Seniors, it’s been wild. Four years of high school, and what do you have to show for it? What piece of writing represents your graduation from our lovely campus? That’s right, your senior quote. Your entire academic career, condensed into two lines (three, if you have connections with Madrono). Quotes that will be remembered are either comically genius or profoundly insightful; regardless, the reader should cry from laughter or from the pure awesomeness your quote has bestowed upon them. I know this seems like a lot, but luckily I’m here to help. Here are a few pointers to make sure your quote stands out from the pack.
Look for inspiration
Nothing says individuality like looking on websites visited by millions of people every hour for your dream quote. Some of the best quotes are from the people who aren’t always in the spotlight. Lesser known celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Maya Angelou, and Albert Einstein are people who occasionally say just the right thing to compare to your graduation. If you’re looking for more generalized inspiration, underground sites like Tumblr, Pinterest and Google are great resources to get a theme that speaks to only you, and not 20 percent of the senior class.
Make your own!
Even after combing through the ever-expanding web to find one’s dream quote, many are still looking for the piece of writing that describes who they are as a person and as a Paly student. Don’t worry, there’s still hope for you! What better way to perfectly encompass your very being than to make up some crap about how you’ve changed as a person? Better yet, it’s probably best to put in some super obscure writing that you’ll definitely forget within the same year.
Collaborate with friends
If you’re tired of constantly going against the current to be your own person, then there is still a place for you in the Madrono. Why think of your own quote when you can just piggyback off the idea that your friend group has? Maybe you’ll be friends forever or maybe you’ll sit with someone else tomorrow, but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that right now at least three people will have the same sentence under their picture that nobody else will understand.
Collaborate with random people
Have no friends? Still looking to conform to societal pressure? Do a collab with your alphabet buddies! Check out who comes before or after you in alphabetical order and see if they’ll do a nifty two-part joke with you so that you can look back on a memorable moment you made with a potential stranger.
Worst case scenario, you can always have an arrow pointing to the other guy’s quote and a “ditto” or “what he said” to show just how aloof and aware you are!
