You Must Make the Choice Between What is Right and What is Easy

Image from: Book Writer Career

As the term comes to a close I am sure all of you are quite excited to finish classes and major assignments, look forward to exams to be over, and have started to make plans for the summer. I too look forward to summer; however, I am not overly excited for the term to end. I say this because at the end of this week my co-op job will end, and I will no longer be working at the Writing Centre. Therefore, this will be my last blog post.

Over the course of my co-op placement I have come to realize just how important written and spoken communication skills are. This position has opened my eyes to many situations I have not been exposed to previously, all of which were beneficial in the end. Throughout the term, I have come across many different quotes about writing and its importance, and I would like to share them with you.

Hopefully some of these quotes will inspire you to write, help you to see the purpose and meaning of writing. Personally, most of these quotes have changed how I see writing in general, changed how I value what is written, and inspired me to write more often. I hope they can do the same for you.

My meaningful writing quotes:

1. "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it." – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling)

Dumbledore's statement definitely has truth behind it when you truly think about it. Words are quite magical, they can transform with the tone someone has written or spoken in. Words are also something that can hurt someone very deeply, possibly causing more harm than physicality. However, words also have a strong impact based on how much emotion or truth is behind them. Therefore, words are one of the strongest weapons and healers that even the average person uses. Overall, this is one of the quotes that had the most impact on me throughout the semester, changing how I value the words I use, but also changing the importance of the tone I put behind them.

2. "Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard." – David McCullough

Make sure when you are writing an assignment you are focusing just on that, not everything else. It will make your paper be more clear and easier to write.

Image from: Whistler Writers Festival

3. "You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say." – F. Scott Fitzgerald

This quote from Fitzgerald made me think more deeply about why I am writing or why someone wrote what I was reading. There is always a purpose behind writing, even if it is just for an assignment. This also made me think more deeply about what people are trying to say in their writing. If you are writing a report for a class, you still should try to have a clear purpose or stance, "having something to say about the topic," it will give your paper more value and show a stronger argument.

4. "We must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy." – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling)

The quote above does not seem to directly relate to writing at all; however, when I read it, it makes me think of plagiarism in writing. When writing a paper, you always have two choices.You can choose doing what is right, writing your own paper and using your own ideas. You can also choose doing what is easy, finding a paper online or from a friend and using that, or copying and pasting from the internet. Whichever you choose, it will show who you truly are, what your values are, and how you react when facing a problem.

5. "The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." – Dr. Seuss

From this Dr. Seuss quote I feel it directly relates more to university as a journey than writing. It is true, the more you read the more you'll know, so do your class readings and take notes about your lectures. It is also true that the more you learn the more places you'll go, so make sure you are not just cramming for tests and exams. Actually take the time to learn what it is you are studying, it will help you in your future career.

6. "The fear of a name increases the fear of a thing itself." – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling)

Similar to the previous quote, this one does not seem like it relates to writing in the slightest. When I look at this quote I know that Dumbledore is taking about Voldemort in the Potterverse, but when I apply it to writing, it relates to how people feel about semi-colons. When people say Voldemort in the Potterverse, most people are shocked and scared. Similarly, when people say I used a semi-colon in my essay, most people are shocked. The fear people have when someone says semi-colon is very irrational. No you do not have to avoid using it in an essay, just ask if you used it right and if not, ask someone to explain it to you! You can defeat the semi-colon: just don't be afraid.

7. "Anyone who says writing is easy isn't doing it right." – Amy Joy

Enough said. If you ever feel like a paper was really easy to write, it's probably because you know a lot about the topic of have strong feelings about it. To get to this point, you had to find all the information previously and needed weigh all options before supporting one side. This was all hard work. Therefore the assignment may seem easy to write, but the time it took you to get all your information was time consuming and not easy.

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8. "Just keep swimming." – Dori

This quote again relates to the university journey as a whole over the process or action of writing. This quote helps to motivate me to continue studying when I am facing exams, to continue my report until I am finished, and mostly to continue working towards my degree. It motivates me to continue towards these things because I know there will be something worth it at the end, just like Nemo's dad trying to reach him.

9. "You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." – Jodi Picoult

The meaning of Picoult's quote is that there is never an excuse to not write something by the deadline. If you feel as if you won't write well that day, write anyway and edit it the next. If you have nothing written the day of the due date, you will be rushing to finish and it will not be as good as it could have been. The take away is to write even if you feel as if you won't do well that day, and take the time to fix it later.

10. "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect." – Anais Nin

This seems to apply more to fiction, historical, and personal reflection pieces. Write your piece so that you can relive the exact moment again when you read it. Share your experiences; make it so someone else can relive it too.

11. "One must always be careful with books and what is inside them.  For words have the power to change us." – Tessa Grey (Cassandra Clare)

I have known this quote for a while and it still has the same impact on me every time I read it. Think about it; every time you read a book you potentially learn something new that could change your outlook on life altogether. Words are one of the most powerful things that we use every day. Whenever you read a book, think about how it is changing your values, morals, and assumptions. It could also reinforce your perceptions on a topic and make you have stronger belief in your morals and values than you did previously.

12. "Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." – Louis L'Amour

This quote brings back the idea that one must start writing ideas down to actually get something accomplished. You know when you have an assignment and you think there is no possible way to write it, then you finish your introduction and the rest of the paper is really easy. That is what L'Amour is talking about.

I sincerely hope that these quotes that have become near and dear to my heart over the term help you with your writing in the future. I hope they inspire or reinforce your appreciation for writing, or at least give you the push to finish your next paper.

Thanks for reading my blog posts this term! I hope I helped you get through it successfully.

For the last time,

Cheyenne LePage, one of your WC Peer Tutors

Image from: Stock Clip

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Source: https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/blog/post/writing-inspiration

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