“One thing is sure:the idea that each nation is racially pure is a myth, especially a nation with a history of four thousand years.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“I think a man can either believe in God or not believe, he can get faith and he can lose it but there is only one God for the true believer, and that is the one he carries in his heart.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“Friends and acquaintances in this day and age don't write at all, or if they do it's only to let you know they're still alive,which explains the craze for greeting cards of all kinds!”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“Sometimes the bigger the apartment, the harder it is to find room to put up an extra person for the night.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“There was something religious in grandmother's face, not in any sanctimoniously devout or ecstatic sense,but a look full of religious feeling, serenity and resignation.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“My descendants will manage without my portrait' she smiled. Anyway they'll have plenty of photographs of me. To this our famous conductor replied that a photograph only gives the outward appearance of the person,whereas a painting reveals the inner world.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“Byelorussian songs, if you've ever heard them are slightly monotonous, even mournful yet they do have a certain melancholy charm and compassion about them.”
― Anatoli Rybakov, quote from Heavy Sand
“Apoi, pe neasteptate, stiu ce are de facut. Se indrepta spre teancul de discuri si alese "Arta fugii". "Daca geniul lui nu-mi da curaj, gandi el, trebuie sa renunt imediat." Ramase pe scaun, nemiscat, ascultand cum Bach construia o lume, o popula, o organiza si, pana la urma, lupta impotriva ei si era distrus. Cand muzica se opri, intocmai cum se opreste omul la sosirea mortii, in mijlocul unei fraze, Doc isi regasise curajul. "Bach s-a luptat cu disperare, isi zise el, n-a fost invins. Daca ar mai fi trait, ar fi continuat sa lupte cu imposibilul. [....] "Ce inteleg prin a castiga?" Stiu. Pentru a castiga e suficient sa nu fii tu insuti invins." [....] Simti ca n-are de ce sa se mai teama. "La revedere, le spuse serpilor, urati-mi noroc".”
― John Steinbeck, quote from Sweet Thursday
“If you should ask me where I've been all this time
I have to say "Things happen."
I have to dwell on stones darkening the earth,
on the river ruined in its own duration:
I know nothing save things the birds have lost,
the sea I left behind, or my sister crying.
Why this abundance of places? Why does day lock
with day? Why the dark night swilling round
in our mouths? And why the dead?”
― Pablo Neruda, quote from Residence on Earth
“I do not tell her about how much I look forward to going to the Wright barn. How those couple of hours in his studio feel like an escape, a refuge. Nor do I tell Rachel that I think Damian has the most beautiful hands I've ever seen, that he walks like a cat, that he has the clearest eyes, which seem able to see absolutely everything about me. That he seems to be the loneliest person I've ever met, and it breaks my heart. All of these things feel private. Precious. And I don't want to share them with Rachel. Not yet, anyway.”
― Lisa Ann Sandell, quote from A Map of the Known World
“Mi aspettavo che la solita ondata di ripugnanza per me stesso mi assalisse da un momento all'altro: tutta la mia libidine era spenta e non mi trastullavo mai con le puttane dopo averle usate... capitava di rado che volessi rivederle di nuovo. Ma questa era diversa. Per la prima volta in vita mia, provavo tenerezza per una donna, per questa ragazza, qualcosa che non avevo provato neppure con Effie. Soprattutto non con Effie. Qualcosa dentro di me voleva assaggiarla, conoscerla: come se l'atto in sé che avevamo compiuto non fosse stato nulla... niente era stato rivelato, niente si era guastato. Mi resi conto con improvvisa, esilarante chiarezza che questo era il Mistero.
Questa ragazza, questa tenerezza.
[...]
Le toccai il collo, il braccio, la curva tesa della coscia.
"Marta..."
[...]
"Marta."
"Si?"
"Ti amo."
Nel buio, il suo bacio fu dolce.”
― Joanne Harris, quote from Sleep, Pale Sister
“Sometimes I wake up at night in a panic. Wondering: What will my life be like? And sometimes I even wonder: Who am I? What am I doing here, on this planet, in this city, in this house? And it gives me the shivers, makes me panic.”
― Robert Cormier, quote from Beyond the Chocolate War
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.