“It is characteristic of all deep human problems that they are not to be
approached without some humor and some bewilderment.”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“Sanity is, in essence, nothing more than the ability to live in harmony with nature's laws.”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“I do not feel like an alien in this universe. The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe is some sense must have known that we were coming”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“It is impossible to make real progress in technology without gambling.”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“Nonviolence is often the path of wisdom, but not always. Love and passive resistance are wonderfully effective weapons against some kinds of tyranny, but not against all.”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“It is important for long-range stability that peaceful countries be well armed and well organized in self-defense.”
― Freeman Dyson, quote from Disturbing the Universe
“Each society–each group within each society–chooses something with which to assign inferiority. In China it is the time of birth and the size of feet. In Europe it is the Jews; in England, the Irish. Among the powerful, it is the powerless; among the rich, it is the poor; among the men, it is the women. In this “new” country, that will also be true. In reverse, there is often a vehement hatred by an oppressed group toward the ones it sees as representatives of oppression. The oppressed view their own feelings of contempt as nobler than the contempt they receive, and more justified. They view their own hatred as right and pure. They nurture it, and bequeath it to their children, and sometimes see to it that it is carried on for generations.”
― Nell Gavin, quote from Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn
“It's refreshing to be insane. Just as it's liberating to be aware of it.”
― Jonathan Maberry, quote from The Dragon Factory
“If churches saw their mission in the same way, there is no telling what might happen. What if people were invited to come tell what they already know of God instead of to learn what they are supposed to believe? What if they were blessed for what they are doing in the world instead of chastened for not doing more at church? What if church felt more like a way station than a destination? What if the church’s job were to move people out the door instead of trying to keep them in, by convincing them that God needed them more in the world than in the church?”
― Barbara Brown Taylor, quote from Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
“Se fossimo formiche: l'intero popolo cieco si precipita nei fossati, annega, forma i ponti per i pochi sopravvissuti che sono il seme del nuovo popolo. Simili a formiche andiamo dentro ogni fuoco. Ogni acqua. Ogni fiume di sangue. Solo per non dover vedere. Che cosa? Noi.”
― Christa Wolf, quote from Cassandra: A Novel and Four Essays
“International politics is not unlike the jungle: smaller and weaker animals require acute intelligence, sensitive antennae, and nimbleness of footing to assure their own self-preservation; the strong—such as elephants—need pay less attention to ambient conditions and can often do as they wish, and others will get out of the way.”
― Graham E. Fuller, quote from A World Without Islam
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.