Am I the only one to loathe inspirational quotes...

[noworklifebalance]

...and especially gifts with these quotes written on them?

Before anyone jumps down my throat

• I am grateful for the thought behind the gift, as it is well intentioned
• I also realise it is just an opinion (not an AIBU) and probably akin to hating puppies and other cute animals.

However, it just sets my teeth on edge and makes me want to metaphorically poke someone in the eye (which I never do, metaphorically or literally).

I just want to know that I am not alone in my irrational loathing of something that is fundamentally nice and probably helpful to others.

I have an irrationally strong hatred towards them, mostly because a mental health peer support website (which I in general find a useful and helpful place) is rife with them. It seems like a specially bad place for it, and almost mocking for people to spread this meaningless shite at others genuinely struggling with despair. I assume the people sharing them find them helpful themselves, though (HOW?!), so my reaction can't be universal.

My therapist has some on her walls. I'm glad she didn't back when I started to see her, or I might never have gone back. One about choosing a positive attitude (or some other trite shit) is right on my field of vision, which is super helpful when you're unpacking your childhood sexual abuse.

The only "Live, Laugh, Love" I enjoy are the Henry Zebrovski ones at the end of Last Podcast On The Left episodes.

@noworklifebalance MLM is multi level marketing so companies like Forever Living, Juice Plus, Herbalife, Arbonne, Tropic. They need to inspire people to join their team as they make their money from recruiting. Lots and lots of inspirational quotes.

I don’t like them as they are unhelpful and futile and make me feel slightly depressed.

I agree they are also shockingly naff too. It is one reason I don’t go near Facebook.

Outwithtgeoutcrowd: that made me laugh, presumably released some serotonin or somesuch and so my day is happier. Ta!

The one I really can’t stand is the one attributed to Marilyn Monroe.

Something about being ‘a little bit crazy, a little bit insecure, yada yada, but if you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best.’

What a load of emotionally abusive shite. I don’t believe she said it for a second.

The other one I can’t stand is the one John Lennon’s supposed to have said, about a teacher telling him he didn’t understand the assignment, and apparently Little John Lennon told the teacher, ‘you don’t understand life.’

What bullshit. For a start, who in 1940s Liverpool would have used the word ‘assignment’?

On the other hand, I quite like Desiderata.

Walking into a relative's house is like walking into school with quotes plastered all over the walls!

I particularly hate the ones attributed to dead celebs. There are a lot of pucturex of Robin Williams with mental health related inspirational quotes that he probably never said. Knowing he killed himself due to illness and depression makes the quote offensive really. I feel so sorry for his poor family.

Someone on my local Nextdoor posted a long diatribe about being friendly to strangers, being patient, being positive yada yada. There were a couple of "likes" but my bolshie side overtook me and I posted that I found it patronising and isn't that normal behaviour anyway? I expected to get shot down but there was deafening silence!! I've no idea if that's because other people agreed or thought I was a bitch. Probably neither as they were too busy putting themselves first elsewhere

I've got my new, inspirational nickname sorted for the post Christmas slump!

This is the only one I find relevant

We went to view a house a while back that was plastered in the things, plaques, decals, cushions, every spare inch of space had some fucking trite crap on it, in every single room, plus those wooden letter things on every windowsill. DH and I held it together until we got back in the car but we were both cringing so hard! I will hold my hands up to having a small slate in the kitchen that says "A meal without wine is called breakfast"

YABU. They cheer me up or inspire if I'm feeling down.
Each to their own.

‘Please excuse the mess,Betty and Arthur are busy making memories’

Hate them!

Could I recommend you all listen to a recent episode of this American life - nr 663 how I read it. The first act is about some guys who programmed a computer to compose these memes. V v interesting!

I think they've replaced the daft chain emails the same people used to send around.

The only one I like

"Snap as though nobody is listening; Fart like nobody can hear"

‘Please excuse the mess,Betty and Arthur are busy making memories’

"Please excuse the screaming and gurning, Betty and Arthur are busy making more offspring"

I have a colleague who has one of those signs "live every day as if it were your last".
I thought if it was my last day I wouldn't be coming in to work, I'd be at home, weeping and clinging to my loved ones. Idiots.

YANBU. They are shit

I strongly suspect that Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey did not rely on meaningless quotes in fancy fonts to get them where they are. I'm thinking hard work, determination and not taking crap from people.

I hate the ones you get from office supply places - a former workplace was covered in them and they did nothing but irritate.

Lol literally on tinder and every time i see some guy write some inspo quote i swipe. But i do remember when i was pregnant and wanted to give birth with no pain meds i did use a lot of inspo quotes and did use them whilst in the worst pain and worked really well. And whilst i was in my fourth year of uni and really low and just wanting to just go back home also helped me. But at a happy place now they annoy me.