Don't Quote Me On This...

I wanted to introduce you to a few quotes that mean something to me. Be it that they mean something right now, in this moment, or they have always held a special place in my heart.

'You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.'

From John Lennon's Imagine, the above says exactly what it days. We are all dreamers; we all have missions and visions and places to escape to in our heads, where nothing is bad. Is this a good thing? Does it matter? I believe in dreaming, because dreaming helps us to ground ourselves. Often a dream is a step more than an ambition, because a dream has an element which seems unacheivable, but it is important to remember that this is the key. It may only seem unacheivable.

'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'

What an exceptionally wise woman Eleanor Roosevelt was. I wish I had had the opportunity to meet her. My motto in life is the above quotation. It's very true. People can only put you down if you let them, and you should always strive to be proud of yourself. No one should make anyone feel inferior. Unfortunately it happens in life multiple times everyday, but don't let anyone do it to you. Remember: It's your life and you can live it how you want. Don't let anyone make you feel inferior.

'Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.'

If I knew the 'author' of this quote, I would credit it to them. As it is, however, I don't and therefore it shall just sit here until someone claims it. A very important message is written in those words, and it simply means don't let fear of something going wrong stop you from try. You will never know until you take that leap and try it. If you do strike out, so to speak, then don't worry about it; it's good to have an area to work on building a strength. You can't be good at everything, and just remember that ultimately, 'no one can make you feel inferior without your consent'.

'Reach for the stars. You may not get a star, but at least you won't end up with a handful of dirt.'

How true is that? Strive for the best and you'll shoot past the worst very quickly. It's important to aim high in life and get what you want out of it. We only live once - make it count!

Change isn't just to be spent.

There have been some really amazing people in the world in the past.; people who have made change and caused change, or just stood up for what they believed in. People who have inspired or taught, and lead and been lead to help create today's world. People like Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy.


I wonder if Emmeline knew quite the effect that she would have on people when she started the WSPU and quite how much the change would be integral to the start of many other politial equality campaigns. Still the effects are truly evident and are now such a massive part of daily life that people rarely think of the part she had to play in the introduction of this standard - people often forget what got them to where they are.


Perhaps this is not such a bad thing on a day-to-day level. Being reminded every day of what Martin Luther King Jr. helped fight for should not be the case, and it is good that the standards these days are complete opposites to what once existed. School history lessons are surely enought ot remind people of what once was and now isn't - and rightly so?

I've been thinking about change a lot recently, and how people's actions can impact generations, and lifetimes. Can we pinpoint which individual started the Civil Rights movement? Which single person first said that something was wrong? If we can, does it really matter? Surely the main thing is that someone did...

Does it matter if I am the first person to put up my hand in a gathering and say something is wrong? Does it matter if it is me who says it and not someone else? Does it matter if where I say it is wrong? Does it matter for what reason I say it?

Perhaps the forum to say it is not the issue, nor if I am the first, or the last to say it. Perhaps the matter just needs to be addressed and someone needs to say something. So what if the forum that I say it in isn't necessarily the right one - as long as it's not entirely the wrong one. As long as it's said, then the issue has been raised.

I became a student officer to say things in the right place, at the right time. Places and times that perhaps othe students don't always have access to. I became President of a team because I believe I can do the job. I believe I can lead, listen and liaise. I wanted to push for change where change was needed, and fight to keep consistency when that is needed.

That is what I intend to do, and that is what I am now doing. I believe change is important. It is crucial to maintain progress. Progress in it's very nature is positive; change should only be made to continuously improve and move forward. However, progress is not progress if the direction headed in is not the direction that is correct.

Change for change's sake is wrong. Progress should be made with caution. Sometimes, just sometimes, keeping things as they are is the best way forward.