“If you ask someone their favorite quote, they won’t just tell you words. They’ll tell you their story.”

This idea that the quotes we say are more than just words comes from contemporary author John Green.

Green, a best-selling author of young adult books, who is widely read by VHS students, is notorious for the quotes that his characters say. His words inspire people to contemplate their lives, and think about what defines them.

As Green himself observes, “Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than that about the stories and people we’re quoting.”

Junior Chloe Strippoli says her favorite quote is “I feel like my ability to do my eyeliner the same on both eyes is reminiscent of a lot of things in my life – close, but never quite right.” She believes that this quote reflects her outgoing, witty, care-free personality because it allows her to acknowledge that everything won’t be perfect, but you can make the best of every situation. While some girls would freak out if their eyeliner did not match perfectly, Chloe takes what some may call a flaw, and makes it unique – a word that sums up her personality.

Marco DiGrado, a VHS senior, says that the quote that most resembles his personality is, “in the hopes of reaching the moon, men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.” This quote exemplifies Marco’s relaxed stress-free personality. “You shouldn’t sweat the little things-life goes on,” says Marco. Marco strives to live his life positively and sees the best possible outcome in every situation. He still enjoys the ride and strolls through life with a care-free positive attitude.

“Do not worry about holding a position, worry about playing your proper role,” is the quote senior Sophie Park says she relies on.  A member of the Spotlight Players, she plays many roles on the stage, but the most important role she plays is herself. She says that this quote makes people think more about details, and less about goals in life. Robert Brault once said, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” Sophie is attentive and appreciates the details of everyday life, and appreciates when other people notice the details.

Many see senior Mike Harrington as a “larger than life,” kind of guy, which is why many students would not be surprised to discover his favorite quote is, “Get rich, or die trying.” “I’m materialistic,” Mike jokes. However, underneath the joke is some truth. Mike has the desire to be successful in life and stand out from the crowd. He says he will make a statement wherever he goes.

Maybe quotes are more relevant for teenagers in this day in age because of the limited character space on many social networking sites. On sites such as Twitter, teens only have 140 characters or less to capture their feelings. Quotes are a way to do that. It may be that someone has captured an emotion they relate to in 140 characters or less. This is why when scrolling through Twitter, quotes will undoubtedly be seen.

Blogging sites such as Tumblr always feature quotes on one’s dashboard. Often times, a quote is one’s URL. These quotes help teenagers, especially girls, define their experiences.

Whether it is a heartbreak or success, the quotes that we see define the moments in our life. The quotes that we say define us, whether we know it or not. Characters can serve as a guide, but ultimately the quotes that we choose to share say as much about our personality as the characters we quote.