“Hu’s heart clanged like fifteen buckets in a single well.”
― Shi Nai'an, quote from Outlaws of the Marsh
“When I tell you you’ll fart and pee in your pants with terror.”
― Shi Nai'an, quote from Outlaws of the Marsh
“The old woman’s face was wreathed in smiles.”
― Shi Nai'an, quote from Outlaws of the Marsh
“Truly, flowers open, only to be blown down by the wind.”
― Shi Nai'an, quote from Outlaws of the Marsh
“Li Gui called out, "Sir, if you kill me you will kill two persons."
"How do you make that out?" asked Li Kui, staying the blow.
"At home I support my mother who is ninety years of age, and this is my only means of helping her in her old age," said Li Gui. "I never injure people, but only make them afraid. If you kill me, my old mother will die of starvation."
Li Kui who never twinkled his eyes in chopping off people's heads, paused and thought when he heard this. "Here am I trying to succour my old mother, and yet killing a man who supports his old mother. Heaven will not allow me to live if I do this. No! No! I will forgive this man.
(J.H. Jackson translation)”
― Shi Nai'an, quote from Outlaws of the Marsh
“It's funny, don't you think, how time seems to do a lot of things? It flies, it tells, and worst of all, it runs out.”
― Markus Zusak, quote from Fighting Ruben Wolfe
“Daughter of Merrow, leave your sleep,
The ways of childhood no more to keep.
The dream will die, a nightmare rise,
Sleep no more, child, open your eyes...
Daughter of Merrow, chosen one,
The end begins, your time has come.
The sands run out, our spell unwinds,
Inch by inch, our chant unbinds...
Daughter of Merrow, find the five
Brave enough to keep hope alive.
One whose heart will hold the light,
One possessed of a prophet’s sight.
One who does not yet believe,
Thus has no choice but to deceive.
One with spirit sure and strong,
One who sings all creatures’ songs.
Together find the talismans
Belonging to the six who ruled,
Hidden under treacherous waters
After light and darkness dueled.
These pieces must not be united,
Not in anger, greed, or rage.
They were scattered by brave Merrow,
Lest they unlock destruction’s cage.
Come to us from seas and rivers,
Become one mind, one heart, one bond.
Before the waters, and all creatures in them,
Are laid to waste by Abbadon!”
― Jennifer Donnelly, quote from Deep Blue
“Les hommes savent les désastres que certains mots déclenchent dans le coeur des filles ; et nous, pauvres idiotes, nous pâmons et tombons dans le piége, excitées qu'un homme nous en ait enfin tendu un”
― Grégoire Delacourt, quote from The List of My Desires
“(I have to say that everything seems to be unraveling lately. Or maybe it seems as though I am a flower myself, opening up to the world for the first time. I don’t know why this is, and I’m not really in control of it either. Flowers do not think, Okay, it is now May, so I will reach up toward the sun and relax my fist of petals into an open hand. They do not think at all. Flowers just grow, and when it is time, they shoot colors out of their stems and become beautiful.”
― Matthew Quick, quote from The Good Luck of Right Now
“A community narrows down and grows dreadful ignorant when it is shut up to its own affairs, and gets no knowledge of the outside world except from a cheap, unprincipled paper.”
― Sarah Orne Jewett, quote from The Country of the Pointed Firs
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.