I don't tend to take much stock in the ramblings of an unhappy large ground squirrel, but on Groundhog Day, everything changes. Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil decides today — six more weeks of winter, or early springtime skies — I prefer to let these Groundhog Day quotes dictate my seasonal outlook. I'm not talking about the movie, though I'd be remiss not to include at least one quip. These quotes, uttered by writers, poets, and philosophers throughout history, focus not so much on the woodchuck we love to hate, but on the changing of the seasons. Spring will get here when it wants to. The predictions of a woodchuck afraid of its own shadow isn't going to change that.
And really, that's something that is worth celebrating. Sure, there is absolutely nothing fun about winter. Yes, it seems to go on and on forever, even after Punxsutawney Phil mandates spring's arrival. But spring is coming eventually — that much is inevitable. So, take solace in knowing that pretty soon, the sun will come out, the snow and slush will melt, and we will once again be welcoming spring with open arms — and there is absolutely nothing Punxsutawney Phil can do about it.
1. "The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it." — Patrick Young
2. "Every mile is two in winter." — George Herbert
3. "Once the season starts for me, there isn't a change in my focus, just a change in my tactics and strategies." — Bode Miller
4. "What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
5. "Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress." — Charles Dickens
6. "To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring." — George Santayana
7. "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." — Hal Borland
8. "Winter is nature's way of saying, 'Up yours.'" — Robert Byrne
9. "You can't get too much winter in the winter." — Robert Frost
10. "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." — Proverb
11. "Pitiful, a thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat." — Phil Connors, Groundhog Day
Images: Giphy
