What started as a random quote I jotted down on the students’ lounge board, soon turned out to be a daily ritual for me.

It was a random morning when I scribbled down a quote to decompress, as students, including me, have been going through a stressful course of events. It was nothing extravagant, just a line or two, but it turned heads and drew smiles. Some even scribbled down a thank you next to it. Some posted pictures they’ve taken of it on their social media accounts.

That’s when I knew, those words were more than just mere words, they’d serve a stronger purpose.

And so, it began. I started writing random morning quotes on the students’ lounge board or inside classrooms, for what it might spark in someone’s day. Day after day, I looked for more quotes wherever I could find them. I searched for words that conveyed a deeper meaning and greeted students as they were feeling: happy, content, stressed, overwhelmed.

Some saw it as something they needed, and something they waited for and asked me about day after day. It prompted a shift from one’s perspective, motivated another, and lifted someone else’s mood. Others went as far as sending them on a daily basis to people from different universities to share the joy and inspiration I wanted to spread around.

So, I wrote, not just for them, but for myself as well, because I too needed this inspiration.

I’m sharing this today not to celebrate the recognition this got, as this was never the sole purpose, but to shed light on how one small thing you do that requires minimal effort goes beyond. Sometimes, the right words at the right moment do not just change one’s morning but their day, their week, maybe even their month and more to come.

Noura Al Kotob

L4- English Section Student