Just as the sun, stars, clouds, trees, and oceans are all common knowledge objects in modern society, so is paper. Whether in the deepest parts of the Amazon or the streets of central Los Angeles, you are able to show an individual a piece of paper and they will recognize what it is. Although paper has many names depending on where you go, everyone understands its many uses and its importance.
Throughout the course of human history, paper has played a major role in our world and in the lives of the people that have impacted it. From memoirs and contracts all the way to art, music, and poetry, paper has been the common thread of all of them. The canvas with which Picasso painted and the diary in which Anne Frank shared her story; all of these aspects that have transformed our world and society were once placed on sheets of paper and paper products.
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Through all of this, these important figures and thought leaders have shared their interpretations on the power of paper in our society. Below are fifteen of these impactful quotes all related to paper and its influence on our world and on themselves.
1. “When I see a white piece of paper, I feel I’ve got to draw. And drawing, for me, is the beginning of everything.” — Ellsworth Kelly
2. “By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands – your own.” — Mark Victor Hansen
3. “I’m still a soldier, fighting with my pen and paper for peace till the day I cease.” — Emmanuel Jal
4. “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” — William Wordsworth
5. “Art is accusation, expression, passion. Art is a fight to the finish between black charcoal and white paper.” — Gunter Grass
6. “Paper is more patient than man.” — Anne Frank
7. “Even a broken heart doesn’t warrant a waste of good paper.” ― Dodie Smith
8. “There is a master way with words which is not learned but is instead developed: a deaf man develops exceptional vision, a blind man exceptional hearing, a silent man, when given a piece of paper.” ― Criss Jami
9. “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” — Ernest Hemingway
10. “The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.” — Malcolm Gladwell
11. “I learned how to draw from being bored in school. I would doodle on the margins of my paper.” — Kevin Nealon
12. “It is the advertiser who provides the paper for the subscriber. It is not to be disputed, that the publisher of a newspaper in this country, without a very exhaustive advertising support, would receive less reward for his labor than the humblest mechanic.” — Alexander Hamilton
13. “Research shows that when we read words on paper, it reduces our stress levels by nearly 70 percent. We also read more carefully than on tablets or laptops.” — Margaret Heffernan
14. “I ain’t never far away from a pencil and paper or a tape recorder.” — Dolly Parton
15. “A filmmaker has almost the same freedom as a novelist has when he buys himself some paper.” — Stanley Kubrick
Although the impact of paper is immense and the quotes related to paper innumerable, with more and more technology being implemented in our modern society and the environment requiring an eco-friendly solution to paper usage, many wonder if there is a future for paper in our world.
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Fortunately, as with all staples such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and the sky, paper isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Instead, the leaders and figures of our world have chosen to represent sustainable paper solutions and continue to reap the benefits of these creativity-sparking sheets of tree pulp.