“In the future if my mother tries to shame me with her disapproval, I will let her know in no uncertain terms that I reject her and all of her codependent baggage. I am Codependent No More.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“Maybe careers aren’t something you can really plan for. They just sort of happen, like brown eyes or flat feet. I took one of those career aptitude tests last year, and it showed that I should be a flight attendant or a seamstress. Not a fashion designer or anything, mind you, but a sweatshop worker. Apparently stewardesses and sweatshop workers and I enjoy a lot of the same interests and activities.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“If you are alive and conscious, you are probably codependent.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I am not a people person.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I think MacGregor might be a genius. Anyone so oblivious to the horror of the human world must be.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“If you start looking up, they start asking questions.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“Not being a big one for having friends, I had no idea what I was going to do with Aubrey, you know, to entertain him.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“Well, at least I can spare myself the ordeal of a whole battery of personality tests. My personality is poor; that much is clear.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“It’s not a good idea to let on about extreme happy feelings. People get ideas.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I may never recover. It was like an out-of-body experience. I’m an alien trying on human rituals.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“Much as I usually dislike nice, positive people, I have to admit that Margaret isn’t bad.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I’m already in the late stages of advanced detachment where my mother is concerned. With a little practice I could feel that way about everyone.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I haven’t been that happy since I became conscious for the first time, you know, when I became aware of myself and got so uncomfortable and everything.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I don’t care about this stuff. I’m not even sure I’m a girl. I’m an eye in the sky. I am detached. I’m an idiot.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“It seemed a little risky, enjoying something so… fun, but I couldn’t help it.”
― quote from Alice, I Think
“I Knew a Woman"
I knew a woman, lovely in her bones,
When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them;
Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:
The shapes a bright container can contain!
Of her choice virtues only gods should speak,
Or English poets who grew up on Greek
(I’d have them sing in chorus, cheek to cheek).
How well her wishes went! She stroked my chin,
She taught me Turn, and Counter-turn, and Stand;
She taught me Touch, that undulant white skin;
I nibbled meekly from her proffered hand;
She was the sickle; I, poor I, the rake,
Coming behind her for her pretty sake
(But what prodigious mowing we did make).
Love likes a gander, and adores a goose:
Her full lips pursed, the errant note to seize;
She played it quick, she played it light and loose;
My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees;
Her several parts could keep a pure repose,
Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose
(She moved in circles, and those circles moved).
Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay:
I’m martyr to a motion not my own;
What’s freedom for? To know eternity.
I swear she cast a shadow white as stone.
But who would count eternity in days?
These old bones live to learn her wanton ways:
(I measure time by how a body sways).”
― Theodore Roethke, quote from The Collected Poems
“scratch the surface and we were all going nuts in a thousand quiet ways.”
― John Joseph Adams, quote from The Living Dead
“Olivia," he sighed as he held her tight against him. "I like the way you leap."
For once her laughter was free and easy. "And I like the way you catch me when I land.”
― Marie Force, quote from Everyone Loves a Hero
“Nature's silence is its one remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block.”
― Annie Dillard, quote from Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters
“I was going to say, No, no, don’t cry, I’ll go out
with you. Anything, but don’t cry. . . . But I still
couldn’t make my voice work.
And then he sort of cleared his throat and said,
“Georgia, don’t feel bad.
It’s always tough to hurt someone and tell them the truth. I know that. You’re a really lovely girl. Lovely . . . mad . . . but
lovely. I’ll always like you. Don’t worry.”
― Louise Rennison, quote from Love Is a Many Trousered Thing
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.