All right, I’ll admit it—I’m one of those nerdy girls who are big on quotes.

Every week, I’ll hear a smart line in a movie or a TV show, or stop short at a poignant passage in a book or magazine, and you can bet I will whip out my phone and save the thing for future reference. And yes, by future reference, I mean tomorrow’s Facebook status message (I know you guys are doing the same thing, too!).

Here’s why. Sometimes, other people’s words best articulate my own thoughts. Sometimes, I’ll come across the most fitting lyric, line, or candid avowal for whatever disposition or situation I find myself in, and it’s like a message express-delivered from the heavens (which is probably why I find myself saying “Amen!”). Sometimes, a singer or screenwriter or whoever will express something that is equal parts true and awesome that it negates the need for explanations; the kind of quote so darn quotable, I feel it is my (self-appointed) duty to share it with as many people as possible so they can revel in the good vibes, too.

Which brings us to today’s column.

The space between today and Christmas and beyond that, the next annum, grows smaller by the hour. The year 2012 is ticking through its final moments as we speak (just ask the Doomsday Preppers), and I feel that a good, solid summary of the past 12 months is in order. In my one-track mind, there’s no better way to do that than with a rundown of some of the coolest/funniest/truest things people said this year. Plenty of those one-liners came traipsing down fashion lane in high heels and bling (H&M bling, to be exact—you’ll get this joke later!) but some of them just happened to drop into our sartorial laps from completely unrelated spheres, to glorious effect. And don’t you just love it when things fall into place like that? (I know I do.)

Drum roll, please: here are 12 of 2012’s most memorable, colorful, and certainly quotable quotes—at least, according to what’s saved in my phone. Cheers, FNites, and lest I forget—Merry Christmas!

(Flashbox and in-article photos, L-R: Anna Wintour on The Late Show with David Letterman; Psy in “Gangnam Style”; Janelle Monáe for CoverGirl)