“Lie on the bridge and watch the water flowing past. Or run, or wade through the swamp in your red boots. Or roll yourself up and listen to the rain falling on the roof. It's very easy to enjoy yourself.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“The quiet transition from autumn to winter is not a bad time at all. It's a time for protecting and securing things and for making sure you've got in as many supplies as you can. It's nice to gather together everything you possess as close to you as possible, to store up your warmth and your thoughts and burrow yourself into a deep hole inside, a core of safety where you can defend what is important and precious and your very own. Then the cold and the storms and the darkness can do their worst. They can grope their way up the walls looking for a way in, but they won't find one, everything is shut, and you sit inside, laughing in your warmth and your solitude, for you have had foresight.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“The hemulen woke up slowly and recognised himself and wished he had been someone he didn't know.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“The hemulen woke up slowly and recognised himself and wished he had been someone he didn't know. He felt even tireder than when he went to bed, and here it was -- another day which would go on until evening and then there would be another one and another one which would be the same as all days are when they are lived by a hemulen.
He crept under the bedcover and buried his nose in the pillow, then he shifted his stomach to the edge of the bed where the sheets were cool. He took possession of the whole bed with outstretched arms and legs he was waiting for a nice dream that wouldn't come. He curled up and made himself small but it didn't help a bit. He tried being the hemulen that everybody like, he tried being the hemulen that no one liked. But however hard he tried he remained a hemulen doing his best without anything really coming off. In the end he got up and pulled on his trousers.
The Hemulen didn't like getting dressed and undressed, it gave him a feeling that the days passed without anything of importance happening. Even so, he spent the whole day arranging, organising and directing things from morning till night! All around him there were people living slipshod and aimless lives, wherever he looked there was something to be put to rights and he worked his fingers to the bone trying to get them to see how they ought to live.
It's as though they don't want to live well, the Hemulen thought sadly as he brushed his teeth. He looked at the photograph of himself with his boat which was been taken when the boat was launched. It was a beautiful picture but it made him feel even sadder.
I ought to learn how to sail, the Hemulen thought. But I've never got enough time...
Moominvalley in November
Chapter 5, THE HEMULEN”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“There are those who stay at home and those who go away, and it has always been so. Everyone can choose for himself, but he must choose while there is still time and never change his mind.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“But he thought all the strange words were beautiful, and he had never had a book of his own before.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Можно лежать на мосту и смотреть, как течет вода. Или бегать, или побродить по болоту в красных сапожках, или же свернуться клубочком и слушать, как дождь стучит по крыше. Быть счастливой очень легко.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Я в отпуске, - упрямо ответил Онкельскрут, - и я могу забывать все, что хочу. Забывать очень приятно. Я собираюсь забыть все, кроме некоторых мелочей, которые очень важны.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Есть на свете те, кто остается, и те, кто собирается в путь. И так было всегда. Каждый волен выбирать, покуда есть время, но после, сделав выбор, нельзя от него отступаться.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Подумать только, как легко приходят сегодня мысли, и все кажется таким простым. Стоит только выйти за дверь, сдвинув шляпу на затылок, не правда ли?”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Хемулът бавно се събуди, осъзна, че това е самият той и му се прииска да бе някой, когото не познава.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Медленный переход осени к зиме вовсе не плохая пора . Это пора , когда нужно собрать, привести в порядок и сложить все свои запасы , которые ты накопил за лето .
А как прекрасно собирать все , что есть у тебя , и складывать поближе к себе, собрать свое тепло и свои мысли, зарыться в глубокую норку — уверенное и надежное укрытие; защищать его как нечто важное, дорогое, твое собственное. А после пусть мороз, бури и мрак приходят, когда им вздумается. Они будут обшаривать стены, искать лазейку, но ничего у них не получится, все кругом заперто, а внутри, в тепле и одиночестве, сидит себе и смеется тот, кто загодя обо всем позаботился. Есть на свете те, кто остается, и те, кто собирается в путь.
И так было всегда. Каждый волен выбирать, покуда есть время, но после, сделав выбор, нельзя от него отступаться.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“Хемуль не любил раздеваться и одеваться, это наводило его на мысль, что дни проходят, а ничего значительного не происходит.”
― Tove Jansson, quote from Moominvalley in November
“What made something precious? Losing it and finding it.”
― Celeste Ng, quote from Everything I Never Told You
“Society is always the same, regardless of the era. There are rules and standards, with seemingly no purpose. It's a hateful, elaborate charade, equal parts flirtation and perceived naïveté. To men we have the minds of children.”
― Alexandra Bracken, quote from Passenger
“I'm told women scream when they give birth because of the intense pain. And I think about how easily life can just slide away, like thawing ice. And how it's only the living that scream.”
― Peter Hedges, quote from What's Eating Gilbert Grape
“No me sorprendió. Por norma, todas las religiones del mundo discriminaban a las mujeres, bien situándolas en un incomprensible segundo plano o bien legitimando que pudieran ser maltratadas y vejadas. Era algo realmente lamentable a lo que nadie parecía querer encontrar una solución.”
― Matilde Asensi, quote from The Last Cato
“Did you—did you change your mind about the kiss?” “No.” How could he, when he craved it more than a tomorrow? “You may not give me another chance. I want to savor every moment of this.” “If we’re going to be fools, we need to get it over with. Savor later.” Obviously tired of waiting for him, she latched on to his cheeks and tugged him all the way down. He fell on top of her, and her breath burst out on a gasp. He inhaled deeply, taking every molecule inside his lungs, branding himself with her essence. “This means nothing,” she said. “Less than nothing,” he lied. “I’ll hate myself later.” “I hate myself now.” She opened her mouth to reply, but he swooped in and swallowed the words.”
― Gena Showalter, quote from The Darkest Pleasure
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.