Quotes from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you're not careful it will drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“If a woman is worth remembering,' said my grandmother, 'there is no need to have her name carved in letters.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“She told me about a group of people in Guinea who carry the sky on their heads. They are the people of Creation. Strong, tall, and mighty people who can bear anything. Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“...women, brave as stars at dawn”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“There is always a place where, if you listen closely in the night, you will hear a mother telling a story and at the end of the tale, she will ask you this question: 'Ou libéré?' Are you free, my daughter?"

My grandmother quickly pressed her fingers over my lips.

Now," she said, "you will know how to answer.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“The girl she said, I didn’t tell you this because it was a small thing, but little girls, they leave their hearts at home when they walk outside. Hearts are so precious. They don’t want to lose them.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“It is the calm and silent waters that drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“They are the people of creation. Their maker…gives them the sky to carry because they are so strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Here, though, there is nothing. Nothing at all. The sky seems empty even when I am looking at the moon and stars.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Tante Atie once said that love is like rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you’re not careful it will drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“That night, I slept hugging my secret.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Then what do you want with me?'...
'The pursuit of happiness.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

“She cannot stay out of duty. The things one does, one should do out of love.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory

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Popular quotes

“Nay, you attract mayhem, chaos, and anarchy wherever your delicate feet tread. Around you there is no such thing as a coincidence."

"Why do you think it is always me, Director?" Eliza protested. "It could be Books. My father always told me to beware the quiet ones!”
― quote from The Janus Affair

“Love points the way, empties you of the stuff of life, carries you at last to the mystery of creation.”
― Orhan Pamuk, quote from The New Life

“You have the courage and will to overcome your fear and do what's required.”
― Henry H. Neff, quote from The Maelstrom

“La sofferenza è insita nella natura umana; ma non soffriamo mai, o almeno molto di rado, senza nutrire la speranza della guarigione; e la speranza è un piacere. Se talvolta l'uomo soffre senza speranza di guarire, la sicurezza matematica che l'esistenza finirà deve essere un piacere; perchè, nella peggiore delle ipotesi, la morte sarà un sonno pesante, durante il quale saremo consolati da sogni felici, oppure la perdita della conoscenza; ma quando godiamo, la riflessione che il nostro godimento sarà seguito dalla sofferenza non viene mai a turbarci. Il piacere, quindi, mentre ce lo procuriamo, è sempre puro; il dolore è sempre temperato.
[...]
L'uomo saggio, credetemi, non potrà mai essere completamente infelice; sono propenso a credere al mio amico Orazio, il quale afferma che il saggio è sempre felice: nisi quum pituita molesta est. Ma qual è il mortale che ha sempre il catarro?”
― Giacomo Casanova, quote from The Story of My Life

“By their peculiar “reasoning,” too, theologians have sanctioned most of the ills of the ages. They justified the Inquisition, serfdom, and slavery. Theologians of our time defend segregation and the annihilation of one race by the other. They have drifted away from righteousness into an effort to make wrong seem to be right.”
― Carter G. Woodson, quote from The Mis-Education of the Negro

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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.