Quotes from Oral History

Lee Smith ·  286 pages

Rating: (3.3K votes)


“They say experience is the best teacher, but I'll be damned if I know what it teaches you.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


“For once I am living my life rather than watching it pass in review.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


“Away acrost his valley he sees Black Mountain rising jagged to the sky...and if he looks to the left on past it, he sees all the furtherest ranges, line on line. Purple and blue and blue again and smoky until you can't tell the mountains apart from the sky. Lord, it'll make a man think something, seeing that. It'll make a man think deep.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


“Nothing is ever over, nothing is ever ended, and worlds open up within the world we know.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


“...for they was never a young man yet who don't want to go out and right a wrong, or kill a man, or have to do something to earn his right to what is there for the taking, all along. Only he don't think he can ask, nor take, without earning it. Without no pain. Oftener than not, a young man's a regular fool.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History



“I had before me an object lesson, I thought: two ways to face the world. One way as embodied by this old woman—simple, unassuming, a kind of peasant dignity, a naturalness inherent in her every move. The other, exemplified by the girl—smartness, sophistication, veneer without substance. I was conscious that I have now opted for the old woman’s way, have thrown in my lot with a creature I would have jeered at a year ago. My present trip to the mountains is indeed a trip to that wellspring of naturalness she symbolized. And I admired my choice: the correct choice, the only choice for a sensitive and moral man in my dilemma.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


“Pearl is the only person I ever knew who said things like “paths in life” out loud.”
― Lee Smith, quote from Oral History


About the author

Lee Smith
Born place: in Grundy, Virginia, The United States
Born date November 1, 1944
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“There is no such thing as a problem breed. However, there is no shortage of 'problem owners'....”
― Cesar Millan, quote from Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems


“How did I ever stay away from you?” Gentle fingertips caressed my cheeks, my lips, ran over my chin and down my neck. His palm came to rest on my chest, his fingers splayed out over my heart. It thrummed in devotion against his hand. “I heard this calling out for me every day.” His breath whispered across my face, his words so sad, filled with so much regret. “Did you hear mine?”
― Amy Lichtenhan, quote from Pulled


“Love is like that. It's like a wildfire in my blood.”
― R.K. Lilley, quote from Grounded


“Leadership isn't just about giving orders. A fool can give orders. A leader listens. He changes his mind. He acknowledges mistakes.”
― Brian Staveley, quote from The Emperor's Blades


“Her quickness of mind was like a hiss, a dart, a lethal bite.”
― quote from My Brilliant Friend


Interesting books

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
(5.3K)
The Treachery of Bea...
by Ruth Frances Long
Comanche Moon
(6.8K)
Comanche Moon
by Catherine Anderson
In the Bleak Midwinter
(10.1K)
In the Bleak Midwint...
by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Candle in the Darkness
(11.1K)
Candle in the Darkne...
by Lynn Austin
The Lonesome Gods
(6.1K)
The Lonesome Gods
by Louis L'Amour
America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It
(3.3K)
America Alone: The E...
by Mark Steyn

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.