Quotes from Ancient Light

“I guard my memories of my lost one jealously, keep them securely under wraps, like a folio of delicate watercolours that must be protected from the harsh light of day.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“These things that were between us, these and a myriad others, a myriad myriad, these remain of her, but what will become of them when I am gone, I who am their repository and sole preserver?”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“¿Recordáis cómo era abril cuando éramos jóvenes, esa sensación de líquida impetuosidad y el viento extrayendo cucharadas azules del aire y los pájaros fuera de sí en los árboles que ya habían echado brotes?”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Yes, another April; in a way, in this story, it is always April.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Sleep is uncanny, I have always found it so, a nightly dress-rehearsal for being dead.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Imágenes del pasado remoto se agolpan en mi cabeza, y la mitad de las veces soy incapaz de distinguir si son recuerdos o invenciones. Tampoco es que haya mucha diferencia, si es que hay alguna. Hay quien afirma que, sin darnos cuenta, nos lo vamos inventando todo, adornándolo y embelleciéndolo, y me inclino a creerlo, pues Madame Memoria es una gran y sutil fingidora. Los pecios que elijo salvar del naufragio general —¿y qué es la vida, sino un naufragio gradual?— a veces asumen un aspecto de inevitabilidad cuando los exhibo en sus vitrinas, pero son azarosos; quizá representativos, quizá de manera convincente, pero sin embargo azarosos.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Remember what April was like when we were young, that sense of liquid rushing and the wind taking blue scoops out of the air and the birds beside themselves in the budding trees?”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Yet even without saying, each knew what the other was thinking, and, more acutely, what the other was feeling -- this is a further effect of our shared sorrow, this empathy, this mournful telepathy.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“Whom now would I love, and who would love me?”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“of her blood. Oh, I do not say these are”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“What did I brood on, sitting there in the classic pose with my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands? We do not need to go to the Greeks, our tragic predicament is written out on rolls of lavatory paper.”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

“… убеждението, което ние всички храним на тази възраст, че семействата на нашите приятели са много симпатични, по-приятни и интересни – с една дума, по-желани, – отколкото нашите собствени?”
― John Banville, quote from Ancient Light

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Popular quotes

“good night moon.

The music has slowed, my parka’s still tied around my waist, my sweaty head is nestled on Teague’s strapping shoulder, and I’m wondering what I possibly did in some past life to deserve such bliss, such a bounty of good fortune, when I feel a tap on the top of my head, and open my eyes to see Ava and T smiling at me.
Um, can you say, embarrassing!
I pull away from Teague and turn three shades of red.
Ava winks at me.
“Teague,” she says. “This is Tobias. Tobias, Teague.”
Teague and T shake and nod quietly, manly, the way guys do. “Glad to see you two made it,” says T.
“Yeah.” Teague squeezes my hand. “I had to be rescued.” He smiles, his magnetic dark eyes still dancing with me. “But thanks to Em--”
Em. I like that.
Em,
Em,
Em.
“Hey,” says Ava, “I hate to break it to you two, but--” She smiles sympathetically. “It’s time to go.”
My lower lip pops out in this pleeease type of goggley-eyed pleading that is entirely new to me but apparently not beneath me.
“I know,” says Ava. “But things are going to be ending here soon. And I’d rather you not drive, with people drinking tonight.” She pauses. “I’ll tell you what. Say your good-byes, Tobias is going to drive the truck, and I’m going to take you on the Honda. It’s late, I think that would be--”
Teague squeezes my hand again. “I’ve gotta get going too. It’s late, and--”
He hugs me. Tight. His arms are strong and warm and my face presses into his chest.
I shut my eyes and breathe him in.
I don’t let go first.”
― Megan Shull, quote from Amazing Grace

“The electron is first of all your concept of the electron.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, quote from Being Peace

“Myötätunnostani huolimatta en kuitenkaan pystynyt syventymään hänen ongelmiinsa - niin, kaikesta huolimatta on muutamia harvoja aloja, joilla lahjakkuuteni ei ole sitä tasoa kuin voisi odottaa, ja yksi niistä on koneoppi.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominpappa's Memoirs

“Thus the sun which possesses light perfectly, can shine by itself; whereas the moon which has the nature of light imperfectly, sheds only a borrowed light.”
― Thomas Aquinas, quote from Summa Theologica, 5 Vols

“Sure, she loves him. But they've got two different ideas of love. He wants to dance with her on a terrace with a full moon and a thirty-six-piece orchestra; he wants to go singing through storms with her, like Gene Kelly. She knows about thirty-six-piece orchestras. You have to feed them, and then there's nothing left for the children.”
― Peter S. Beagle, quote from A Fine and Private Place

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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.