“For readers, one of life’s most electrifying discoveries is that they are readers—not just capable of doing it (which Morris already knew), but in love with it. Hopelessly. Head over heels. The first book that does that is never forgotten, and each page seems to bring a fresh revelation, one that burns and exalts: Yes! That’s how it is! Yes! I saw that, too! And, of course, That’s what I think! That’s what I FEEL!”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes down what he sees.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“And you, CONSTANT READER. Thank God you’re still there after all these years. If you’re having fun, I am, too.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“For readers, one of life’s most electrifying discoveries is that they are readers – not just capable of doing it, but in love with it. Hopelessly. Head over heels.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“A good novelist realizes he is a secretary, not God.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Books were escape. Books were freedom.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“No. I was going to say his work changed my life, but that’s not right. I don’t think a teenager has much of a life to change. I just turned eighteen last month. I guess what I mean is his work changed my heart.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“If you look like you belong in a place, most people think you do.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“For readers, one of life’s most electrifying discoveries is that they are readers—not just capable of doing it (which Morris already knew), but in love with it. Hopelessly. Head over heels.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“At some point in this course, perhaps even tonight, you will read something difficult, something you only partially understand, and your verdict will be this is stupid. Will I argue when you advance that opinion in class the next day? Why would I do such a useless ting? My time with you in short, only thirty-four weeks of classes, and I will not waste it arguing about the merits of this short story or that poem. Why would I, when all such opinions are subjective, and no final resolution can ever be reached?'
Some of the kids - Gloria was one of them - now looked lost, but Pete understood exactly what Mr. Ricker, aka Ricky the Hippie, was talking about...
'Time is the answer," Mr Ricker said on the first day of Pete's sophomore year. He strode back and forth, antique bellbottoms swishing, occasionally waving his arms. "Yes! Time mercilessly culls away the is-stupid from the not-stupid."
...
"It will occur for you, young ladies and gentlemen, although I will be in your rear-view mirror by the time it happens. Shall I tell you how it happens? You will read something - perhaps 'Dulce et Decorum Est,' by Wilfred Owen. Shall we use that as an example? Why not?'
Then, in a deeper voice that sent chills up Pete's back and tightened his throat, Mr. Ricker cried, " 'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge...' And son on. Cetra-cetra. Some of you will say, This is stupid."
....
'And yet!" Up went the finger.
"Time will pass! Tempus will fugit! Owen's poem may fall away from your mind, in which case your verdict of is-stupid will have turned out to be correct. For you, at least. But for some of you, it will recur. And recur. Each time it does, the steady march of your maturity will deepen its resonance. Each time that poem sneaks back into your mind, it will seem a little less stupid and a little more vital. A little more important. Until it shines, young ladies and gentlemen. Until it shines.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“You know what, kid? It's guys like you who give reading a bad name.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“As the twig is bent the bough is shaped, that was another old saying, and once a pretentious asshole, always a pretentious asshole.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“People assume any twentieth-century white male writer must be an alcoholic.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes down what he sees. A good novelist realizes he is a secretary, not God.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“There's nothing I like better than a good book discussion with someone who can hold up his end of the argument.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“They say half a loaf is better than none, Jimmy, but in a world of want, even a single slice is better than none.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“literature instead of cleanliness was next to godliness.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“I think different. And I can think different if I want to.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Philosophers have debated the meaning of life for centuries, rarely coming to the same conclusion.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Some of you will say, This is stupid. Will I break my promise not to argue the point, even though I consider Mr. Owen’s poems the greatest to come out of World War I? No! It’s just my opinion, you see, and opinions are like assholes: everybody has one.” They all roared at that, young ladies and gentlemen alike. Mr. Ricker drew himself up. “I may give some of you detentions if you disrupt my class, I have no problem with imposing discipline, but never will I disrespect your opinion. And yet! And yet!” Up went the finger. “Time will pass! Tempus will fugit! Owen’s poem may fall away from your mind, in which case your verdict of is-stupid will have turned out to be correct. For you, at least. But for some of you it will recur. And recur. And recur. Each time it does, the steady march of your maturity will deepen its resonance. Each time that poem steals back into your mind, it will seem a little less stupid and a little more vital. A little more important. Until it shines, young ladies and gentlemen. Until it shines.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“when someone says they’re going to be honest with you, they are in most cases preparing to lie faster than a horse can trot.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” That’s from the original Godfather,”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Morris’s face is melting. He shrieks and begins hugging the blazing, dissolving remnants of Rothstein’s work to his burning chest.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“For your family, you do all that you can.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“It’s true what they say—sometimes the neuros are crazier than the patients.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“Don’t let your good nature cloud your critical eye. The critical eye should always be cold and clear.”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“I knew there were no ghosts in there, but on the other hand, what if there were?”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
“the most basic rule of human discourse: when someone says they’re going to be honest with you, they are in most cases preparing to lie faster”
― Stephen King, quote from Finders Keepers
Stephen King
Born place: in Portland, Maine, The United States
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“Understanding the ‘Why’ of an action brought with it an expectation of empathy, understanding or forgiveness, however brutal the act.”
― Angela Marsons, quote from Evil Games
“Thinking about hell doesn't help me live the way I should. I believe this is true for most people. And thinking that other people might go to hell just feels evil to me, like a very grave sin. So I don't want to encourage anyone else to think that way either.”
― Marilynne Robinson, quote from Lila
“Rosa Parks turned to me sweetly and asked, 'Now, Bryan, tell me who you are and what you're doing.' I looked at Ms. Carr to see if I had permission to speak, and she smiled and nodded at me. I then gave Ms. Parks my rap. 'Yes, ma'am. Well, I have a law project called the Equal Justice Initiative, and we're trying to help people on death row. We're trying to stop the death penalty, actually. We're trying to do something about prison conditions and excessive punishment. We want to free people who've been wrongly convicted. We want to end unfair sentences in criminal cases and stop racial bias in criminal justice...Ms. Parks leaned back smiling. 'Ooooh, honey, all that's going to make you tired, tired, tired.' We all laughed. I looked down, a little embarrassed. Then Ms. Carr leaned forward and put her finger in my face and talked o me just like my grandmother used to talk to me. She said, 'That's why you've got to be brave, brave, brave.' All three women nodded in silent agreement and for just a little while, they made me feel like a young prince.”
― Bryan Stevenson, quote from Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
“It’s always darkest before the dawn. This elderly chestnut occurred to Rob Martin as the ambulance he drove rolled slowly along Upper Marlborough Street toward home base, which was Firehouse 3. It seemed to him that whoever thought that one up really got hold of something, because it was darker than a woodchuck’s asshole this morning, and dawn wasn’t far away.”
― Stephen King, quote from End of Watch
“We all have our own deserts. They may not be the same as my desert, but we all have to cross them to find a purpose in life and be free.”
― Yeonmi Park, quote from In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
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RealBookQuoters 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.
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