Questioning the Quotes: Why Quotes Shouldn't Always Be Your Answer

I love quotes.

I mean, doesn’t everyone? They’re inspiring and encouraging, and most of them offer a new twist on life, make you think, or are just plain quirky.

When I was younger, I used to make up my own quotes. Most of them were admittedly terrible. Of course, being the younger Em, I thought they were amazing. . . but that’s beside the point.

However good quotes may be, a common mistake I’ve seen is looking only to quotes.

So, in this blog post, I’ll be tackling the big topic of how quotes should not always be your answer—and what should.

Quotes are man-made.

Yes, it’s a truth I, myself, often forget. Quotes, no matter how inspirational they may be, are written and created by man. And what happened in the Garden of Eden? Man sinned. Do you see where this is going?

Now, I’m not saying all quotes are bad. But in general, quotes are written by man, and man has been sinful since the beginning. This includes even quotes from pastors or well-known theologians—we’re all sinners, and that means there’s a chance we all may have a skewed version of the world, because, well, we definitely aren’t perfect. As a result, quotes may come out as skewed, twisted, or not based on the only true thing we have in life: Christ.

Quotes are NOT the Bible.

Here’s an obvious dividing factor between quotes and the Bible. They are not the same thing.

We humans have a skewed view of life, which is an effect of the Fall. That means that sometimes we fall into the trap of not knowing what’s true or false, a truth or a lie, right or wrong.

Which provides a big problem, doesn’t it? We Christians want the truth. But in a world where the truth is tangled up in a web of lies disguised as the truth, it’s harder and harder to find.

The only thing we can rely on is the Bible, the truth God has given us. It’s not disguised in lies. It’s the only thing that’s purely and wonderfully true.

But since the Bible is the truth, that means anything other than God’s Word—you guessed it—is not always purely true. After all, everything man does is going to be stained by sin.

But the Bible is the only thing we can undoubtedly believe. Bible verses (when taken in context), are God-breathed. Everything else needs to be questioned in the light of it.

Including quotes.

Some quotes are written for the “feel-good” factor.

We’ve all seen this, right? The quotes that encourage you to never give up, never stop fighting while shoving your self-esteem up to the clouds. They’re crafted specifically to help you feel good. I hope I’m not the only one who’s searched up quotes when I’m having a bad day in hopes that I’ll step away from the computer feeling a lot better about myself and my situation.

But here’s the thing. Not everything the Bible says will make you “feel good.” The Bible—God’s Word—isn’t written to please everyone. The Bible is very clear-cut and firm about the borders between sin and Christ. The Bible doesn’t blur over sin or make it sound appealing.

Now, I’m not saying quotes do (though some might!). There are very good quotes about sin and the consequences of it. However, for real, God-breathed encouragement that’s based on the truth, the Bible is the place to go. Not the internet.

Now, am I saying all quotes are bad?

Nope. Far from it, really! What I’m really trying to say here is that the Bible should come before quotes because it’s the Word of God and the ultimate truth, which automatically makes it more credible than any source on the internet. What I’m saying is we should be focusing on understanding quotes through a Biblical lens (whether it lines up with Scripture), rather than the other way around, no matter who says them.

Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you think about quotes in general? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Guess what's the next post coming up on my blog? The cover reveal post for Shards of Sky!! And it won't just be any ordinary cover reveal...it'll feature some fun facts about the cover you'll only find here (and my mailing list). So stay tuned for that!