Yearbook quotes over past 25 years changed little
By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Senior yearbook quotes can run from the profound to the strangely zen to the utterly clueless.
Photo illustration by Greg Taylor The Honolulu Advertiser |
No, not high school graduation ... the senior quote.
Surely, you've seen 'em — those choice words of collective wisdom that graduating high school seniors submit for publication beneath (or around) their yearbook pictures as something of a defining statement about their entire high school existence.
Typically solicited by yearbook staffers near the beginning of the school year, senior quotes often pack more creative punch than the mostly unoriginal ramblings ("Have a nice summa! Wish I had a chance to know u better") scribbled in the pages once yearbooks are in student hands.
Senior quotes can run the gamut from the profound ("Trust in God, but lock your car") to the strangely zen ("Summer Breeze ... makes me feel fine") to the utterly clueless ("Toga! Toga! Toga!"). Most of the time though, they're just plain entertaining.
Research at the offices of a yearbook publisher, perusing 2002 annuals, and at the State Library looking at yearbooks dating back to the '70s revealed senior quotes have changed very little over the past 25 years.
Starting with 1977 — the year we found some of the first quotes in annuals from 'Iolani, Punahou and a handful of others — we collected senior quotes in every decade. Student names and high schools (though not misspellings) have been deleted to protect the potentially embarrassed.
Defining statements from grads
The Overachiever
1977
- So little done. So much to do.
1987
- I don't want to own the little pink house ... I want the entire suburb.
1997
- The only way success comes before work is in the dictionary.
2002
- Remember this face!! In a few years I'll be your boss.
The Dreamer
1977
- We've only just begun! Butterflies are free!
1987
- Just a dream and the wind to carry me and soon I will be free.
1997
- Always shoot for the moon, so if you miss you'll still be among the stars.
2002
- I know it hurts to say goodbye but it's time for me to fly.
The Truth Is Out There
1977
- Star Trek lives!
1987
- Beam me up Scotty ... no intelligent life down here.
1997
- Scully, Mulder and me! X-Files rokz!
2002
- Buffy! Buffy! Buffy!
The Ones Not To Keep In Touch With
1977
- If you mess with the best then you die like the rest.
1987
- REDRUM! REDRUM!
1997
- Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
2002
- I am The Chad!
The Romantic
1977
- Love can grow in all kinds of weather, if it's planted by two hearts together.
1987
- Perhaps I'm not a knight in armor bright, but I will love you day and night.
1997
- If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it was never meant to be.
2002
- The mind forgets but the heart always remembers.
The Music Fan
1977
- And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. — Lennon/McCartney
1987
- It's time to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time, it's tricky! — Run D.M.C.
1997
- I don't question our existence. I just question our modern needs. — Pearl Jam
2002
- Don't be a hard rock when you are really a gem. — Lauryn Hill
The Herbal Enthusiast
1977
- Grows on mountains ... naturally.
1987
- Boogie Boarding is like smoking, it feels good no matter how many times you've done it.
1997
- I'm having a fly day 'cause maryjane's on her way.
2002
- I said NO TO DRUGS but they didn't listen.
The Eternally Happy
1977
- A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells everyone your heart is home.
1987
- Remember to smile 'cause it takes 14 muscles to smile and 72 to frown.
1997
- If u don't have a smile, i'll give u one of mine.
2002
- Stay sweet, stay cool, but most of all, stay you!
The Realist
1977
- Space is not the final frontier, it's what you have between your ears.
1987
- 12 years of hard and boring labor, for what?!!
1997
- The trouble with a rat race is that even when you win, you're still a rat.
2002
- What life does not give you, TAKE!
The Graduate
1977
- Yo Adrian! I did it!
1987
- Roses are red. Violets are blue. Thank God I'm out of school.
1997
- Now what do I do?
2002
- Finally!
The Surfer
1977
- Coast, go for it, get the tube, cut out, coast.
1987
- Grad! Grad! Grad! That's what I am. Surf! Surf! Surf! That's what I'll jam.
1997
- Praise the lord. Pray for surf.
2002
- I bodyboard cause pimpping is to easy!!
The Underachiever
1977
- Contrary to popular belief, I did do some work.
1987
- Surprise! I made it!
1997
- See mom ... I told you no worry.
2002
- I dunno nothing ... so no ask me.
The Rocker
1977
- Frampton comes alive!
1987
- Ozzy rulz!
1997
- Metallica ... amen!
2002
- Linkin Park rules!
The Outsider
1977
- Conform and be dull.
1987
- Why be normal?
1997
- Dear God, please make me a bird so I can fly far, far, far away from here.
2002
- Truthfully, I'm not going to miss any of you.
The Leader of the Bandroom
1977
- Who comes to call ... baby, it's the guitar man.
1987
- Hey wind section ... we made it through the rain. — Barry Manilow
1997
- Flute girls rage!
2002
- And this one time, at band camp ...
The Jock
1977
- Football boyz RULE!
1987
- If it wasn't for sports and lunch, I wouldn't have come to school.
1997
- Soccer boyz RULE!
2002
- CHEERLEADING IS A SPORT!
Huh?
1977
- The past has passed. The present is passing. The future is approaching.
1987
- Let the good times roll let them leave you in the air Morey boogie rules no townies Jesus Lives!!
1997
- I'm tone, brutally tone and even when I'm not, I look toned.
2002
- I am Godzilla. You are Japan.
Also: The State Library in downtown Honolulu is trying to maintain a complete collection of Hawai'i high school yearbooks. If you have any you would like to donate, please call the Hawai'i & Pacific collection desk at 586-3535.
