I thought I’d remind myself and share with you some quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder. I may be British but one of the first books that had a profound effect on me as a child was Little House in the Big Woods. I felt the first stirrings of wanderlust as I lay on my bed in a little town in Middle England and dreamed of adventures in woods bigger than I could ever imagine. And then of course, I vicariously migrated to the prairies as the Ingalls family moved from Wisconsin to Kansas. I devoured the stories of adventure and status quo, of hardship and success, of love and loss and of family life. The quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder serve to remind us of all those experiences and emotions of our own lives.
1 Work
Once we throw off the carefree and unlimiting bonds of childhood we seem to spend so many years in a whirlwind of activity of work, family, socializing and just getting through the week. We chase life at breakneck speed in pursuit of things that we think will make us happy. This is one of the great quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder that reminds us that there IS more to life, if we just take the time to stop and smell the flowers.
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2 Organization
I think this is so true. It’s a rare person that doesn’t experience times in their life when they have to stop and ask themselves why they are doing something. It’s so easy to become so totally focused on the task itself that the goal is forgotten. There’s little point in doing something if you can’t see why you’re doing it. Keep your eyes on the prize.
3 Laughter
It does us well to remember the power of laughter in times of adversity or upset. Of all emotions, laughter has the ability to help us see through the darkness. It might be a fleeting glimpse but that glimpse gives us hope of better things. And let’s not forget the joy of shared laughter. How good are the good times you share laughing with your friends.
4 Progression
Some of the quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder may seem a bit old-fashioned and irrelevant but there is still value in the words when you interpret their real meaning. I think this still applies today. We are becoming increasingly more reliant on those things that make our life easier – cars, technology, healthcare, even jobs. I’m not saying we should all go out and be pioneer women but in some respects we have grown “softer” and we don’t know how to survive by our own wits and means these days. Perhaps we don’t push ourselves enough, because we don’t have to push too hard?
5 Playing the Game
Simple and straight to the point. You are responsible for your own game. Don’t rely on other people to achieve for you the things you want and need. The game of life is made up of your goals. Set your goals and be responsible for achieving them.
6 People
We are all guilty of judging people and these days, our views are so easily colored by the media, gossip and other people’s opinions. I like how this statement tells us we have the ability to control our judgment and form a considered opinion of people. If we look for the bad in people we will surely find it. If we are prepared to see the good, we will see it.
7 Home
Laura Ingalls Wilder also said that “Home is the sweetest word,” but I think there’s such power in the statement above. Home should be your sanctuary, your refuge from the harshness and ills of the world, a place to regroup, re-energize and re-gather, a place of succor at the end of a day navigating the stony paths of life. If you don’t have a home where there’s safety and security, what is there?
These quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder have inspired me to search out her books and read them again. They are books from simpler times, and yet harder times, but they still teach us valuable lessons today. Have you read any of her books?
