Quotes from Pan

“I love three things," I then say. "I love a dream of love I once had, I love you, and I love this patch of earth."

"And which do you love best?"

"The dream.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Do not forget, some give little, and it is much for them, others give all, and it costs them no effort; who then has given most?”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“The other one he loved like a slave, like a madman and like a beggar. Why? Ask the dust on the road and the falling leaves, ask the mysterious God of life; for no one knows such things. She gave him nothing, no nothing did she give him and yet he thanked her. She said: Give me your peace and your reason! And he was only sorry she did not ask for his life.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“There was a rock in front of my hut, a tall, gray rock. By its looks it seemed to be well-disposed toward me...”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“You are right; I am not good at moving in society. Be merciful. You do not understand me; I live in the woods by choice--that is my happiness. Here, where I am all alone, it can hurt no one that I am as I am; but when I go among others, I have to use all my will power to be as I should.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“A shaft of sweetness shoots through me from top to toe when the sun rises; I shoulder my gun in silent exaltation.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“A maiden was imprisoned in a stone tower. She loved a lord. Why? Ask the wind and the stars, ask the god of life; for no one else knows these things. And the lord was her friend and her lover; but time passed, and one fine day he saw someone else and his heart turned away. As a youth he loved the maiden. Often he called her his bliss and his dove, and her embrace was hot and heaving. He said, Give me your heart! And she did so. He said, May I ask you for something, my love? And she answered, in raptures, Yes. She gave him all, and yet he never thanked her. The other one he loved like a slave, like a madman and a beggar. Why? Ask the dust on the road and the falling leaves, ask life’s mysterious god; for no one else knows these things. She gave him nothing, no, nothing did she give him, and yet he thanked her. She said, Give me your peace and your sanity. And he only grieved that she didn’t ask for his life. And the maiden was put in the tower. . . .”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“I believe I can read a little in the souls of those around me; maybe it is not so. Oh, when I have a good day I feel as if I can peer deep into other people’s souls, although I don’t have a particularly good head on my shoulders. We sit in a room, some men and women and I, and I seem to see what is going on in the hearts of these people and what they think of me. I put something into every flashing glance of their eyes; occasionally the blood rushes to their cheeks so they turn red, at other times they pretend to be looking another way while still watching me out of the corner of their eyes. There I sit observing all this, and nobody suspects that I see through every soul. For several years I have thought I could read the souls of everybody. Maybe it is not so. . . .”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“A veces añoro lugares que ni siquiera sé que existen.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Det kan regne og storme, det er ikke derpaa det kommer an, ofte kan en liten Glæde bemægtige sig en paa en Regnveirsdag og faa en til at gaa avsides med sin Lykke. Man stiller sig da op og gir sig til at se ret frem, nu og da ler man tyst og ser sig omkring. Hvad tenker man paa? En klar Rute i et Vindu, en Solstraale i Ruten, en Utsigt til en liten Bæk og kanske til en blaa Rift på Himlen. Det behøver ikke at være mere.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Gladness is intoxicating. I fire my gun and an unforgettable echo answers from crag to crag, floats out over the sea and rings in some sleepless helmsman’s ears. What am I glad about? A thought that comes to me, a memory, a sound in the forest, a human being. I think of her—I close my eyes and stand still on the road and think of her, counting the minutes.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“¿no cree usted, señorita, que los seres humanos de esta región se parecen al corto verano? ¿que son tan efímeros y fascinantes como él?”