Since my arrival at MSA, I’ve encountered a practice that I’ve never seen, in any capacity, really, before my time here. That practice is the keeping of Quote Books. A quote book is self explanatory; it’s a document, usually a note on one’s phone, that keeps quotes people said that the owner finds humorous, memorable, special, etc.
However, I’ve never been particularly fixated on the fact that people kept quote books. In fact, for such a mildly bizarre concept, I adapted to it fairly quickly, even beginning a quote book of my very own, which has grown substantially since my arrival on campus. Rather, I was always fixated on why it was that we quoted each other so frequently. I’ve developed a few different theories.
Theory one is rather simple actually. We just find the things that make their way into our quote books funny and think it nice to remember them, be it for the likely reason of storing a serotonin boosting reference for later or another reason. Regardless, theory number one is the likely but simplistic and therefore, personally unsatisfying answer, as to why these books exist in such variety across campus.
Theory two is a bit more complex, though not nearly so intricately argued a leap as theory three. The second theory is that people want a reference as to what MSA is like to show others. Quote books, with their somewhat chaotic and eccentric nature (context not provided), are honestly a decent reflection of life on campus. People here, and therefore the environment they cultivate, are indeed chaotic, eccentric, unpredictable, and even random. So, quote books come into being to capture the chaos and keep it to display to others and help them “understand” the MSA environment a little better.
Theory three, however, is my personal logic for creating my quote book. It is a strange mixture of the former theories, as well as another factor yet to be mentioned. While it’s true that I do keep my quotes because they are funny, I do enjoy being able to look back on them, and they do help me to explain the MSA environment to “outsiders”, there is also another reason: I need something to remember this place by.
Sure, I’ll retain the general memories on my own. I’ll likely always recall at least a rough outline of my class schedule. Odds are at least a few literary assignments will stick with me. Specific events like the back to school dance or other smaller outings or gatherings with my classmates will definitely leave their marks. Undoubtedly, these blogs themselves will leave their imprint.
But the quote book is what I leave myself as a reminder of the atmosphere I was immersed in here everyday at my first home. When I’m grown up, and I look back missing this place and these times so much it aches, I will look to this quote book. Sure, I may not hold within me the context for every entry, in fact I’ll likely loose the explanations behind many of them before graduation, knowing my memory. But I will always remember the people who spoke these lines, the relationships I had with them, and the impact they had on my life. I will never forget the subjects of my quote book, and therefore I can never forget this place and this environment that I live for.
And taking comfort in something so seemingly trivial is something I never knew I needed to this day.
Sincerely, someone who lives for the memories being made.
You explained this very well! I also do quote books in my notes app on my phone, but I didn’t really realize it until I read this. Thank you. This was very well written and informative. Keep going strong!