Gatsby believed in the green light
This is Starr's tattoo from the last lines of The Great Gatsby
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And then one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
destroyed but not defeated
This is Jarrod's tattoo.
The quote is from The Old Man & The Sea
by Ernest Hemingway. It is part of Santiago's line, "'But man is not made for defeat,' he said. 'A man can be destroyed but not defeated.'" He says that shortly after the first shark attack. I read that story when I was in the 9th grade. That quote always stuck with me, and has more or less been my motto in life ever since. And, considering I'm now a high school English teacher myself, having a tattoo of my favorite quote from my favorite book by my favorite author seemed somewhat appropriate.
Lullaby
Two Lullaby
This belongs to Paige.
Ever since I read my first Chuck Palahniuk book, I was a fan. Lullaby
This one belongs to Brittany Rucklos.
So it goes #48, 49, 50
This is Mike's tattoo.
I decided to get "So it goes." while I was attending college and Kurt Vonnegut passed away. It took several years, but I finally had it done by Tim at Black Thorn Gallery in Mechanicsburg, PA this past summer. The meaning behind it, that you can either let things that happen in life weigh on you or you can just roll with the punches really resonates with me.
This belongs to katielouise.
This is Antonia's tattoo.
These are my bluebirds, done by Mimsy Trailer Trash Tattoo, Australia. I got So It Goes for the same reason many of your submitters did - it is a simple statement, but resonates on many different levels... & Slaughterhouse Five was the first book my husband ever read to me, so holds an extra special meaning to me!
This was posted as a part of “So it Goes” Saturdays. The phrase “so it goes” appears in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five 106 times. Can you help me collect 106 “so it goes” tattoos? 50 down, 56 to go.
do not let your fire go out
This is Casey's tattoo.
The quote, "Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark" is from John Galt's speech in Atlas Shrugged
. I wanted the tattoo to be in the style of an old railroad lantern to go with Dagny and her struggle in the novel.
When I first read Atlas Shrugged it completely changed my life like no other book I have ever read. I have studied Ayn Rand and read her biographies so I can say that I don't fall into her cultish following that disregards individuality and unique thought while at the same time championing the individual. What the novel did teach me was to value my self above all others. I am the only thing that I can completely control in my life and every thing in my life depends on how I choose to live it. This quote, to me, means that I must always life my life to the fullest and do things that first and foremost make me happy.
a book is a loaded gun
This is Tim's tattoo.
This tattoo is a quote from Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man's mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?"
I have always felt that the more well-read a person is, the more he can control his/her own life without the aid of others who may choose to use a gun instead of a book.
So it goes #45, 46, 47
This belongs to Eric.
This belongs to Cymbaline.
This belongs to Jesikah.
My tattoo was done by Nate at Tower Tattoo in Fresno, CA.
I wanted to get that tattooed on me because I have the biggest problem in the world just letting bygones be bygones. I never really felt like the traditional, "Let it be," was appropriate for me, so when I came upon this, I knew I had to get it. I've recently had a lot of heartbreak and really wanted to chase after the people that left me to try anything to make it work. "So it goes," reminds me that when one door closes, another opens, that everything happens for a reason and that we can't control everything. The sparrow represents hope and reminds me to keep going because something greater is just around the corner; that there is a light midst this darkness.
This was posted as a part of “So it Goes” Saturdays. The phrase “so it goes” appears in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five 106 times. Can you help me collect 106 “so it goes” tattoos? 47 down, 59 to go.
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