“There's no end to the absurd things people will do trying to make life mean something.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Not many people are interested in what somebody else is thinking, or what they have to say. The best you can hope for is they'll listen to you just so you'll have to listen to them.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“People can't fly because they don't believe they can. If nobody ever showed people they could swim, everybody'd drown if they were dropped into the water.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Ще трябва да свикна да приемам себе си такъв, какъвто съм. Бедата е там, че не се познавам изцяло. През целия си живот съм изграждал личността си, както се изгражда здраво тяло според предписанията на „Сила и здраве“. Само че не съм изградил нищо отвътре, а само отвън, колкото да се браня от едно-друго.
Сега голяма част от тази щурава структура се разпада. Ще трябва да започна всичко отново и аз се вглеждам в себе си, за да разбера какво има там. Не зная дали ще успея. В крайна сметка сигурно ще събера части от някогашния Ал, макар някои от тях да липсват, и ще ги слепя някак.
Трябва да свикна със страха, да живея с него. Той е нещо вродено и няма никакъв смисъл да се бориш срещу него. Да не е страхът, никога не можем да бъдем преуспяващи животни. Човек няма защо да се срамува от страха. Подобно на играта и болката, той е нещо естествено, нещо необходимо. Трябва да свикна с него.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Things come apart much easier than they go together.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Movement is most of what a bird is. When they're dead, they're only feathers and air.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“When brought to meaning, all importance becomes small, as in death, all life seems nothing. Knowing is destroyed by thinking, not destroyed but sterilized; distilled into knowledge. Thinking, the processing of knowing to knowledge.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“The first time I flew, it was being alive. Nothing was pressing under me. I was living in the fullness of air; air all around me, no holding place to break the air spaces. It's worth everything to be alone in the air, alive.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“It occurs to me one evening as I'm feeding the birds that all I did was put two birds in the aviary, some food and water and nothing else and now there are six of them. I know this is perfectly natural, it's one of the things life is all about, but to have it happen in my bedroom, under my own eyes, is magic.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Оо-о, това ще е нещо знаменито! Да се отприщиш и да престанеш да се правиш на такъв-онакъв; да се отпушиш напълно, да ревеш, да виеш, да надаваш тарзански викове, да прескачаш зидове или да ги пробиваш, да плюеш на всеки, да пикаеш на всеки, който посмее да се доближи! Господи, какво по-хубаво от това! И защо още не съм го направил? Страдах достатъчно и ако реша, мога да го направя. Никой не може копче да ми каже. ”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Trzeba się pilnować, bo inaczej ani się człowiek obejrzy, a już zaczyna każdego żałować i w końcu nie ma komu w mordę dać”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Before you know it, if you're not careful, you can get to feeling sorry for everybody and there's nobody left to hate.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Луди сме, понеже не можем да приемем, че нещата възникват без никаква причина и нямат никакво значение. Не можем да гледаме на живота просто като на писта с препятствия, които трябва да се преодолеят някак. Струва ми се, че нормалните, онези, които уж не са луди, точно това правят - гледат да минат някак препятствията. И така си живеят ден след ден, защото винаги идва нов ден, но когато дните им се свършат, те затварят очи и наричат себе си мъртви.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“Może wariaci to tacy ludzie, którzy wszystko widzą tak, jak jest, tylko udało im się znaleźć sposób żeby z tym żyć.”
― William Wharton, quote from Birdy
“there is a French version of the story, and a true one.”
― Stephen Clarke, quote from 1000 Years of Annoying the French
“Human beings are the only animals that smile as a gesture of peace, whereas other animals show their teeth as a threat.”
― Fredrik Backman, quote from Britt-Marie Was Here
“Where am I, or what? From what causes do I derive my existence, and to what condition shall I return? ... I am confounded with all these questions, and begin to fancy myself in the most deplorable condition imaginable, environed with the deepest darkness, and utterly deprived of the use of every member and faculty.
Most fortunately it happens, that since Reason is incapable of dispelling these clouds, Nature herself suffices to that purpose, and cures me of this philosophical melancholy and delirium, either by relaxing this bent of mind, or by some avocation, and lively impression of my senses, which obliterate all these chimeras. I dine, I play a game of backgammon, I converse, and am merry with my friends. And when, after three or four hours' amusement, I would return to these speculations, they appear so cold, and strained, and ridiculous, that I cannot find in my heart to enter into them any farther.”
― David Hume, quote from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
“She's not a cookie, or a book, or a record on a shelf. You can't just play with her and then put her back.”
― Kathleen Glasgow, quote from Girl in Pieces
“Art belongs to everybody and nobody. Art belongs to all time and no time. Art belongs to those who create it and those who savour it. Art no more belongs to the People and the Party than it once belonged to the aristocracy and the patron. Art is the whisper of history, heard above the noise of time. Art does not exist for art’s sake: it exists for people’s sake.”
― Julian Barnes, quote from The Noise of Time
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.