“The only good cage is an empty cage.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those that we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“They taught me that all life forms are important to each other in our common quest for happiness and survival. That there is more to life than just yourself, your own family, or your own kind.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“There is nothing more energizing than inhaling the tang of wilderness, loamy after rain, pungent with the richness of earth shuddering with life, or taking in the brisk dry cleanness of winter.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“The wrong way to go about this is to say: Well, researchers have ‘proved’ that animals only understand fifty words or something similarly absurd. Or that communication with other species is an illusion. Communication is not the preserve of humans; it is the one thing that is truly universal.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“tangled and eternal as Appalachian feuds – are internecine”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“In our noisy cities we tend to forget the things our ancestors knew on a gut level: that the wilderness is alive, that its whispers are there for all to hear - and to respond to.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“This is not just primitive rural superstition; [juju] is practiced by all kinds of people, from illiterate herd boys to multi-dregreed university professors. If you don't understand the power of this belief, you will never truly grasp the rich albeit often incomprehensible spirituality of Africa.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“Years later I was in the Sudan on a conservation project when I heard an incredible story on good authority that sounded similar to my own. During the twenty-year war between northern and southern Sudan elephants were being slaughtered both for ivory and meat and so large numbers migrated to Kenya for safety. Within days of the final ceasefire being signed, the elephants left their adopted residence en masse and trekked the hundreds of miles back home to Sudan. How they knew that their home range was now safe is just another indication of the incredible abilities of these amazing creatures.”
― Lawrence Anthony, quote from Elephant Whisperer
“I see walking bombs on the street
Hearts not beating, but ticking”
― Henry Rollins, quote from The Portable Henry Rollins
“ليس مهما ما إذا كان مضمون الهتاف صحيحا أم غير صحيح ما إذا كنتما تؤمنان به أو لا. قراركما بالهتاف معه ليس مقياسا لالتزامكما بالعدالة أو الحرية أو أي من المبادئ النبيلة التي يدعيها احيانا تكون الشعارات الجذرية بمثابة الفخ يهتف بها المندسون حتى يمكن لصق تهمة السعي إلى الإطاحة بالنظام بمحموعة من الطلاب الذين يحتجون غلى الح...ملة على الصحافة في احيان اخرى لاتكون فخاخا على الإطلاق بل موقفا بائسا يعبر عنه شخص شجاع
لكن كيف يمكنكما أن تعرفا؟ هدفكما هو تجنب التحول إلى بيادق,وتجنب أن تجرا الى المشكلات بسبب فضولكما أو لاعتقادكما أنكما تريان التاريخ يصنع أمامكما”
― Shirin Ebadi, quote from Iran Awakening
“Women are brought up to conform: all the rules of femininity—dress, behavior, attitude—essentially break the spirit. Women are trained to need men, not sexually but metaphysically. Women are brought up to be the void that needs filling, the absence that needs presence. Women are brought up to fear men and to know that they must please men and to understand that they cannot survive without the help of men richer and stronger than they can be themselves, on their own. Women are brought up to submit to intercourse—and here the strategy is shrewd—by being kept ignorant of it. The rules are taught, but the act is hidden. Girls are taught “love, ” not “fuck. ” Little girls look between their legs to see if “the hole” is there, get scared thinking about what “the hole” is for; no one tells them either. Women use their bodies to attract men; and most women, like the little girls they were, are astonished by the brutality of the fuck. The importance of this ignorance about intercourse cannot be overstated: it is as if no girl would grow up, or accept the hundred million lessons on how to be a girl, or want boys to like her, if she knew what she was for.”
― Andrea Dworkin, quote from Right Wing Women
“She lied, sir. She has always lied. I don't think she ever spoke a word of truth. But when she spoke, I believed her.”
― Prosper Mérimée, quote from Carmen
“Mom said that going back to an ex-boyfriend was like buying your own garage sale junk after the sale's over. Somebody else may think your old stuff is gold, but you know better. It's not golden for you.”
― Dandi Daley Mackall, quote from My Boyfriends' Dogs: The Tales of Adam and Eve and Shirley
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.