“As we pass one step, and as we recognize it as being behind us, the next one already rises up before us. By the time we learn everything, we slowly come to understand it. And while you come to understand everything gradually, you don't remain idle at any moment: you are already attending to your new business; you live, you act, you move, you fulfill the new requirements of every new step of development. If, on the other hand, there were no schedule, no gradual enlightenment, if all the knowledge descended on you at once right there in one spot, then it's possible neither your brains nor your heart could bear it.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“...I would like to live a little bit longer in this beautiful concentration camp.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“Мога да заявя, че няма по-мъчително, по-разочароващо нещо от това ден след ден да следиш, ден след ден да откриваш какво е унищожено в тебе.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“It was not very likely, of course, but then all kinds of things are possible, after all.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“Mais n'exagérons rien, puisque c'est là le problème: je suis ici et je sais bien que j'accepte tous les arguments, au prix de pouvoir vivre”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“Ήταν εκείνη η συγκεκριμένη ώρα, ακόμα και τώρα, ακόμα κι εδώ την αναγνώριζα, ώρα που αγαπούσα περισσότερο απ' όλες στο στρατόπεδο και τότε με τύλιξε ένα έντονο, οδυνηρό, μάταιο συναίσθημα: νοσταλγία”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“I already know there will be happiness. For even there, next to the chimneys, in the intervals between the torments, there was something that resembled happiness. Everyone asks only about the hardships and the “atrocities,” whereas for me perhaps it is that experience which will remain the most memorable. Yes, the next time I am asked, I ought to speak about that, the happiness of the concentration camps.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“И докато оглеждах спокойния предзалезен площад насред разбитата, но пълна с хиляди обещания улица, почувствах как расте, как се надига готовността ми: да продължа тоя непродължим живот. Няма на света безумие, което да не сме в състояние да преживеем естествено и знам, че по пътя ми вече ме дебне щастието, като неизбежен капан. Та нали още там, край комините, в паузите на страданията съществуваше нещо, което можеше да се оприличи на щастие. Всеки пита само за превратностите, за "ужасите": макар че за мен навярно именно онова преживяване е останало най-паметно. Да, това трябва да им разкажа следващия път, ако ме попитат.
Ако ме попитат. И ако самият аз не забравя.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“Despite all deliberation, sense, insight, and sober reason, I could not fail to recognize within myself the furtive and yet—ashamed as it might be, so to say, of its irrationality—increasingly insistent voice of some muffled craving of sorts: I would like to live a little bit longer in this beautiful concentration camp.”
― Imre Kertész, quote from Fatelessness
“Most people are fast to stop you before you get started but hesitate to get in the way if you're moving.”
― Timothy Ferriss, quote from The 4-Hour Workweek
“We men dream dreams, we work magic, we do good, we do evil. The dragons do not dream. They are dreams. They do not work magic: it is their substance, their being. They do not do; they are.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, quote from The Farthest Shore
“As they call last orders, he’ll walk over to a girl he’s no doubt slept with before, pour half his pint over his own head and the remainder over hers, and with a twinkle in his eye say, “Looks like you’ve pulled again, doesn’t it?”
― Karl Wiggins, quote from Grit: The Banter and Brutality of the Late-Night Cab
“The truth about eros is terrifying.”
― Plato, quote from The Symposium
“Death is not the final word but the “next great adventure”
― quote from This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl
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.