Wordsmiths love language, and that includes me. I particularly like quotables, those sentences or phrases that hit my mind like a hammer, leaving them permanently fixed into my brain.

So, here goes some of my all-time favorites in no particular order, ones that have been attached to the refrigerators in the many homes I have lived in throughout the years.

“You were not born just to pay bills and die.” — Oliver Anthony

I was reminded of these words the other morning when I sat down to write checks for my monthly bills. This routine got me to thinking that I review my bank accounts to make sure I cover the utilities, the rent, the insurances, the mortgage, the taxes and the credit cards, and be sure I have enough to buy food, gas and other miscellaneous expenses.

We pay bills our entire adult lives, and their rising costs can bring us worry and disdain. I know people who brag about paying off their home mortgage, have no car payments, no credit card debt and I say good for you, but that’s not me. I pay my bills and have a great credit rating, but I think, so what?

I will not allow whatever debt I carry to stop me from going to a nice restaurant occasionally or booking a three-night getaway. To coin a cliché — life is too short and for me, the goal is not to die totally debt free. It’s to live making memories with the family and friends that I love. If it comes down to a choice to spend money on new dining room furniture or to take a vacation in a cabin in the woods, I’d rather grill steaks on a deck overlooking a beautiful lake and stay satisfied eating my meals at home on a 15-year-old dining room table.

“We don’t own our children. We only borrow them for a while.” — Anonymous

After leaving my daughter for her freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh last week and helping my son move into an off-campus house for his junior year at Lehigh University, a rush of mixed feelings hit me pretty hard again.

Our little ones grow up to be big ones. We teach them to pedal bicycles, drive cars, and then we release them to take their own rides through life — and it all happens in the blink of an eye.

We set them free, powered by our love, on their wings to fly and make their own marks on this world. Yes, it’s painful, but our reward as parents is to know that they have earned their independence from us because we have spent years encouraging them to be strong willed and full of confidence.

“We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life, but not life to years.” — George Carlin

Oh, the truth hurts! How much time we spend making money to buy things and sacrifice time with our kids. We argue with emotion but without facts. We are politically divided beyond repair and we’ve lost the meaning of unconditional love. We’re living longer, getting older, but enjoying our added years less. To live a full life is not adding days to the calendars, but adding moments that make memories.

“We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.” — William Osler

These words contradict what many of us have been taught. To buy the big house, the expensive vehicle and to gain economic or social status has been the dream for many, but the long-term acquiring of material possession delivers rewards only to a few.

We all like nice things, but at what cost and at what sacrifice of time? How many five-bedroom, four-bathroom houses are empty while the owners work long hours to pay for them. Is the $499 a month car payment worth working extra hours when any serviceable vehicle will take anyone from point A to point B just like a luxury car will?

“There is no greater joy in life than to love and to be loved.” — Rich Strack

Whether it be romantic love, family love or friend love, it all matters to living a life of fulfillment. Love protects us from getting depressed on bad days and helps us enjoy good days even more. It makes sense that when we were in the womb we needed the nurturing love of our mothers. So, why would we not want love after our births?

The love we get from best friends is the most unconditional that there is. The site, Power of Positivity says, “True friends are the ones who understand when you go quiet and when you disappear into your own world for a while. They don’t take it personally. They don’t demand explanations. They just wait with love.”

“Find what you love and let it kill you.” — Charles Bukowski

Living a hard-drinking life, Bukowski wrote from his pain and his want. We must find our passion, and once we do, keep it strong and going until the last breath that we take.

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” — Henry Ford

Talent and skill do not bring success without confidence. Ask any gifted athlete, artist, writer. Ask anyone facing a difficult obstacle to overcome, and if he or she says, “I can’t do this,” then most likely, that will be the end result.

These quotes and a few others have helped me shape my life. Like great friends, they are words that will stay with me forever.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com