5 quotes to help us navigate through life

This is the power and importance of all art. The story we read, the song we hear, the painting we absorb on the surface is just the beginning of how it can shape us. — INAYAYSAD/Wikimedia Commons

In his novel, A Widow in Thrums (1889), JM Barrie wrote that God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. The quotation has stuck in my mind for as long as I can remember, helping me reflect on good times and cherished memories whenever I’m going through difficult periods.

I found another memorable quote from the Scottish novelist and playwright in his classic novel Peter Pan (1911): “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” This has helped me mostly in times of grief, reminding me that while we experience the pain of loss, we can also be grateful for what we gained from having someone in our lives for a time. It also reminds me that, like the clock-swallowing croc that hounds Captain Hook, time rolls on and we can spend that time living in fear or be present for the people and adventures that give life its meaning.