Quotes from Push Not the River

James Conroyd Martin ·  496 pages

Rating: (2.7K votes)


“What is past, one cannot change,
so each backward glance is a bit of the present slipping away.”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“If there is no wind, you must learn to row.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“Push not the river; it will flow on its own accord.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“Life is like the moon— now dark, now full.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“No man knows courage,” his father had told him, “who has not known fear.”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River



“Few Polish citizens left on the Praga side of the River Vistula were allowed to live. The burning of the bridge was fortuitous, however, for the Russians were held at bay, allowing the night to cool their red rage. In the morning, the English ambassador to Poland and the Papal Nuncio crossed the river and secured from Suvorov assurance that the capital would be taken peacefully.”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“There are three things that are difficult to keep hidden: a fire, a cold, and love.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“There's no key to the woods and fields.”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“Wherever you go, you can never leave yourself behind.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“Follow your heart. Indulge your whims. They are usually correct. And when they are not, do not allow the world to judge you overly much.”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River



“A child, she reasoned, does not pick its parents nor the circumstances of its birth. A”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


“The roots of learning are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.   —Polish Proverb”
― James Conroyd Martin, quote from Push Not the River


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About the author

James Conroyd Martin
Born place: in Philadelphia, The United States
Born date June 10, 2018
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Popular quotes

“Um… Eve…can I ask…?”
“About what?” Eve was still frowning at the pasta like she suspected it to do something clever, like try to escape the pot.
“You and Michael.”
“Oh.” A surge of pink to Eve’s cheeks. Between that and the fact that she was wearing colors outside of the Goth red and black rainbow, she looked young and very cute. “Well. I don’t know if it’s – God, he’s just so–”
“Hot?” Claire asked.
“Hot,” Eve admitted. “Nuclear hot. Surface of the sun hot. And–”
She stopped, the flush in her cheeks getting darker.
Claire picked up a wooden spoon and poked the pasta, which was beginning to loosen up. “And?”
“And I was planning on putting the moves on him before all this happened. That’s why I had on the garters and stuff. Planning ahead.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah, embarrassing. Did he peek?”
“When you were changing?” Claire asked. “I don’t think so. But I think he wanted to.”
“That’s okay then.” Eve blinked down at the pasta, which had formed a thick white foam on top. “Is it supposed to be doing that?”
Claire hadn’t ever seen it happen at her parents’ house. But then again, they hadn’t made spaghetti much. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, crap!” The white foam kept growing, like in one of those cheesy science fiction movies. The foam that ate the Glass House…it mushroomed up over the top of the pot and down over the sides, and both girls yelped as it hit the burners and began to sizzle and pop. Claire grabbed the pot and moved it. Eve turned down the burner. “Right, pasta makes foam, good to know. Too hot. Way too hot.”
“Who? Michael?” Claire asked, and they dissolved in giggles.”
― Rachel Caine, quote from The Dead Girls' Dance


“And then their voices stopped and their souls stood still and they ceased being who they had been. Because who they were had always been determined by him.”
― Melina Marchetta, quote from On the Jellicoe Road


“know now what matters, and it is not what I have lost. It is my memories. Wounds heal. Love lasts.”
― Kristin Hannah, quote from The Nightingale


“Everything frightens me, and it's well that it does. Fear is a good friend to the hunted, it's kept me alive this long. The dead are fearless, and I don't care to join them.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from The Blade Itself


“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”
― Eckhart Tolle, quote from A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose


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