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Engang kom han med skjorten åpen og han var tykt lodden på brystet. Det er som en eng å lægge sig i! tænkte jeg, for jeg var så ung. Jeg kysset ham nogen ganger, det er på det jeg vet at jeg aldrig har oplevet noget lignende.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“U jesen može se katkad videti, kako zvezde padaju. Eto, mislim ja tada u svojoj samoći, možda se to trza čitav jedan svet tamo gore? Svet se raspada u komade pred mojim očima? I meni – je palo u deo, da u svom životu vidim smrt zvezda!”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“I de siste Dager har jeg tænkt og tænkt paa Nordlandssommerens evige Dag. Jeg sitter her og tænker paa den og paa en Hytte som jeg bodde i og paa Skogen bak Hytten og jeg gir mig til at skrive noget ned for at forkorte Tiden og for min Fornøielses Skyld.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Ritengo di essere capace di leggere un poco nell'animo delle persone che mi circondano. Forse non è così. Nelle mie giornate migliori ho l'impressione di scrutare in fondo all'animo altrui, anche se non sono poi una gran testa. Siamo seduti in una stanza, qualche uomo, qualche donna e io. e mi sembra di vedere quel che accade dentro queste persone, e cosa pensano di me. Attribuisco un significato ad ogni cenno che appare nei loro occhi, a volte il sangue sale alle loro guance e le fa arrossire, altre volte fingono di guardare da un'altra parte e invece mi tengono d'occhio di nascosto. E io sto li e osservo tutto questo e nessuno sospetta che metto a nudo ogni anima.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Det var gode tider, dagene blev længere og luften mere skjær, jeg rustet mig for to dager og drev tilfjælds, til fjældtinderne, jeg traf renlapper og fik ost av dem, små fete oster med urteagtig smak. Jeg var der mere end en gang.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Fra min Hytte kunde jeg se et Virvar av Øer og Holmer og Skjær, litt av Sjøen, nogen blaanende Fjældtinder, og bak Hytten laa Skogen, en uhyre Skog. Jeg blev fuld av Glæde og Tak ved Duften av Røtter og Løv, av den fete Os av Furuen, som minder om Lukten av Marv; først i Skogen kom alt indeni mig i Stilhet, min Sjæl blev egal og fuld av Magt.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Jeg gik Dag efter Dag i Aaserne med Æsop ved min Side og jeg ønsket intet heller end at faa vedbli at gaa der Dag efter Dag, skjønt det endnu laa Sne og bløt Sørpe over den halve Mark.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Til andre Tider kan selv usædvanlige Oplevelser ikke formaa at rykke en ut av en jævn og fattig Stemning; midt i en Ballsal kan man sitte sikker, likegyldig og upaavirket. For det er ens eget Indre som er Sorgens eller Glædens Kilde.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Og intet Rop, intet Menneskes Ord hørtes noget Sted, ingenting, men bare det tunge Sus omkring mit Hode.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Det sætter en søt Stripe gjennem mig fra øverst til nederst naar Solen staar op; jeg kaster Børsen paa Akslen under en tyst Jubel.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“En Mil nedenunder mig saa jeg Havet; Fjældsiderne var vaate og sorte av Vand som rislet nedover dem, dryppet og rislet under samme bittelille Melodi. Disse smaa Melodier langt inde i Fjældene kortet mig mangen Stund naar jeg sat og saa mig om. Nu risler den lille endeløse Tone her i sin Ensomhet, tænkte jeg, og ingen hører den og ingen tænker paa den, men allikevel risler den her for sig selv hele Tiden, hele Tiden! Og jeg syntes ikke længer at Fjældet var aldeles øde naar jeg hørte denne Rislen.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Light dresses, blue eyes, the tinkling of glasses, the sea, the white sails. We sang snatches of song. And our cheeks became rosy.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“But it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters now.” And the sound of her voice in the forest was just like a little tremulous song.   And the leaves turn even more yellow, fall is approaching; more stars have appeared in the sky, and from now on the moon looks like a shadow of silver dipped in gold.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“- Jeg elsker tre ting, sier jeg så. Jeg elsker en kjærlighetsdrøm jeg hadde engang, jeg elsker dig og jeg elsker denne plet jord.

