“Consider the stars. Among them are no passions, no wars. They know neither love nor hatred. Did man but emulate the stars, would not his soul become clear and radiant as they are? But man's spirit draws him like a moth to the ephemera of this world, and in their heat he is consumed entire.”
― Sarah Monette, quote from Mélusine
“Sacred bleeding fuck,” I said, because, I mean its one thing to know your crazy hocus brother sees ghosts, and a whole different thing when you find out they’re telling him bedtime stories.”
― Sarah Monette, quote from Mélusine
“Well fuck me sideways 'til I cry”
― Sarah Monette, quote from Mélusine
“I miss my fox-headed brother. Keeper”
― Sarah Monette, quote from Mélusine
“And besides, the thing about committing yourself to a lie is that mostly you end up in twice the trouble, 'cause truth is like a whirlwind and you can't keep it in a box.”
― Sarah Monette, quote from Mélusine
Sarah Monette
Born place: in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, The United States
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“get the collection of blankets and rugs from the boat. They arranged them in the corners of the little room, and thought that it would be very exciting to spend the night there. ‘The two girls can sleep together on this pile of rugs,’ said Julian. ‘And we two boys will have this pile.’ George looked as if she didn’t want to be put with Anne, and classed as a girl. But Anne didn’t”
― Enid Blyton, quote from Five on a Treasure Island
“So what’s next?” I say, wanting more.
Teague looks up the river, and then back at me.
“I want to show you something,” he tells me.
“What do you want to show me?” I say, surprising even myself at how hopelessly flirty I sound.
“You’ll see,” he says. “But you have to promise me something.”
I tilt my head and twinkle my eyes. “You sure are making me promise a lot!”
Teague grins. “No, honestly, promise you won’t show anyone. It’s like--”
He pauses.
“Top secret?”
“Right.” He smiles. “Top secret.”
Do you want to seal this little agreement with a kiss?
No-o-o-o-o-o.
I think it through. I think it, and nod. Yes. And I follow him. I follow him along the rocks beside the river, until he stops in his tracks and turns to me with his finger over his lips.
“Shhh.” He motions and nods up into the canopy of trees we are standing under.
I look up.
“What?” I whisper.
Teague ducks behind me, right behind me--so close I can feel his breath on my neck.
I am shivering, and it’s not because I’m cold.”
― Megan Shull, quote from Amazing Grace
“There is a story I would like to tell you about a woman who practices the invocation of the Buddha Amitabha's name. She is very tough, and she practices the invocation three times daily, using a wooden drum and a bell, reciting, "Namo Amitabha Buddha" for one hour each time. When she arrives at one thousand times, she invites the bell to sound. (In Vietnamese, we don't say "strike" or "hit" a bell.) Although she has been doing this for ten years, her personality has not changed. She is still quite mean, shouting at people all the time.
A friend wanted to teach her a lesson, so one afternoon when she had just lit the incense, invited the bell to sound three times, and was beginning to recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha," he came to her door, and said, "Mrs. Nguyen, Mrs. Nguyen!" She found it very annoying because this was her time of practice, but he just stood at the front gate shouting her name. She said to herself, "I have to struggle against my anger, so I will ignore that," and she went on, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha."
The gentleman continued to shout her name, and her anger became more and more oppressive. She struggled against it, wondering, "Should I stop my recitation and go and give him a piece of my mind?" But she continued chanting, and she struggled very hard. Fire mounted in her, but she still tried to chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha." The gentleman knew it, and he continued to shout, "Mrs. Nguyen! Mrs. Nguyen!"
She could not bear it any longer. She threw away the bell and the drum. She slammed the door, went out to the gate and said, "Why, why do you behave like that? Why do you call my name hundreds of times like that?" The gentleman smiled at her and said, "I just called your name for ten minutes, and you are so angry. You have been calling the Buddha's name for ten years. Think how angry he must be!”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, quote from Being Peace
“Well,' said Hodgkins, 'perhaps he really is interested in everything, only he doesn't overdo it. For ourselves there is always one single interest. You want to become. I want to do. My nephew wants to have. But the Joxter just lives.'
'Simply lives,' I said. 'Anybody can do that.'
'Mphm,' Hodgkins said.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominpappa's Memoirs
“to make peace either in oneself or among others, shows a man to be a follower of God,”
― Thomas Aquinas, quote from Summa Theologica, 5 Vols
City of Ashes
I Am the Messenger
Reflected in You
Specials
The Awakening
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