Photo by Magnus Franklin

Photo by Magnus Franklin

A good essay will often start with a single writing idea.  But getting that spark of inspiration can be difficult when you are under pressure from a deadline.  If checking out digg.com for some writing ideas has failed, then it is time to turn to some quotes about life.

How do you use a quote?  That’s the easy part.  Pick a line from below you like.  Perhaps it has made you think.  Perhaps it made you laugh.  Now what do you have to write about.  Can you make a connection between the two?  Let’s take a quote from John Mendoza – “You know you’re getting old when you can pinch an inch on your forehead”.  There is  world of scope just from these 14 words.  How about society’s attitude to beauty as we age?  Or the physical effects of ageing?  What else can you think of?  Here are a few quotes to give you some inspiration.

“A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, ‘At my age, I don’t even buy green bananas’.” Claude D. Pepper

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ” Mark Twain

“An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her. ” Agatha Christie

How about some funny life quotes -

“My husband and I didn’t sign a pre-nuptial agreement. We signed a mutual suicide pact.” Roseanne Barr

“If variety is the spice of life, marriage is the big can of leftover Spam.” Johnny Carson

“In my house I’m the boss, my wife is just the decision maker.” Woody Allen

“In many instances, marriage vows would be more accurate if the phrase were changed to ‘Until debt do us part’. Sam Ewing

“Marriage is give and take. You’d better give it to her or she’ll take it anyway.” Joey Adams

“You can tell German wine from vinegar by the label.” Mark Twain

“I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it.” Rodney Dangerfield

“Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC

“It’s the most important decision I’ve had to make since 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax.” Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Politicians are wonderful people as long as they stay away from things they don’t understand, such as working for a living.” P. J. O’Rourke

“The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority.” Will Durant

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