What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.” — Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
March
“Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, psychic pain. Sit it out. Let it all pass.” — May Sarton, Journal of Solitude
April
“Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star.” ― Paul A.M. Dirac
May
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
June
“Hold summer in your hand, pour summer in a glass, a tiny glass of course, the smallest tingling sip, for children; change the season in your veins by raising glass to lip and tilting summer in.” ― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
July
“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.” ― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, “Song of Myself”
August
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ― Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time
September
“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” ― C.S. Lewis
October
“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” ― Eden Philpotts, A Shadow Passes
November
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
December
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language / And next year’s words await another voice.” ― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets, “Little Gidding”