Just another fan-girly post about Divergent

     I might possibly be the last teen alive who has not yet finished reading the Divergent series.

I must admit that I avoided it because I didn't like it's cover.

I know I am defying one of the most important bookworm rules here; don't judge a book by it's cover.

Sorry about that. I am truly sorry... Because I also defied another very important bookworm rule: read the book before watching the movie.

Yes, I watched the movie first. But it made me realize that I was missing out big-time on something amazing.

All of this to say, I started reading the book. 

YES it's amazing, and YES I'm totally in love with Tobias. The minute I started reading Divergent, I could not put it down. I just started book two.

     I'm sure there are already a billion other blog posts out there about this series, but I think it has some philosophical content which should definitely still be shared HERE. I quote:

   "A brave man acknowledges the strength of others."

...

"I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different."

...

"Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear and how to be free from it."

These statements bring tears to my eyes. Especially the last one; it is so, so important to remember we cannot be fearless, that knowing our flaws is what brings us strength and what helps us surpass them.

I made these to illustrate this quote. Which do you like better?

And miles to go before I sleep ~♥

These days I've been reading a lot of poetry. 

I love how a few beautiful words, arranged in a rhythmical, fluid manner, can change your state of mind and give you something to reflect on for the rest of the day. This is what I hope to do in my life with writing.

As the days go on, I am more and more certain that there will be no return to the cold, harsh weather, and that the spring sun is finally here to stay.

So I wanted to share this sweet and "wintery" poem with you as a way to officially embrace spring.

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

----Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

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Motivation

I feel like I've disappeared from the blogosphere this week... I'm in a really busy period right now. Coming up on Tuesday are nine hours of tests which will determine whether I go to Lycée next year, which is the equivalent of high school (high school starts one year later in France than in the states). 
This means I'll be studying ALL WEEKEND!!! Yippee!

Sooo... I better get started. But first, here's some motivation. All of us, sometimes, need motivation, whether we need it for studying, exercising or ANYTHING really!

These are quotes I love... they're not very philosophical, but they sure are true, no matter which way you cut it. Which one of these is your favorite?


 


Have a nice week everybody :]

Silence

There are some things, in this world, which are irreplaceable, rare, and precious; you have to look out for them and appreciate them fully while they're still happening.

Like the sound of silence.

In a noisy city like mine, how often do you find yourself in complete and total silence? Whether it's outside or inside, there is ALWAYS some sort of noise:
The tick of the clock, the motor of a car.
The sound of my brother eating cereal, the clickety-clack of my mom's fingers on her keyboard.
A baby's cry, the whoosh of the wind through the trees.
So when I find myself enjoying a book on the sofa, while my brother, next to me, is doing the same, and my dad is upstairs, and my mom is sipping her coffee without a sound, I literally

d
r
o
w
n

in the silence.
I drown in the silence, willingly, because it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.
Silence, I've come to realize, is one of the loudest things you could ever hear.
Your ears are overwhelmed, in the best way possible, by the piercing absence of any noise, and your thoughts are crystal clear.

Remember to treasure these moments of silence: they don't come often and they are just as beautiful as a melody.

image is from pinterest

The height of your success.

quote of R.Kelly; photography by me

We all know easy it is to lose ourselves to the TV when we could be working hard at reaching our goals.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, with all the schoolwork and pressure I've been experiencing from everything and everyone around me. This last week I had several moments of pure laziness and carelessness where, when coming home from school, I decided to put my homework aside and watch TV while eating snacks and thinking "WHY do I have to do what OTHER people want me to do?

The thing is, nothing worth having comes easy, and if you really want something, you've got to work for it.

I want to succeed in my future. I learned that laziness feels good temporarily, but in the long run, hard work is what really makes you feel good.

Us humans tend to put what we love to the side, in acts of procrastination and fear that we might not succeed.

But the only way to succeed is to never, ever give up. This is something I've had to remind myself of many times. 

Us humans like to rest, relax, and enjoy ourselves, which is totally understandable, but I feel that sometimes we forget what we'd like to be living for. 

Sure, hard work can be HARD... it will often be a true STRUGGLE to get where you want.

But please, please keep struggling.

Because in the end, it's the depth of your struggle that determines the height of your success.