Dionne Wong - Week 15 - Quotes I'll Remember Forever
In my personal experience, most of the time in my life is spent on my individual pursuits, which often involve doing things alone. Yet, in many cases, we seem to remember the things people say to us more clearly than time spent on performing tasks, despite such a huge portion of our lives revolving around our actions. This is how my memory works, at least, so I’ve compiled a list of restated quotes that I think I’ll remember for a long time (or basically what I remember as I type my blog).
1. “To improvise well on the piano, think like a drummer.” Coming across this random Instagram reel a while ago led me to investigate how the inherent nature of jazz lies in its rhythms, not its chords.
2. “People can think they’re right, but they can’t know they’re right.” An earth-shattering, groundbreaking, bewildering statement given at two a.m. by my friend during a discussion of the anime Death Note.
3. “You truly are a cleric.” In fourth grade, my teacher hosted after-school sessions of a board game called HeroQuest, in which I played the role of a cleric, or healer. On the last day of school, my teacher wrote this in my yearbook. He gave me hope that the smaller version of myself could come to help others in the future.
4. “Your smile is contagious.” I had only known this girl for a week before she told me this, but it was probably the sweetest compliment I had ever received.
5. “It’s impossible for people to be perfect, but we can try.” My first piano teacher taught me that subjectively considering what perfection looked like didn’t have to be the same as being an excessive perfectionist.
6. “Did I send you to the most expensive university in the world to feel conflicted or to learn to manipulate great masses of people?” I recently finished a seemingly never-ending stream of Urinetown runs and the cue lines from the actors are still stuck in my head.
7. “You’re the only person at this camp I would encourage to get a non-STEM degree.” I went to a summer camp designed to increase girls’ involvement in science, but I found a piano in the dining hall and played every day. If an extreme advocate for women in STEM was willing to risk the possibility of losing one after hearing me play every evening, what was validating my insecurities about my relation to the performing arts?
You talk to people every day. Pieces of advice fly around everywhere, thrown carefully or carelessly. Ironically, though, I’ve heard that the best advice is to never follow anyone’s advice. I’m still super confused about what really goes on in my brain and why I remember the specific things I remember, but I like to think that these things are what I’ve intuitively deemed important—the quotes my subconscious chooses to build values upon.
Waraksa, Michael. Vox, 26 January 2022. www.vox.com/the-highlight/22716264/memory-science-memorability
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Hi Dionne! Your blog was really interesting and it is admirable how well you remember these quotes. When I read the title of your blog I thought it would be about inspirational words from famous people or from books, but I was pleasantly surprised when I read your blog. It is beautiful how the things people say can shape a person and why it is so important to think before you say something. I read somewhere recently that people are mosaics of all the advice people have given us. I think this connects with your blog and just based on the quotes you provided they seem like an accurate reflection of what I know about you. I thought it was interesting how all the quotes were unique, some more general and some unexpected. I also really liked how you formatted your blog and provided commentary for each quote; it made the blog feel much more raw and authentic, almost like poetry! Overall this was a quite thought-provoking topic, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey, Dionne. I liked the approach you had to memory. I also use direct (or paraphrased) quotes as core memory points or values; they could just simply be important due to their humor or individuality. My theory is that by doing this, it is easier for us to store and remember important pieces of information that later would just save time when recalled. Of course, this is my theory, but it might just be instinctual to attach memories and use them as "landmarks for use"
ReplyDeleteOf course, I must provide a quote of my own: "It's hip to be square" from Huey Lewis and the News in 1986. The track delivers a catchy and well-sung performance by Huey Lewis along with the classic 80s rock sound. Reading into the lyrics, the song speaks of conformity and "fitting in" by the use of the "square" term. This term may seem like a tease but the term's definition for being "proper" or "nerdy" was actually term used for it's good intentions and good karma that comes from putting in the work to be well-groomed and productive like the song says-but thats on a surface level thought and my interpretation. I use the song now and have used it before as motivation to focus on work and finding presentable aesthetics. Thanks for the interesting approach, Dionne! - Rafael Montes Barrera
Hi Dionne! Reading these quotes was very beautiful and it felt as if I was coming into your world with your explanations as to when and where these quotes were exactly said. Reading the second quote has made me a lot more curious as to what you guys were specifically saying about Death Note for your friend to drop that bizarre quote; the fact it was said during a discussion of Death Note is actually so funny to me. I find the third quote also really cute, being a healer in games is so essential, sure tanks and DPSes are super strong and a must, without a healer you might always die. It is very nice to hear about your experiences with people, the comment on your smile being contagious is such a beautiful thing to be told and your piano teacher’s words of encouragement is something that I think should be told to all people. The last quote was also very heartwarming to read, and I hope your insecurities of the arts fades away instead of drowning you. Thank you for sharing!
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