Quotes from Malgudi Days

R.K. Narayan ·  264 pages

Rating: (13.3K votes)


“life is about making right things and going on..”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“This is my child. I planted it. I saw it grow. I loved it. Don't cut it down...”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“How can two living entities possessing intelligence and judgement ever be tied together for a lifetime?”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“It is stimulating to live in a society that is not standardized or mechanized, and is free from monotony.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“you threw a stone into a gutter it would only spurt filth in your face.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days



“What can we do with a creature who returns to his doom with such a free heart?”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“We are a flawed, weak species, he gently reminds us in these pages, focusing his attention, clearly and without sentiment, on those who will stoop low, those who will stop at nothing. What makes us care for such frequently pathetic characters is that they, like most of the rest of us, are strivers, driven by hopes for a slightly better life.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“The gods grow jealous of too much contentment anywhere, and they show their displeasure all of a sudden.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“The compartment built to ‘seat 8 passengers; 4 British Troops, or 6 Indian Troops’ now carried only nine.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days


“if you threw a stone into a gutter it would only spurt filth in your face.”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days



About the author

R.K. Narayan
Born place: in Chennai, India
Born date October 10, 1906
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“The Great Fires"

Love is apart from all things.
Desire and excitement are nothing beside it.
It is not the body that finds love.
What leads us there is the body.
What is not love provokes it.
What is not love quenches it.
Love lays hold of everything we know.
The passions which are called love
also change everything to a newness
at first. Passion is clearly the path
but does not bring us to love.
It opens the castle of our spirit
so that we might find the love which is
a mystery hidden there.
Love is one of many great fires.
Passion is a fire made of many woods,
each of which gives off its special odor
so we can know the many kinds
that are not love. Passion is the paper
and twigs that kindle the flames
but cannot sustain them. Desire perishes
because it tries to be love.
Love is eaten away by appetite.
Love does not last, but it is different
from the passions that do not last.
Love lasts by not lasting.
Isaiah said each man walks in his own fire
for his sins. Love allows us to walk
in the sweet music of our particular heart.”
― Jack Gilbert, quote from The Great Fires


“Sometimes,’ he starts, ‘the hardest part about letting someone go is realizing you were never meant to have them.”
― Rebecca Serle, quote from When You Were Mine


“Do you believe in the value of truth, my dear, or don’t you?”

“Of course I believe in the truth,” said Rhoda, staring.

“Yes, you say that, but perhaps you haven’t thought about it. The truth hurts sometimes – and destroys one’s illusions.”

“I’d rather have it all the same.” said Rhoda.

“So would I. But I don’t know that we’re wise.”
Mrs. Oliver; Rhoda Dawes”
― Agatha Christie, quote from Cards on the Table


“Until Washington crossed the Delaware, the triumph of the old order seemed inevitable. Thereafter, things would never be the same again.”
― David Hackett Fischer, quote from Washington's Crossing


“Always. Don’t argue, Ms. Fairchild, or the game stops now.”
― J. Kenner, quote from Release Me


Interesting books

The Law of Dreams
(1.7K)
The Law of Dreams
by Peter Behrens
Un dernier verre avant la guerre
(31.3K)
Un dernier verre ava...
by Dennis Lehane
The Misfits
(5.6K)
The Misfits
by James Howe
The Wild One
(5.8K)
The Wild One
by Danelle Harmon
The Dogs of Babel
(16.6K)
The Dogs of Babel
by Carolyn Parkhurst
Surrender
(1.8K)
Surrender
by Sonya Hartnett

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.