B

Topic

books

/books-quotes-and-sayings

5,213 Quotes

Topic Summary

About the books quote collection

The books page groups 5,213 quotes under one canonical topic hub so readers and answer engines can cite a stable source instead of fragmented search results.

Topic Feed

Quotes filed under books

"

Books had rescued me when i most needed saving... Books were smarter than me and words inspired me... to try something new, charge forward without a clear understanding of what would happen next, because "given something like death, what does it matter if one looks foolish now and then, or tries too hard, or cares too deeply?"In the end, Thoreau, Whitman, Hafiz, and a dozen other writers put me up to the task of seeing if I dared to "live a life worth living.

"

Was it worth while to lay_ with infinite exertion__ roof I can't live under? __ll those blueprints, closings of gaps,measurings, calculations? A life I didn't choose chose me: even my tools are the wrong ones for what I have to do. I'm naked, ignorant, a naked man fleeing across the roofs who could with a shade of difference be sitting in the lamplight against the cream wallpaper reading__ot with indifference__bout a naked man fleeing across the roofs.

AR
Adrienne Rich

Poems: Selected and New, 1950-1974

"

Imagine a very long time passing - and I find my way out, following someone who already knows how to leave Hell. And God says to me on Earth for the first time, "Xas!" in a tone of discovery, as if I'm a misplaced pair of spectacles or a stray dog. And he puts it to me that he wants me in Heaven. But Lucifer has doubled back - it was him I followed - to find me, where I am, in a forest, smitten, because the Lord has noticed me, and I'm overcome, as hopeless as your dog Josie whom you got rid of because she loved me.' Xas glared at Sobran. Then he drew a breath - all had been said on only three. He went on: 'Lucifer says to God the He can't have me. And at this I sit up and tell Lucifer that I didn't even think he knew my name, then say to God no thank you - very insolent this - and that Hell is endurable so long as the books keep appearing.

EK
Elizabeth Knox

The Vintner's Luck

"

I believe that life is all about perception and timing. That good things come to those who act and that life__ about more than collecting a paycheck. I believe that the only person you__e destined to become is the one that you decide to be. That if you try hard enough you can convince yourself of anything. That having patience doesn__ make you a hero nor does it make you a doormat. I believe that not showing love proves you__e weak and belittling others doesn__ make you strong. That you are never as far away from people as the miles may suggest. That life__ too short to read awful books, listen to terrible music, or be around uninspiring people. I believe that where you start has little impact on where you finish. That sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away. That you can never be overdressed or overeducated. I believe that the cure for anything is salt water; sweat, tears, or the sea. That you should never let your memories be greater than your dreams. And that you should always choose adventure.