Quotes from A Time to Dance

“Because friendship is about laughing when the other person is joking to make you feel better. Even if you don’t find her joke all that funny.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I want to tell the nurses no scale can measure
the pain of my dreams
dancing
beyond reach.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“My skin tingles as I step into the music,
give in to the icy thrill of pleasure
that spreads through me whenever I dance,
the pleasure of leaping into a cool lake on a
sweltering day.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I'm not sure I can empty myself of wishing for those able bodies I don't own.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“My hand slips into his as though it remembers his touch and we've held hands often in a previous life.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“Will you go out with me for a cup of coffee?" "No." "No?" "I prefer tea, thank you.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“You don't have to climb ladders to reach God. He dances within all He creates.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“Jim was cricket practice; Govinda's the real match. Match. Get it?”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“How does the new leg feel?' I don't point out their question misses a point: even this new leg doesn't feel.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“It feels like Shiva destroyed my universes of possibility, like He's dancing on the ashes of my snatched away dreams.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I feel the American’s eyes on me, looking as though I’m more than an amputee, a number, a chore. He crosses over to me, his strides large, a broad smile on his lips. “Veda? Did I say your name right?” “Yes, Doctor.” “Call me Jim. Please.” His left hand in his pocket, he holds his right hand out to me. As though we’re equals. “Thank you, Doctor—I mean—just Jim,” I say. He chuckles. “Haven’t done anything yet.” He has. No older man ever invited me to shake hands. No other adult ever asked me to call them by name. He even said “please” although I’m a patient.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“The van lurches forward. My thoughts race back.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I can dance beauty into my body”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I don't mind pushing my body to test my balance. I don't want to push my mind back to where the accident led me.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I take a step down into the space where light is an enemy but not even darkness shrouds my terror.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“Chandra told me once about absolute zero, a temperature cold enough to bring the universe to a standstill. My heart feels like it's at absolute zero.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I shake my head. It was all me. My mistake. I read too much into everything. Dreamed, imagined, and let my thoughts get as out of control as my body. “Veda,”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“Dance isn’t about winning or losing,” he says, “it’s about enjoying how your body moves.” I”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“Nothing else fills me with as much elation as chasing down soaring music, catching and pinning rhythms to the ground with my feet, proud as a hunter rejoicing in his skill. The”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I lean into his touch. He looks shy and almost as scared as I was just feeling. I burst out laughing. Never imagined we'd share being scared the first time we went out together. "What's so funny now?" "You. You look so frightened." "I am frightened." He exhales. Then smiles and slides closer to me.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

“I'll be back in his classroom, back in competition, back on my own feet. Or rather, back on my own one foot.”
― Padma Venkatraman, quote from A Time to Dance

Video

About the author

Popular quotes

“I have come," said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him.”
― C.S. Lewis, quote from The Silver Chair

“It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. It was nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls.

The paint and paper look as if a boys' school had used it. It is stripped off--the paper--in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life.

One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.

It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.

It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others.

No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.”
― Charlotte Perkins Gilman, quote from The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

“Seek the goodness, become the goodness.D”
― Dan Brown, quote from Angels & Demons

“Knowledge is dangerous and men lie and the world changes, whether I want it to or not.”
― Patrick Ness, quote from The Knife of Never Letting Go

“I attributed the incidence to temporary insanity, and in my own defense, I'd like to say I haven't run over anyone since.”
― Janet Evanovich, quote from One for the Money

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.