- Og hvad elsker du mest?

-Drømmen.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“After an hour my senses begin to vibrate in a definite rhythm, I tune into the great stillness, I tune in. I gaze at the crescent moon sitting like a white shell in the sky, and I have a feeling of love for it, I feel I’m blushing. It’s the moon, I say softly and passionately, it’s the moon! And my heart beats toward it with a gentle throbbing. It lasts for several minutes. It blows a little, a strange wind is coming, an unusual blast of air. What is it? I look around and see no one. The wind calls me and my soul bows in answer to the call,37 I feel myself lifted out of my sphere, pressed to an invisible breast, my eyes are moist with tears, I tremble—God is somewhere near looking at me. This lasts for another few minutes. I turn my head, the strange blast of air is gone, and I see something like the back of a spirit wandering soundlessly through the forest. . . .”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Wasn’t Pan sitting in a tree watching to see how I would comport myself? Wasn’t his belly open, and wasn’t he hunched over so that he seemed to be drinking from his own belly? But all this he did only so he could cock his eye and watch me, and the whole tree shook from his silent laughter when he saw that my thoughts were running away with me.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“Jeg traf ham en morgen før jagttid, han var fem og tyve år og kom fra fjærne reiser, han spaserte ved min side i haven og da han berørte mig med sin arm begyndte jeg å elske ham.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

“...porque es tu propio interior el que constituye la fuente del dolor y de la alegría.”
― Knut Hamsun, quote from Pan

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Popular quotes

“The rain accompanied Faolan as he travelled inland to the crossroads where he must at last make a choice of ways. He tried to fix his mind on the decision ahead, but thoughts of Deord intruded: Deord strong and serene as guard to a solitary, gifted captive; Deord devoting all he had left, after Breakstone, to keeping that wrongly imprisoned man safe from his own brother and from himself. Deord, at the end, fighting one last, heroic battle and dying so Faolan and Ana and the remarkable Drustan could go free.”
― Juliet Marillier, quote from The Well of Shades

“That must be Dong Zhuo!” cried Zhang Fei. “What’s the use of pursuing Lu Bu? Better seize the chief villain and so eradicate the evil by plucking up its roots.”
― Luo Guanzhong, quote from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 1

“She's proud of you. She said so herself. And she knows you deserved a chance to be happy. I know that, too" I added. "I just wish Henry could look at me the way he looks at you."
Persephone wrapped her fingers around mine. "You should be glad he doesn't. When he looks at me, he hurts. But when he sees you..." She smiled faintly "He has hope. I'm not surprised you don't notice it. It took me a while to read him, too. I spent thousands of years with him though, and I know that look. I saw it the day we got married. You don't forget the first time someone looks at you like that.”
― Aimee Carter, quote from Goddess Interrupted

“نعم ، رب خاطر هو أقرب الخواطر إلى الجنون ، وأدناها إلى الاستحالة ، يبلغ من قوة رسوخه في الغكر أن المرء يخاله ممكن التحقيق ، حتى إذا كان هذا الخاطر مرتبطا برغبة قوية ملتهبة جامحة أعتقد المرء أخيرا أنه أمرا حتمي ، ضروري ، فرضه القدر منذ الأزل ، أمر لا يمكن إلا أن يكون ، ولا يمكن إلا أن يحدث! وبما كان ههنا شئ أكثر من ذلك: ربما كان ههنا مزيج من نبوءات يحسها المرء ، ومن جهد خارق تبذله الإرادة ، ومن خيال سمم المرء به نفسه بنفسه ، ومن أشياء أخرى أيضا ... لست أدري ...”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, quote from The Gambler

“Have you been to the police?’ Richard asked. ‘Yes.’ She made a gesture of disgust and rose and walked to the window. ‘They said it happens all the time – coloured men running off from their families. They said they’d try to find him. But they don’t care. They don’t care what happens – to a black man!’ ‘Oh, well, now,’ cried Richard, his face red, ‘is that fair? I mean, hell, I’m sure they’ll look for him just like they look for any other citizen of this city.’ She looked at him. ‘How would you know? I do know – know what I’m talking about. I say they don’t care – and they don’t care.’ ‘I don’t think you should look at it like that.”
― James Baldwin, quote from Another Country

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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.