Would You Get Your Favorite Thought-Provoking Quote Tattooed On You?
June 25, 2008 by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Filed under Diseases & Conditions

I have a tattoo. It’s a sort of vine of sunflowers, about six or seven inches long, spiraling horizontally across my midsection and under my belly button.
Contrary to my parents’ predictions, I’ve never regretted getting it. Sure, it’s not the most beautiful or the most interesting tattoo in the world, but it means something to me – my love of sunflowers.
And, sunflowers themselves represent a whole lot.
To me.
They say getting tattoos can be addictive. Even though I’ve only gotten the one, I believe that. In the six years since I got my sunflower tattoo, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo of the Dave Matthews Band fire dancer, Harry Potter’s lightning bolt (though not on my forehead), and Wentworth Miller’s name something related to writing. A quill, or something archaic and interesting like that.
To date, though, I’ve managed to suppress these inky urges and opt instead to listen to Dave on repeat, purchase lightning bolt jewelry to wear to book releases – now movie debuts – and telepathically will Wenti to call me write like there’s no tomorrow.
It’s not that I’ve gone super conservative. Maybe I’m just a big chicken now. Who knows.
I started thinking about tattoos again last night when I ran across this picture. Someone tattooed this Sylvia Plath quote on his/her (not sure) arm:
“I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
There is so much meaning in those words, I’m not at all surprised someone would choose to carry them around forever.
If you’re interested in reading more Sylvia Plath quotes, I recommend About.com’s Sylvia Plath Quotes. I particularly like:
- “Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.”
- “Is there no way out of the mind?”
- “If I rest, if I think inward, I go mad.”
- “Life has been some combination of fairy-tale coincidence and joie de vivre and shocks of beauty together with some hurtful self-questioning.”
What about you? Any interesting tattoos to share? Anything related to mental health, psychology, or moods?
Feel free to share!

The above image is owned by rickyrhodes and is being used according to these Creative Commons attributions.

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“Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child”
wouldn’t tatoo it, but love it.
@ Angie – What an awesome quote! Thanks so much for sharing it!