Quotes from Silent to the Bone

E.L. Konigsburg ·  272 pages

Rating: (5.9K votes)


“I don't think there is any feeling I like more than the one that someone is glad to see me.

—Connor Kane”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“Talk was like the vitamins of our friendship: Large daily doses kept it healthy.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“Silence does for thinking what a suspension bridge does for space -- it makes connections.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“I'm not sure that love and like aren't like cats and dogs: One can't grow up to be the other, but they can be taught to live under the same roof.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“Because way down deep they know that civilized people have to preserve rare birds.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone



“Branwell told a cruel lie in silence.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“She thanked me again and then said, ''Some people say 'God is in the details.' Others say it's the Devil.'' Margaret replied, 'Maybe it depends on who's reporting the details.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“A good lawyer never asks a witness a question she doesn't know the answer to.' 'But, Margaret, I'm not trying to be a good lawyer. I'm trying to be a good friend.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“But no one was prouder of me or happier for me than Branwell, and I think he would not have been prouder or happier if he had won himself. And I don't know anyone anywhere who has a friend like that.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


“I am truly anxious to get on with my life.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone



“Friendship depends on interlocking time, place, and state of mind.”
― E.L. Konigsburg, quote from Silent to the Bone


About the author

E.L. Konigsburg
Born place: in New York, The United States
Born date February 10, 1930
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“Because nothing is as good as you can imagine it. No one is as beautiful as she is in your head. Nothing is as exciting as your fantasy.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, quote from Choke


“never disperse your focus unless absolutely necessary. Face one adversary at a time.”
― Dan Brown, quote from Deception Point


“Crossing the room, he stopped infront of me. "I'm not going to bite."
"That's good."
"Unless you want me to," He said with a devilish grin.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, quote from Onyx


“And when I look around the apartment where I now am,—when I see Charlotte’s apparel lying before me, and Albert’s writings, and all those articles of furniture which are so familiar to me, even to the very inkstand which I am using,—when I think what I am to this family—everything. My friends esteem me; I often contribute to their happiness, and my heart seems as if it could not beat without them; and yet—if I were to die, if I were to be summoned from the midst of this circle, would they feel—or how long would they feel—the void which my loss would make in their existence? How long! Yes, such is the frailty of man, that even there, where he has the greatest consciousness of his own being, where he makes the strongest and most forcible impression, even in the memory, in the heart of his beloved, there also he must perish,—vanish,—and that quickly.

I could tear open my bosom with vexation to think how little we are capable of influencing the feelings of each other. No one can communicate to me those sensations of love, joy, rapture, and delight which I do not naturally possess; and though my heart may glow with the most lively affection, I cannot make the happiness of one in whom the same warmth is not inherent.

Sometimes I don’t understand how another can love her, is allowed to love her, since I love her so completely myself, so intensely, so fully, grasp nothing, know nothing, have nothing but her!

I possess so much, but my love for her absorbs it all. I possess so much, but without her I have nothing.

One hundred times have I been on the point of embracing her. Heavens! what a torment it is to see so much loveliness passing and repassing before us, and yet not dare to lay hold of it! And laying hold is the most natural of human instincts. Do not children touch everything they see? And I!

Witness, Heaven, how often I lie down in my bed with a wish, and even a hope, that I may never awaken again! And in the morning, when I open my eyes, I behold the sun once more, and am wretched. If I were whimsical, I might blame the weather, or an acquaintance, or some personal disappointment, for my discontented mind; and then this insupportable load of trouble would not rest entirely upon myself. But, alas! I feel it too sadly; I am alone the cause of my own woe, am I not? Truly, my own bosom contains the source of all my pleasure. Am I not the same being who once enjoyed an excess of happiness, who at every step saw paradise open before him, and whose heart was ever expanded towards the whole world? And this heart is now dead; no sentiment can revive it. My eyes are dry; and my senses, no more refreshed by the influence of soft tears, wither and consume my brain. I suffer much, for I have lost the only charm of life: that active, sacred power which created worlds around me,—it is no more. When I look from my window at the distant hills, and behold the morning sun breaking through the mists, and illuminating the country around, which is still wrapped in silence, whilst the soft stream winds gently through the willows, which have shed their leaves; when glorious Nature displays all her beauties before me, and her wondrous prospects are ineffectual to extract one tear of joy from my withered heart,—I feel that in such a moment I stand like a reprobate before heaven, hardened, insensible, and unmoved. Oftentimes do I then bend my knee to the earth, and implore God for the blessing of tears, as the desponding labourer in some scorching climate prays for the dews of heaven to moisten his parched corn.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, quote from The Sorrows of Young Werther


“Black bears rarely attack. But here's the thing. Sometimes they do. All bears are agile, cunning and immensely strong, and they are always hungry. If they want to kill you and eat you, they can, and pretty much whenever they want. That doesn't happen often, but - and here is the absolutely salient point - once would be enough.”
― Bill Bryson, quote from A Walk in the Woods


Interesting books

Sophie's Choice
(73.8K)
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
Sophie's World
(152.4K)
Sophie's World
by Jostein Gaarder
The Time Machine
(327.6K)
The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells
The Secret History
(209.5K)
The Secret History
by Donna Tartt
City of Lost Souls
(348.5K)
City of Lost Souls
by Cassandra Clare
The Prince of Tides
(171.8K)
The Prince of Tides
by Pat Conroy

About BookQuoters

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.