What’s Past is Prologue. By Tim Corun at Jinx Proof in DC. Original quote from The Tempest, but inspiration from the statue The Future in front of the National Archives building.
What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
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| — | Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray) |
An awkward picture of my thigh tattoo. It’s from Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, and says “Just like moons and suns, with the certainty of tide, just like hopes springing high, still I rise.”
It’s definitely gotten me through some tough times, and is a reminder for me that I’ll make it through any situation I’m faced with
All I know is this: nobody’s very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.
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| — | Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) |
This line comes from a poem written by Denis McMahon. He encouraged me to pursue writing & for that I am forever grateful. But most importantly his poems inspire me and leave me feeling like I am floating. This one in particular captured an attitude to life that I so strongly identify with.
“my sugargirl angel
dances on the beach in winter
hiking her skirt
at the air she whispers
take me you beautiful paddlepop
before the moon melts”Wearing this line on my arm helps me to find that feeling each time I look at it. It reminds me to be free, excited & romantic. It also reminds me that we have only one life & will spend a long time dead; it reminds me that life is now.
The lettering is from my typewriter. I typed it out & then enlarged it. My typewriter was a gift from a dear friend of mine who also inspires me continually. And I use this typewriter always when I am writing, or when I am creating copies of my favourite poems or quotes. Some of my fondest moments of inspiration are associated with that typewriter. It was my best friend who suggested that I use that font so it also makes me think of her.
I adore this tattoo. It was done by Unique Tattoos in Subiaco, Western Australia. They are absolutely amazing! Their work is flawless. Unfortunately I’m not sure of my tattooist’s name but I think it was Lauren. Look how perfect the lettering is! It looks even better now that’s healed. This photo is from the day I had it done. It was my first tattoo.
This is my second tattoo, my mockingjay, inspired by the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I’ve always had a love of these books ever since I’ve read them and I felt compelled to get this tattoo. The mockingjay to me represents standing up for something. Sometimes we have situations thrust upon us and the best we can do is stand for what we believe in, despite those circumstances. So this reminds me to be my own symbol of rebellion and courage. Done by Andy at Red Rum in CT.
In any case you mustn’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat.
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| — | F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night (via honeyforthehomeless) |
For my dear sister. Done by my friend Markus
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
It’s from Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford in 2005. Growing up, I’ve always been a fan of Steve and his work. His death really hit me hard as I was a big fan. Starting my first semester at college just months ago, I came in a bit confused of what I want to do in life. This quote really inspires me to try new things expecting any result whether it be success or failure. It tells me that you learn from your mistakes and you only learn by taking that first step.
Got it done at Andromeda Tattoo/Studio 33 in NYC
This is my first tattoo, and I’m completely in love with it! The “stay gold.” is a reference to the amazing book The Outsiders, and just getting it shows my undying bookworm-ness and love for literature. The quote itself has huge weight in the story, and it has a ton of meaning for me. It is first brought up in the novel when Ponyboy and Johnny watch a sunrise together, and reflect on the fact that it can’t be sunrise all the time, and that “nothing gold can stay.” Ponyboy quotes Robert Frost’s poem: “Nature’s first green is gold,/ Her hardest hue to hold./ Her early leaf’s a flower;/ But only so an hour./ Then leaf subsides to leaf./ So Eden sank to grief,/ So dawn goes down to day./ Nothing gold can stay.” Ponyboy mentions that he always remembered the poem because he wasn’t quite sure what Frost meant. The sunrise itself has significance for me, and that meaning ties into the tattoo. The actual quote is Johnny’s last words to Ponyboy, which are “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.” Ponyboy isn’t quite sure what he means by that, but it’s explained when he reads Johnny’s letter to him. A few excerpts from that (the parts that are relevant): “I’ve been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green. When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn. It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be… And don’t be so bugged about being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There’s still lots of good in the world…” Basically, what Johnny meant when he said stay gold was for Pony to stay true to himself, to keep his dreams and make what he wanted of himself, and to never lose his wonder of the world. And now I will always have that reminder to hold onto my innocence and sense of creativity and to retain my curiosity about the world, and to never give up hope in the world. To never let life become dull. To remember that even after the darkest night, dawn will come. And I can hold onto that sunrise. I can stay gold.
Done at Big Bear Tattoo in The City of Big Bear Lake, artist: Bill Carlson.
The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a persons conscience.
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| — | Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird (via amazinglinesinbooks) |
This is a tattoo from the cover of the book “To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee. It was done by Jason Kelly at Memorial Tattoo in Atlanta, GA. When i save up some more money I will add some leaves to the tree.
To kill a mockingbird has always been my favorite book and I remember reading it as a 14 year old for the first time. I specifically remember thinking: “if I ever have a daughter, I’d like her to be just like Scout.”
Nine years later and I have a four month old daughter, who we named Scout Harper. I got this tattoo as a reminder of preserving innocence, striving for justice, and to always remember never to judge.
All of the characteristics I pray my daughter will have.
