Jan-Philipp Sendker · 400 pages
Rating: (6.3K votes)
“It is our own flaws that we are least ready to forgive in others.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“We are responsible not only for what we do, but also for what we fail to do.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Is it true that we can count the moments in which something really happens in our lives? Do we notice it right away, or only in hindsight?”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“What do violent individuals fear most? Violence? I should say not! By what do the cruel and selfish feel most threatened? All of them fear nothing as much as they fear love.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“To forgive, one must love and be loved. Only those who forgive can be free. Whoever forgives is a prisoner no more.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“How many times must we be loved in order to be happy?”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“What are people with guns most afraid of? Other people with guns? No! What do violent individuals fear most? Violence? I should say not! By what do the cruel and selfish feel most threatened? All of them fear nothing as much as they fear love.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“We wish to be loved as we ourselves would love. Any other way makes us uncomfortable.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“According to her we are each our own greatest mystery, and our life’s work is to solve ourselves. None of us ever succeeds, she says, but it is our duty to follow the trail. Regardless of how long it is or where it might”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“We often discover only many years later whether life and the stars were smiling upon us or not. Life can take the most surprising turns. What”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“In the hell of the well-intentioned.” That was how he referred to the charity balls my mother helped organize.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“By how many people must we be loved in order to be happy? Two? Five? Ten? Or maybe only one? The one who gives us sight. Who takes away fear. Who breathes meaning into our existence. There”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“What’s more, they had taught him to be friendly and helpful to others. Not because he owed it to them. Because he owed it to himself.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Not all truths are explicable. Not all explicable things are true.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Loneliness is the most severe punishment. We are not built to handle it. I”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Images can fade. Sounds and smells disappear from our memory. But our heart forgets nothing. A child’s soul knows everything.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Why do we so often put off the things that matter most to us?”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“HOW THIN IS the wall between us and madness? No one knows what it is made of. No one knows how much pressure it can withstand. Until it gives.
We all live on the edge.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Besides, I have no point of comparison," he declared, his eyes still closed. "That is the secret of a happy life.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“The world was full of signs. One needed only to know how to see and interpret them.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“THE FIRST TIME she left the house with her sleeping son in her arms, still unsteady on her legs, gripping the railing tightly, she surveyed the yard, astonished. It was at once familiar and strange. Something was different, though she could not immediately put her finger on it. The morning sun beamed through the bushes. The leaves of the banana plants seemed greener, their fruit larger and yellower. The hibiscus and the bougainvillea had never looked so beautiful. A warm breeze caressed her skin. Maung Sein was perched on a log below her, chopping kindling. Stroke by stroke he would split branches as thick as a fist. The uniformity of his movements radiated something infinitely reassuring. Nu Nu looked at Ko Gyi in her arms. He had her nose. Her mouth. Her cinnamon skin. She cautiously took one of his little hands. It was warm. And would always remain so. Suddenly he opened one blinking eye, and then quickly the other. He had her eyes, too, without a doubt. Ko Gyi regarded his mother earnestly, intently. She smiled. His deep brown eyes did not move. They looked for a long time at each other. Then a quiet smile drifted across his face. No one had ever smiled at her that”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Laughter has many meanings here. We laugh when something is unpleasant. When we are afraid. When we are angry.” “Is it a kind of”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“—Find out who you were. Why”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“THERE ARE MEMORIES we cannot escape. We take them with us wherever we go, however far, like it or not. They pursue us or accompany us in good times and in bad. We smell their scents. We hear their sounds. We delight in them or dread them. By day and by night. My”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Were there people who simply did not belong together? Who loved each other, but who were nevertheless happier when they were apart? Certainly”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Themes so vast that only composers could even approach them. If at all. All other artists must practice humility before them.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Anyone who has been the victim of violence carries that violence inside himself. Anyone”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“Anyone who has been betrayed carries that betrayal inside himself. How”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“To live means to suffer. Nothing is permanent.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
“The master is mistaken: to live is to love.”
