Quotes from A Lost Lady

“Her husband had archaic ideas about jewels; a man bought them for his wife in acknowledgement of things he could not gracefully utter.”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

“He came to be very glad that he had known her, and that she had had a hand in breaking him in to life. He has known pretty women and clever ones since then,-- but never one like her, as she was in her best days. Her eyes, when they laughed for a moment into one`s own, seemed to promise a wild delight that he has not found in life. "I know where it is," they seemed to say, "I could show you!”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

“Oh, but it is bleak!” she murmured. “Suppose we should have to stay here all next winter, too,… and the next! What will become of me, Niel?” There was fear, unmistakable fright in her voice. “You see there is nothing for me to do. I get no exercise. I don’t skate; we didn’t in California, and my ankles are weak. I’ve always danced in the winter, there’s plenty of dancing at Colorado Springs. You wouldn’t believe how I miss it. I shall dance till I’m eighty.… I’ll be the waltzing grandmother! It’s good for me, I need it.” They”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

“I could feel his heart pump and his muscles strain," she said, "when he balanced himself and me on the rocks. I knew that if we fell, we’d go together; he would never drop me".”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

“Niel felt tonight that the right man could still save her, even now. She was still her own indomitable self, going through her old part,--but only the stage hands were left to listen to her. All those who had shared in fine undertakings and bright occasions were gone.”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

“. . . she had always the power of suggesting things much lovelier than herself, as the perfume of a single flower may call up the whole sweetness of spring.”
― Willa Cather, quote from A Lost Lady

About the author

Popular quotes

“What a messed up world I’d stumbled into, where friends were betrayers and the enemy was the one who was sorry. Where friends lied and the enemy told the truth.”
― Teyla Branton, quote from The Change

“— ¡Capitán…! ¡Capitán…! ¿Qué broma es ésta? ¿Dónde se han metido?
Una sombra oscura nació de entre las sombras de la cocina. Era un targuí alto, muy delgado, con un oscuro "lithan" cubriéndole el rostro, un fusil en una mano y una larga espada en la otra.
Se detuvo bajo el porche.
— Están muertos -dijo.
Le observó incrédulo.
— ¿Muertos…? -repitió estúpidamente-. ¿Todos…?
— Todos.
— ¿Quién los mató?
— Yo.
Se aproximó sin dar crédito a lo que estaba oyendo.
— ¿Tú…? -inquirió agitando la cabeza como para desechar la idea-.
¿Pretendes decirme que tú, sin ayuda de nadie, has matado a doce soldados, un sargento y un oficial…?
Asintió con naturalidad:
— Dormían.
Abdul-el-Kebir, que había visto morir a miles de personas, que había ordenado ejecutar a muchas, y que aborrecía a todos y cada uno de sus carceleros, experimentó sin embargo una insoportable sensación de angustia y vacío en la boca del estómago, y se apoyó levemente en el poste de madera que soportaba el porche para no perder el equilibrio.
— ¿Los has asesinado mientras dormían? -inquirió-. ¿Por qué?
— Porque ellos asesinaron a mi 1huésped. -Hizo una pausa-. Y porque eran demasiados. Si uno daba la voz de alarma, hubieras muerto de viejo entre estas cuatro paredes…
Abdul-el-Kebir le observó en silencio y agitó la cabeza afirmativamente, como si comprendiese algo que se le antojó oscuro en un principio.
— Ahora te recuerdo… -admitió-.
Eres el targuí que nos dio hospitalidad… Te vi cuando me llevaban.
— Sí -asintió. Soy Gacel Sayah, eras mi huésped, y tengo la obligación de llevarte al otro lado de la frontera.
— ¿Por qué?
Le miró sin comprender. Por último, señaló:
— Es la costumbre… Pediste mi protección y debo protegerte.
— Matar a catorce hombres por protegerme resulta excesivo, ¿no crees…?
El targuí no se dignó responder y echó a andar en dirección a la abierta puerta.
— Traeré los camellos… -dijo-.
Prepárate para un largo viaje.
Le observó mientras se alejaba, perdiéndose de vista”
― Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa, quote from Tuareg

“How to find a good spouse?
-the best single way is to deserve a good spouse.”
― Charles T. Munger, quote from Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

“Just clip the red one," Cyrus told her.
"They're all red," Erica informed him.
"They are?" Cyrus asked. "Curse those Soviets! Everything always has to be red with them.”
― Stuart Gibbs, quote from Spy Ski School

“I know this disbelief I feel, the disbelief on the others’ faces, is a survival mechanism. You draw a line in the sand and say you won’t cross it, you won’t believe or do a particular thing. But once you’ve grown accustomed to the unbelievable, or you’ve done what you’ve sworn you’d never do, you redraw the line a little farther back. You let the waves wash the first away like it never existed.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, quote from Mordacious

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.