Quotes from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

H.P. Lovecraft ·  128 pages

Rating: (12.3K votes)


“Do not call up that which you cannot put down.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


“Whilst never actually rebuffing a visitor, he always reared such a wall of reserve that few could think of anything to say to him which would not sound inane.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


“With hidden powers of unknown extent apparently at his disposal, Curwen was not a man who could safely be warned to leave town.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


“Have only this consolation--that he was never a fiend or even truly a madman, but only an eager, studious, and curious boy whose love of mystery and of the past was his undoing. He stumbled on things no mortal ought ever to know, and reached back through the years as no one ever should reach; and something came out of those years to engulf him.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


“It is hard to explain just how a single sight of a tangible object with measurable dimensions could so shake and change a man; and we may only say that there is about certain outlines and entities a power of symbolism and suggestion which acts frightfully on a sensitive thinker’s perspective and whispers terrible hints of obscure cosmic relationships and unnamable realities behind the protective illusions of common vision.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward



“It was a godless sound; one of those low-keyed, insidious outrages of Nature which are not meant to be. To call it a dull wail, a doom-dragged whine, or a hopeless howl of chorused anguish and stricken flesh without mind would be to miss its most quintessential loathsomeness and soul-sickening overtones.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


“Allen was perhaps a similar case, and may have persuaded the youth into accepting him as an avatar of the long-dead Curwen.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward


About the author

H.P. Lovecraft
Born place: in Providence, Rhode Island, The United States
Born date August 20, 1890
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“I don’t understand the constant need to prove one’s manhood, as if it is always on the verge of slipping away. We never need to prove our womanhood.”
― Stacey Lee, quote from Under a Painted Sky


“Perfectionism is a particularly evil lure for women, who, I believe, hold themselves to an even higher standard of performance than do men. There are many reasons why women’s voices and visions are not more widely represented today in creative fields. Some of that exclusion is due to regular old misogyny, but it’s also true that—all too often—women are the ones holding themselves back from participating in the first place. Holding back their ideas, holding back their contributions, holding back their leadership and their talents. Too many women still seem to believe that they are not allowed to put themselves forward at all, until both they and their work are perfect and beyond criticism. Meanwhile, putting forth work that is far from perfect rarely stops men from participating in the global cultural conversation. Just sayin’. And I don’t say this as a criticism of men, by the way. I like that feature in men—their absurd overconfidence, the way they will casually decide, “Well, I’m 41 percent qualified for this task, so give me the job!” Yes, sometimes the results are ridiculous and disastrous, but sometimes, strangely enough, it works—a man who seems not ready for the task, not good enough for the task, somehow grows immediately into his potential through the wild leap of faith itself. I only wish more women would risk these same kinds of wild leaps. But I’ve watched too many women do the opposite. I’ve watched far too many brilliant and gifted female creators say, “I am 99.8 percent qualified for this task, but until I master that last smidgen of ability, I will hold myself back, just to be on the safe side.” Now, I cannot imagine where women ever got the idea that they must be perfect in order to be loved or successful. (Ha ha ha! Just kidding! I can totally imagine: We got it from every single message society has ever sent us! Thanks, all of human history!) But we women must break this habit in ourselves—and we are the only ones who can break it. We must understand that the drive for perfectionism is a corrosive waste of time, because nothing is ever beyond criticism. No matter how many hours you spend attempting to render something flawless, somebody will always be able to find fault with it. (There are people out there who still consider Beethoven’s symphonies a little bit too, you know, loud.) At some point, you really just have to finish your work and release it as is—if only so that you can go on to make other things with a glad and determined heart. Which is the entire point. Or should be.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, quote from Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear


“What would life be like without her writing? Writing filled her life with beauty and mystery, gave it life...and promise.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace, quote from Heaven to Betsy


“I preferred a hard truth to a well-meant lie.”
― Jacqueline Carey, quote from Kushiel's Scion


“Aamah would sometimes remind them that the story of an old disputte should be retold only when no aftertaste of bitterness remains upon the tongue.”
― Catherine M. Wilson, quote from A Hero's Tale


Interesting books

Nation
(27.9K)
Nation
by Terry Pratchett
One Grave at a Time
(39.2K)
One Grave at a Time
by Jeaniene Frost
Washington Square
(15.5K)
Washington Square
by Henry James
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
(118.6K)
Team of Rivals: The...
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Whitney, My Love
(26.3K)
Whitney, My Love
by Judith McNaught
The Education of Little Tree
(12.5K)
The Education of Lit...
by Forrest Carter

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.