"I should have been a pair of ragged claws, Scuttling across the floors of silent seas." - The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, T S Eliot.
"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream" - A Dream Within a Dream, Edgar Allan Poe.
"For every dark night, there's a brighter day" - Tupac Shakur.
"Nothing is worth more than this day" - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - Macbeth, William Shakespeare.
"And In Time This Too Shall Pass" - "This Too Shall Pass" has a long history, of Jewish and Turkish significance, and is spoken by Solomon in the bible.
"Darpe diem quam minimum credula postero" - translates roughly as "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future" but there are several different translations, Odes 1.11, Ode to Cassandra, Horace.
"Reality is wrong, Dreams are for real,"- Tupac Shakur.
"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." - Romans 7:19.
"Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves." - Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.
Warning: Be very careful choosing your quotes and examine just what they mean before inking them onto yourself. Not everything is as it seems in writing and a misplaced clever sounding quote might make you look like an idiot. Also, be aware that your appreciation of a quote might dim so ponder the quote for a little while before making it permanent.
Justin: I have the idiom 'Time Flies' in Latin (Tempus Fugit) tattooed on my left arm (which will/ does commemorate the 18 months my wife and I have spent apart from each other while she works overseas). I also have the lyric/title to a song on my chest, in Kat Von D's handwriting (taken from one of her books), which is for my wife. We both believe getting your partner's name s a death knell on a relationship, so I won't do it. Very few have seen it and it is no-one's business.
ReplyDeleteRosalie: Agreed on the partner's name being a death knell for the most part. You have to be really sure. "Time flies" is short, sweet and not ringing of self-congratulations so I actually don't mind that one as a tattoo (as long as it isn't a mile high and all up the back. Tattooed small like yours is good.). Not so keen personally on the lyrics... sorry. Tis a personal thing and it is for your wife and not a large flashy "here's my inner soul/this is my life motto" sign. That's where it all goes wrong.
If I was to go with a quote I'd have to find the right line of Poe, or something like that, and it would be a mind bender rather than an anything else. Just for fun.
Justin: Never apologise for an opinion, R, it is the only thing you truly own! I don't believe that others opinions don't matter, just that they don't have to effect mine. They occasionally give me something to ponder (not in this case though... ;) ). I appreciate the fact people don't like it, but what the quote is is something I truly believe. The fact it is in Kat Von D's handwriting, who Samantha digs, is a plus. The other thing is it is on my chest and is quite small, about 10 centimetres across and a centimetre high, so most will never see it. It's personal.
Rosalie: Ah, I apologise in case I offend by voicing it not because I have the opinion :). Personal is the best for all tattoos. I totally understand loving a quote, seeing meaning in literature or song etc. but it is the writing of sections of it on skin that does me in. To get the full worth of a quote you might have to ink entire paragraphs. Shortened quotes often read as tacky. Also, the meaning changes when it is out of context. Like that one about scuttling claws... Have to be careful with words, I think.
Justin: Here's something funny you'll like. I once had the idea to get the lyrics to a song, my favourite line by Danzig, on my arm. The lyric was 'Mother, tell your children not to walk my way...' which I thought was cool, until someone told me it sounded somewhat 'paedo'... so I rethunk it and didn't do it.
Rosalie: Yup, that would be the careful.
ReplyDeleteJustin: My daughter has the idea to get a full back tattoo (getting back on subject) of one of the classic Alice in wonderland pic with the full How Doth the Little Crocodile poem (How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws!)... She won't though because she hates needles!
Justin: My next tattoo is being designed by a local rockabilly/ punk artist (hopefully) and will be the monster of Frankenstein kissing the Bride of Frankenstein on the cheek... with her rolling her eyes...
Rosalie: Lol. I love the solution. Alice in Wonderland is so very fun to read but I don’t know about a full back Alice pic on aging skin...
Rosalie: Shoulder!
Rosalie: Monsters on the shoulder!
Rosalie: I wouldn't mind another tattoo but, unless it is impulse with an artwork I like, I'm stuck thinking about it. At least most of my impulses aren't stupid ones. I mostly stay out of trouble even when my brain's not really engaged. Problem I've got is balancing a new one with the old ones. I’m thinking I might have to make something elaborate to tie them all together but I’m also thinking I couldn't be arsed with that.
Justin: Tattoos aren't about worrying about how they will look: live in the now! Yeah, the Frankenstein one will probably be on my right shoulder. I also intend on getting a 1953 MacKenzie-Trench Police box somewhere as well... Oh, most people may know that item as the Doctor's TARDIS.
Rosalie: Yeah, you say that but that attitude only comes into play when you want heaps of them. Even then design comes into play. Living in the now is what makes people get them at all, or at least its one reason for it. Recording now forever… that king of thing. Pfft on the TARDIS! I can't for the life of me get Si to actually agree to any design as a tattoo even though he keeps saying "I'm not against them" and "that's me". Never going to happen, even with a TARDIS.
Brendan: If the quote is meant to be a personal affirmation or a mantra, wouldn't it be better done in mirror direction?
Justin: That's a good point, but mine isn't: it is strictly for my wife to read.
I was wondering if there was any knowledge on the font of the tattoo "Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves". My friend us getting her first tattoo and she loves this font. any help would be very much appreciated
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