“The moon was up, painting the world silver, making things look just a little more alive.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“In the history of the world there have been lots of onces and lots of times, and every time has had a once upon it.
Most people will tell you that the once upon a time happened in a land far, far away, but it really depends on where you are. The once upon a time may have been just outside your back door. It may have been beneath your very feet. It might not have been in a land at all but deep in the sea's belly or bobbing around on its back.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Columbus was the first to come to the east. Vikings don't count, and neither do all the people who were standing on the beaches and waving when he got here.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving behind the secretive sounds, the shy sounds, the whispers and conversations of moss disputing with grass over some soft piece of earth, or the hummingbird snoring.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“After three years down here, I've not learned too much. But one thing I do know is that our bellies aren't big enough for revenge. It turns sour and eats you up. We'll get out, but we'll get out for the sun, the moon, and mothers, not for small-souled enemies, though we'll deal with them when we get there.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Your father died for me, and dying with you would be an honor, though not as great as dying to save you.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Caves and darkness can't hold you when you die, they can only hold your bones.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Tom shut his eyes again, because when his eyes were shut, he could tell himself that there was light.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Evolution has produced us more recently, and that makes us the smartest ever. After all, we invented the parking lot.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are, and were perhaps bolder. This world is their tomb.
You should look under the bed.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“But something is going to happen, that's for sure. It depends on how bold we choose to be. We could get out, maybe, or we could die, or we could be badly injured going over a waterfall and end up on a gravel beach only to be found by a young boy who would carve messages in their toes and shove us back out to sea. There are lots of possibilities, and I am happy with all of them."
"Do you like mornings?" Tom asked, leaning on his elbow.
"Not usually," Reg said. "I'm typically rather sullen over my breakfast, and I'm sure the crawdads notice. But what is truly strange is that I never liked mornings when I could have them with real sunrises and real dew on roses and real paperboys wrecking real bicycles on the sidewalk outside my window. How I ever could have remained asleep and voluntarily missed a sunrise, I can't explain. If you're right and we get out, I don't think I'll miss another one.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“If your boy's alive, the last thing you should want to do is double his trouble. Don't try to run to him when he's in something thick unless you can bring him the answer. ... If you raised your boy how you should've, then you know he's fighting with what he's got. If he dies, then you'll know he died trying, and that's as much as you can ask. ... Ted's gone. But he left you a son made out of the same stuff he was, and don't you underestimate him. If you know Tom, then you'll have some faith in the boy. The odds might be long, but I'll bet on him.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
“In the history of the world there have been lots of onces and lots of times, and every time has had a once upon it.”
― N.D. Wilson, quote from Leepike Ridge
N.D. Wilson
See more on GoodReads
“Does that mean that the grass doesn't constitute a life? That the grassland isn't a life? Out here, the grass and the grassland are the life, the big life. All else is the little life that depends on the big life for survival. Even wolves and humans are little life. Creatures that eat grass are worse than creatures that eat meat. To you, the gazelle is to be pitied. So the grass isn't to be pitied, is that it? The gazelles have four fast-moving legs, and most of the time wolves spit up blood from exhaustion trying to catch them. When the gazelles are thirsty, they run to the river to drink, and when they're cold, they run to a warm spot on the mountain to soak up some sun. But the grass? Grass is the big life, yet it is most fragile, the most miserable life. Its roots are shallow, the soil is thin, and though it lives on the ground, it cannot run away. Anyone can step on it, eat it, chew it, crush it. A urinating horse can burn a large spot in it. And if the grass grows in sand or in the cracks between rocks, it is even shorter, because it cannot grow flowers, which means it cannot spread its seeds. For us Mongols, there's nothing more deserving of pity than the grass. If you want to talk about killing, the the gazelles kill more grass than any mowing machine could. When they graze the land, isn't that killing? Isn't that taking the big life of the grassland? When you kill off the big life of the grassland, all the little lives are doomed. The damage done by the gazelles far outstrips any done by the wolves. The yellow gazelles are the deadliest, for they can end the lives of the people here.”
― Jiang Rong, quote from Wolf Totem
“How can you think that? How can you believe God would let us go through this hell?” “Because you have to think of the alternative. If it hadn’t happened the way it did, you’d have been on that plane. You’d really be gone now. There’d be no second chances. There’d be no Reed.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, quote from Wait for Me
“Sebastian, women like sex just as much as men... if it's good."
He tried to smile but still looked uncertain, his forehead creasing with worry.
"Am I...?"
He bit his lip.
I knew what he was trying to ask me.
"Yes, you're good. In fact I'd say you're amazing: in so many ways.”
― Jane Harvey-Berrick, quote from The Education of Sebastian
“But you can't make someone be something they're not.”
― Sara Shepard, quote from Cross My Heart, Hope to Die
“OK,’ Duffy said. ‘So what have we got?’ We had rugs. The door rattled upward and daylight”
― Lee Child, quote from Persuader
Alcatraz Versus the...
Alcatraz Versus the...
Bonechiller
Stars in My Pocket L...
The Autobiography of...
Diplomatic ImmunityBookQuoters 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.
