I’ve detested winter my whole life, but since it’s inevitable whether I like it or not, I made a little project last year of trying to at least appreciate the season’s finer points. (Sledding! Hot chocolate! Pine trees!) To really commit myself to this (ultimately fruitless) task, I tried to get hyped up by talking to the people in my life who actually look forward to this season all summer. Grimly enough, however, all the reasons they gave me for loving winter – “it’s a chance to recharge indoors, to huddle around a fire with friends, to make you more appreciative of spring!” – were essentially grand rationalizations. Not one reason (besides like, skiing) had to do with enjoying the snow, the cold, or the dark sky. Instead, it was all about the “joy” of hiding from the elements and convincing oneself that it’s fun. So even people who like winter don’t really like it, they just like the ritual of trudging through it! That is bleak. I went digging around for some Pollyanna-style quotes to brighten up my February, and with the exception of a few genuinely positive remarks, I found the exact same phenomenon of bullshit rationalizing among literary greats and lesser-known writers alike. Nobody likes winter, you guys. We’re stuck with it for now, though, so take these “encouraging” quotes with you on your journey of denial and bury yourself under the covers, never to leave the house again until May.
Source: That Cover Girl
[GoodReads]“Withstanding the cold develops vigor for the relaxing days of spring and summer. Besides, in this matter as in many others, it is evident that nature abhors a quitter.”- Arthur C. Crandall
“Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people’s legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.” ― Sarah Addison Allen
“But only a person in the depths of despair neglected to look beyond winter to the spring that inevitably followed, bringing back color and life and hope.” – Mary Balogh
“It is in the coldest months that hugs linger snug, and they warm the soul the most.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn’t show.” – Andrew Wyeth
“Winter is the time for stories, staying fast by the glow of fire. And outside, in the darkness, the stars are brighter than you can possibly imagine.” ― Isabel Greenberg
“But winter was necessary. Why else would the world have it? The trees seemed to welcome the season, from the way they changed colors before they dropped their leaves and went to sleep. Winter was a part of a cycle, like day and night, life and death.” ― Merrie Haskell
“Always choose the adventure … unless, it’s chilly outside and there’s a cup of warm coffee resting near a book and comfy sofa.” ― Barbara Brooke
“When I was young, I loved summer and hated winter. When I got older I loved winter and hated summer. Now that I’m even older, and wiser, I hate both summer and winter.” ― Jarod Kintz
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ― Edith Sitwell
“To wish for the happiest days is to wish for a season of sorrow; for it is only after prolonged, wintry darkness that the summer sun appears to shine at its brightest.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
Original by: Claire Hannum
