“he knows that it's impossible to tell a wolf
from a man if
he keeps his chin up
and his teeth clean.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“The bullet we're running from is almost never the one that hits us.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“And were you cornered by her,
eye to eye,
you would see that
there are still some watchful creatures
whose essence lies unbound by words.
There is still a wilderness.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Call him Judas if you want
but he did it for reasons
much older than silver.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Some things don't pass, the injuries don't heal they merely find a place in our guts and in our bones where they fitfully rest, tossing and turning between our knuckles and ribs waiting to wake as the shadows grow long.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“The secret must stay and- according to scientists- the love will live. The heart is quite comfortable with secrets. After all, its home is a dark wet place tucked in among all the other organs who aren't talking either.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“That's what love does/ It chases the dragons away/ before their claws can sink in.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“As she stared at the ceiling that first night
her body softly falling back into itself,
she thought of how we dream of journeying
on spaceships to other universes, other worlds,
but really, for the forever,
we're stuck here on the dirt and
the only time we will travel anywhere truly unknowable
is when we slip into the skin of another,
venturing into their mysteries,
always hoping for
a safe landing.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Everyone is always looking in the wrong direction,
we worry about our lovers while losing our jobs
we stress out about cancer while our children run away
we ponder the stars while burning the earth.
Lark used to say the buller we're running from
is almost never the one that hits us.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“There are two things that make
the conscious world move,
decision and desire.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“You either trust or you distrust coincidence. It 's either small doses of magic pulling you to your appointed destiny or the devil trying to lead you down to the thorns.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“The theory is simple.
Every boy, every man, is really
a bit of a golden retriever
or a big chocolate Lab.
Watch any man's eyes
at the bounce of a ball.
His head tilts slightly sideways, just a hair,
as a primitive focus
comes to life.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Like so much of the trouble in the world
it ends simply with exhaustion.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Each dog marks a section of our lives, and in the end, we feed them to the dark, burying them there while we carry on.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“He said, You know, whoever hurt you
dies every time they look in the mirror.
That is how they pay."
She crossed her arms.
"And one day, Maria, you will die too,
but there's no reason for you to die
every day.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Monkeys
What! His partner said.
Monkeys are funny, said Peabody.'So why didn't we we pick monkeys.
His partner sighed and shook his head with sad dismay.
Monkeys? Jesus.
Monkeys' idea of fun is throwing their shit at you. Monkeys always take the joke a step too far.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Minimum wages tends to elicit minimum attention.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“But in all these tales the dog is the innocent shooting star we all wish upon until it burns up, aging fast and disappearing behind our jagged horizons. Each dog marks a section of our lives, and in the end, we feed them to the dark, burying them there while we carry on.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“This coyote is a wily dog born
from ancient trickster bones,
Loki, Hermes, the northwestern Raven of lore”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
“Their love is eternal because time seems to have fled, embarrassed to be sharing such a small apartment with so much dumb affection.”
― Toby Barlow, quote from Sharp Teeth
Toby Barlow
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“Billy noticed the expression on the young man’s face. “Think it’s a conspiracy theory? Once you’re labeled a rebel...someone protesting corporate greed and abuse of power…you’ll notice the dark, unmarked cars following you.” He lit a cigarette. The smoke calmed him. “Freedom is an illusion. Try walking along the road with long hair and it won’t be long before a sheriff pulls up asking questions.” The smoke curled around his face. “Try living your life in touch with nature. The government’s made it illegal to use our sacred plants. They’re afraid we’ll use them and remember how powerful we are. Meanwhile, they destroy the earth for profit and offer us chemicals to heal ourselves.” He snubbed out his cigarette. “Enough is enough. It is time to take back our land, our way of life. The white man has proven he can’t handle the responsibility.” Billy looked at Zachary’s light complexion. “No offense.”
― Elizabeth M. Herrera, quote from Earth Sentinels: The Storm Creators
“When You Return
Fallen leaves will climb back into trees.
Shards of the shattered vase will rise
and reassemble on the table.
Plastic raincoats will refold
into their flat envelopes. The egg,
bald yolk and its transparent halo,
slide back in the thin, calcium shell.
Curses will pour back into mouths,
letters un-write themselves, words
siphoned up into the pen. My gray hair
will darken and become the feathers
of a black swan. Bullets will snap
back into their chambers, the powder
tamped tight in brass casings. Borders
will disappear from maps. Rust
revert to oxygen and time. The fire
return to the log, the log to the tree,
the white root curled up
in the un-split seed. Birdsong will fly
into the lark’s lungs, answers
become questions again.
When you return, sweaters will unravel
and wool grow on the sheep.
Rock will go home to mountain, gold
to vein. Wine crushed into the grape,
oil pressed into the olive. Silk reeled in
to the spider’s belly. Night moths
tucked close into cocoons, ink drained
from the indigo tattoo. Diamonds
will be returned to coal, coal
to rotting ferns, rain to clouds, light
to stars sucked back and back
into one timeless point, the way it was
before the world was born,
that fresh, that whole, nothing
broken, nothing torn apart.”
― Ellen Bass, quote from Like a Beggar
“Look, I don’t do this,” I said. “I don’t know why I’m doing this—this posturing. I’m not any good at it. I came here to give you back the camera and to talk to you. I thought you’d be alone, so we could talk. But as expected, a guy like you has dogs hot on his scent and—” I looked at Tamala. “—bitches can be very territorial, so I’m going to just go.” Tamala dramatically swung her hips as she approached me. “Did you just call me a dog and a bitch?” “Actually…you were redundant. They are one in the same. So, yes, I did.” Tamala charged after me, forcing Eric to immediately stand between her and me.”
― Courtney Lane, quote from The Sordid Promise
“ 13 Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.”
― The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, quote from The LDS Scriptures: Unabridged Complete King James Version Holy Bible /The Book of Mormon / Doctrine and Covenants / The Pearl of Great Price
“Every day of your life, you are faced with opportunities. Unfortunately, the choices that face you are not heroic choices. They are bamboo tree choices. They are small, but progressive choices that steer you in a positive direction and over time you're bound to meet success. For most of us, we spend all our lives waiting for that life changing moment that will change the course of our lives and make us successful. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking. Every day, we choose not to tend to our bamboo tree, a choice is made for us and by the time we realize it, the seasons have passed and we have nothing to show for it.”
― Mary Maina, quote from The Proverbs 31 Lady: Unveiling Her Secrets Before Saying I Do
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The Man Who Would Be...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.
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