Quotes from Peony in Love

Lisa See ·  273 pages

Rating: (38.6K votes)


“He was in my hair, my eyes, my fingers, my heart. I day-dreamed about what he was doing, thinking, seeing, smelling, feeling. I could not eat for thoughts of him.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe are if only.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“I've come to believe that part of lovesickness comes from this conflict between control and desire. In love we have no control. Our hearts and minds are tormented, teased, enticed and delighted by the overwhelming strength of emotions that make us try to forget the real world.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“All women on earth-- and men, too for that matter-- hope for the kind of love that transforms us, raises us up out of the everyday, & gives us the courage to survive our little deaths: the heartache of unfulfilled dreams, of career and personal disappointments, of broken love affairs.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“When people are alive they love, when they die, they keep loving. If love ends when person dies, that is not real love”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love



“How can we not create a fantasy in our minds when the reality is so hard?”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming -- weren't our dreams what gave us strength, hope, and desire?”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“My heart is empty & my life has no value anymore. Each moment a thousand tears.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“Perhaps he was afraid as I was that we'd be caught. Or perhaps he was breathing me in just as I was letting him come into my lungs, my eyes, my heart.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“I didn't know you would be here last night, but you were. We can't fight fate. Instead, we must accept that fate has given us a special opportunity.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love



“كل النساء على الأرض والرجال أيضاُ ، يتمنون ذلك النوع من الحب الذي يحولنا ويرتقي بنا فوق الحياة اليومية ويمنحنا الشجاعة لنتخطى مآسينا الصغيرة :كـ انفطار قلوبنا على الأحلام التي لم تتحقق وخيبات الأمل الشخصية وعلاقات الحب المحطمة .”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“إن القصص تخبرنا كيف ينبغي لنا أن نعيش ..”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“My love for him had never gone away but only changed, growing deeper like wine fermenting or pickles curing. It bore into me with the pervasiveness of water working its way to the center of a mountain.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“The greatest calling of all is to have a literary life.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“Poetry is on earth to make you serene, not corrupt your mind, thoughts,or emotions”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love



“Let those who believe, believe. Let those who doubt, doubt.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“Gone were my girlish ideas about romantic love and my later ideas about sexual love. From Yi, I learned to appreciate deep-heart love.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe are if only.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“I saw that deep-heart love meant loving someone in spite of and because of his limitations.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“When in the world did anyone die from a dream?”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love



“عندما يكون الناس أحياء فإنهم يحبون . وعندما يموتون يستمرون بالحب. وإن إنتهى الحب بموت الإنسان, فهذا ليس بحب حقيقي”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“فهمت كم يمكن لروعة الربيع أن تكون مزعجة و وقتية”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“أليست الاحلام هي ما تمنحنا القوة والأمل والرغبة”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“إن معظم من يحزنون لزوال الربيع يتأثرون كل التأثر لرؤية البراعم المتساقطة, كما شعرت عندما مشيت لآخر مرة في حديقتنا. إن لينيانغ ترى الاوراق فتدرك أن شبابها وجمالها عابران, ولكنها لاتدرك أن حياتها هشة أيضا”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“إن الزواج يشبه في نظرنا نحن البنات الموت من بعض النواحي لاننا نودع آباءنا وأمهاتنا وعماتنا وأبناء عمنا وخادماتنا اللواتي اعتنين بنا ونذهب إلى حياة جديدة كليا. فنعيش مع عائلاتنا الحقيقية التي تدرج اسماءنا في قاعة اسلافها .وبهذه الطريقة يشبه الزواج الموت والبعث من جديد من دون الذهاب الى العالم الإخر”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love



“I want a marriage of companions—one of shared lives and shared poems,' he murmured. 'If we were husband and wife, we would collect books, read, and drink tea together. As I told you before, I'd want you for what's in here.'
Again he pointed to my heart, but I felt it in a place far lower in my body.”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“إليكم حقيقة من حقائق الموت : أحيانا ينسى المرء أشياء اعتبرها في الماضي مهمة”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“قبل ألف سنة , كتب الشاعر هان يون قائلا"كل الكائنات التي لاتعيش بسلام تصيح". وقارن بهذا حاجة البشر إلى التعبير عن مشاعرهم بالكتابة ,بالقوى الطبيعية التي تجبر النباتات على الحفيف في الرياح أو المعادن على الرنين”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


“لماذا تشبه أفكار النساء الازهار في مهب الرياح. فتنجرف مع التيار وتتلاشى بلا أثر?”
― Lisa See, quote from Peony in Love


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About the author

Lisa See
Born place: Paris, France
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“There was a few seconds' pause. Then Amit said: I meant, what were you thinking just now.

When? said Lata.

When you were looking at Pran and Savita. Over the pudding.

Oh.

Well, what?

I can't remember, said Lata with a smile.

Amit laughed.

Why are you laughing? asked Lata

I like making you feel uncomfortable, I suppose.

Oh. Why?

--Or happy--or puzzled--just to see your change of mood. It's such fun. I pity you!

Why? said Lata, startled.

Because you'll never know what a pleasure it is to be in your company.

Do stop talking like that, said Lata. Ma will come in any minute.

You're quite right. In that case: Will you marry me?

Lata dropped her cup. It fell to the floor and broke. She looked at the broken pieces--luckily, it has been empty--and then at Amit.

Quick! said Amit. Before they come running to see what's happened. Say yes.

Lata had knelt down; she was gathering he bits of the cup together and placing them on the delicately patterned blue-and-gold saucer.

Amit joined her on the floor. Her face was only a few inches away from his, but her mind appeared to be somewhere else. he wanted to kiss her but he sensed that there was no question of it. One by one she picked up the shards of china.

Was it a family heirloom? asked Amit.

What? I'm sorry--said Lata, snapped out of her trance by the words.

Well, I suppose I'll have to wait. I was hoping that by springing it on you like that I'd surprise you into agreeing...

...Do stop being idotic, Amit, said Lata. You're so brilliant, do you have to be so stupid as well? I should only take you seriously in black and white.

And in sickness and health.

Lata laughed: For better and for worse, she added.”
― Vikram Seth, quote from A Suitable Boy


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― Matthew Quick, quote from The Silver Linings Playbook


“Matt discovered that no matter how terrified he’d been at first, it wasn’t possible to stay terrified. It was as though his brain said, Okay. That’s enough. Let’s find something else to do.”
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