Be yourself; everyone else is already taken
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s Words to Live By
An inspirational quote by Oscar Wilde that I consider a favorite is the one above. He says be yourself because everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde was a known poet and playwright, and even though I haven’t read much of his work, I know that his work alone was remarkable. So when I hear this inspirational quote, I think, “Wow, he gets to the point.”
When I think about people today, teenagers and young adults, I think about how the desire to be someone else is a phase in life where individuals try to figure out who they are. When going through adolescence, teens and young adults try to figure out who they are when they have particular interests and hobbies. That can range from anything like their favorite celebrity or a classmate who seems to be well-liked by fellow peers.
Being an adolescent can be an interesting stage in life, and being an adolescent is the transition from kid to adult. During that point in your life, you explore different interests on your own, from the type of music you prefer to listen to, types of clothing you want to try out, and how you want to present yourself to the world around you.
What Makes this an Inspirational Quote?
Everyone is different in their unique way. While growing up, you go to school, and you come across various kids who are physically different based on gender, hair color, ethnicity, etc. But physical traits are not the only differences. There are also numerous differences based on personality traits as well. For example, you could see a teenage girl who presents herself as a girly girl, and you could also come across another girl who is a complete tomboy. As for guys, they have different quality traits too. One guy could be an athlete, and another could be a musician.
Guys and girls have numerous quality traits. There are people out there who have a combination of these traits, like a girly girl who can ride a skateboard and do tricks like a pro skateboarder. Also, there could be a guy who is a jock that plays every sport but also likes to draw and collect trading cards.
So when you think about adolescents and who they are and what interests them, it really just comes down to what they are like as an individual. Oscar Wilde’s statement is an inspirational quote because despite individuals being different, they might also strive to be different from who they are.
Oscar Wilde’s Inspirational Quote to Me
When I read Oscar Wilde’s inspirational quote, it reminded me of how I was when I was a teenager. To some of my peers, I was different. The music I listened to was not the same as their favored ones. I was also a nerd because I like to read comic books, and I was just considered a geek and not very popular like the other kids.
Despite what I was like in high school, I didn’t let that convince me to be someone else. There were times I wish I were so I wouldn’t get bullied as much as I did, but I also realized that it’s okay to be the type of person you feel most comfortable being, and that’s yourself. And if you try to attempt to be something you’re not, the only one you’re fooling is yourself.
In Conclusion
The world is filled with different types of people, and when you’re a kid in middle school or high school, you feel an urgency to fit in. So when I felt like I was in despair over a typical issue I experienced in middle or high school, I would think of things to do that would motivate me and inspire me to be positive. And the words of Oscar Wilde prove to be a timeless inspirational quote to have an impact for years and generations to come.
So as Oscar Wilde once said long ago, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
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