― Jan-Philipp Sendker, quote from A Well-Tempered Heart
Jan-Philipp Sendker
Born place: in Hamburg, Germany
See more on GoodReads
“Nobody knows what anything is; a man can only learn what a thing means!”
― George MacDonald, quote from Lilith
“I wish to go with you, not as man and wife, but merely as friends, travel companions, the sort of happy-go-lucky chums about whom rollicking old ballads of the road are written.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from A Kiss in Time
“A rattle of dishes warned of a servant’s entry into the hall, but Christopher was incensed, and half turning with a growl, he gestured Paine back.
“Get out of here, man!”
“Christopher!” Erienne gasped and took two halting steps to follow the befuddled servant, but Christopher came around to face her with a glare.
“Stay where you are, madam! I am not finished with you.”
“You have no right to give orders here,” she protested, her own ire growing. “This is my husband’s house!”
“I’ll give orders when and where I damn well please, and for once, you will stand and listen until I’m through!”
More than a trifle outraged herself, Erienne hurled back her answer. “You may command the men on your ship to your will, Mister Seton, but you have no such authority here! Good day to you!”
Catching up her skirts, she whirled and stalked toward the tower until she heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming behind her, then a sudden panic seized her that he would make such a scene that she would not be able to face the servants… or her husband. She raced into the entry, stepping over the puddle, and took to the stairs, forcing every bit of strength she could into her limbs. She had barely gained the fourth step when she heard sliding feet, a loud thump, and then a painful grunt followed by an angry curse.
When she whirled, Christopher was just coming to rest in a heap against the wall after sliding across the floor, partway on his back. For a moment she stared aghast at the dignified man sprawled in a most undignified manner, but when he raised his head to look at her with barely contained rage, she was struck by the humor of it all. Bubbling laughter broke forth, winning from him a dark scowl of exasperation.
“Are you hurt, Christopher?” she asked sweetly.
“Aye! My pride has been mightily bruised!”
“Oh, that will mend, sir,” she chuckled, spreading her skirts to perch primly on the step above him. Her eyes danced with a lively light that was simply dazzling to behold. “But you should take care. If such a modest spot of water can bring you down so abruptly, I would not advise sailing beyond these shores.”
“ ’Tis not a spot of water that’s brought me down, but a waspish wench who sets her barbs against me at every turn.”
“You dare accuse me when you come in here huffing and snorting like a raging bull?” She gave a throaty, skeptical laugh. “Really, Christopher, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You frightened Paine and nearly made me swallow my heart.”
“That’s an impossibility, madam, for that thing is surely made of cold, hard steel.”
“You’re pouting,” she chided flippantly, “because I have not fallen swooning at your feet.”
“I’m angry because you continually deny the fact that you should be my wife!” he stated emphatically.
Footsteps on the stairs behind Erienne made them glance up. Aggie came nonchalantly down the steps, seeming unaware of Christopher’s storm-dark frown. Excusing herself, she stepped past her mistress. Finally, on reaching level footing, she contemplated the man, a twinkle of mischief in her eye.
“Aren’t ye a wee bit old ter be takin’ yer leisure on the floor, sir?”
He raised a brow at Erienne as that one smothered a giggle, and with a snort, got to his feet and brushed off his breeches and coatsleeve.
-Christopher, Erienne, and Aggie”
― Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, quote from A Rose in Winter
“Have you ever noticed that salvation, much like your car keys, is usually found where and when you least expect it? (Acheron)”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, quote from Kiss of the Night
“Hans: [Y]ou can't conceive what a great fellow I'm going to be. The seed of immortality has sprouted within me.
Deronda: Only a fungoid growth, I daresay - a crowing disease in the lungs.”
― George Eliot, quote from Daniel Deronda
Summer Sisters
The Physick Book of...
Lilith
A Kiss in Time
A Rose in Winter
Kiss of the NightBookQuoters 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.
