Quotes from Laughter in the Dark

“A certain man once lost a diamond cuff-link in the wide blue sea, and twenty years later, on the exact day, a Friday apparently, he was eating a large fish - but there was no diamond inside. That’s what I like about coincidence.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster.

This is the whole of the story and we might have left it at that had there not been profit and pleasure in the telling; and although there is plenty of space on a gravestone to contain, bound in moss, the abridged version of a man's life, detail is always welcome.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“[...] leaving for a day or two that hopeless sense of loss which makes beauty what it is: a distant lone tree against golden heavens; ripples of light on the inner curve of a bridge; a thing impossible to capture.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“This is the whole of the story and we might have left it at that had there not been profit and pleasure in the telling; and although there is plenty of space on a gravestone to contain, bound in moss, the abridged version of a man's life, detail is always welcome.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“No you can't take a pistol and plug a girl you don't even know simply because she attracts you.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Although there is plenty of space on a gravestone to contain, bound in moss, the abridged version of a man's life, detail is always welcome.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“[S]urely the Cupid serving him was lefthanded, with a weak chin and no imagination.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Uncle alone in the house with the children said he'd dress up to amuse them. After a long wait, as he did not appear, they went down and saw a masked man putting the table silver into a bag. 'Oh, Uncle,' they cried in delight. 'Yes, isn't my make-up good?' said Uncle, taking his mask off. Thus goes the Hegelian syllogism of humour. Thesis: Uncle made himself up as a burglar (a laugh for the children); antithesis: it WAS a burglar (a laugh for the reader); synthesis: it still was Uncle (fooling the reader).”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Имало едно време в Берлин, Германия, един човек на име Албинус. Той бил богат, почтен, щастлив. Един ден напуснал жена си заради млада любовница. Обичал, не бил обичан и животът му завършил злополучно.
Това е цялата история и бихме могли да я оставим дотук, ако от разказването й нямаше полза и удоволствие; и въпреки че на надгробната плоча има достатъчно място за обраслата с мъх кратка версия на човешкия живот, подробностите винаги са добре дошли.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Албинус никога преди не беше виждал сълзи с такъв размер и блясък.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Когато забременя, очите ѝ придобиха онзи празен израз на задоволство, сякаш съзерцаваше новия си вътрешен свят; безгрижната й походка се превърна във внимателно патешко поклащане и беше способна лакомо да поглъща пълни шепи сняг, които събираше набързо, докато никой не я гледа. Албинус полагаше всички усилия да се грижи за нея – извеждаше я на дълги бавни разходки; внимаваше да си ляга рано и да не се удря в опасните ъгли на мебелите, докато минаваше покрай тях. А нощем сънуваше, че се натъква на младо момиче, което лежи с разперени ръце и крака на горещ пуст плаж, и в съня го обхващаше внезапен страх, че жена му ще го хване.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Въздухът беше натежал от сладникавата миризма на смокиново дърво, имаше я тази банална смесица от лунна светлина и далечна музика, която така въздейства на обикновените души.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Той се ожени за нея, защото просто така се случи. Главният виновник за техния съюз беше едно пътуване до планината в нейната компания, плюс дебелия й брат и изключително атлетичната й братовчедка, която, слава богу, си изкълчи глезена в Понтресина. Имаше нещо толкова изискано, толкова ефирно в Елизабет, а смехът й бе така добродушен! За да избегнат набезите на множеството си берлински познати, те се ожениха в Мюнхен. Кестените тъкмо цъфтяха. Една много скъпа табакера се изгуби в тайнствена градина. Един от келнерите в хотела говореше седем езика. Оказа се, че Елизабет има нежен малък белег от операция на апандисит.
Тя беше вярна малка душичка, хрисима и нежна. Любовта й беше като бяла лилия, но понякога избухваше в пламъци и в такива моменти Албинус се самозалъгваше, че не му трябва никоя друга.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“(Миналото беше на сигурно място в клетката. Защо да не погледне?)”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

“Марго бавно започна да се надига по-високо и по-високо, като змия, която се развива.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Laughter in the Dark

About the author

Popular quotes

“We have fallen on hard times of the spirit, with many of the people more concerned with fear of evil than contemplation of the good.”
― Clifford D. Simak, quote from Time Is the Simplest Thing

“Not only did he have the body of a god, the fighting skills of an ancient warrior, and the face of an angel, but the guy could fix cars? “Who”
― Rebecca Zanetti, quote from Sweet Revenge

“I loved him. God help me, I loved him more than a girl has ever loved a boy. More than anyone has ever loved anyone.”
― April Genevieve Tucholke, quote from Between the Spark and the Burn

“Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is what it means to have no loved version of your life but the one you made.”
― Dorothy Allison, quote from Two or Three Things I Know for Sure

“No. Your thoughts are what make you. But your body isn't a meaningless thing either. Call me strange, but I think only the person you love the most should see you like that. And not here--in an ugly, dirty place--when you haven't even thought about it.”
― Emm Cole, quote from Keeping Merminia

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

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.