Quotes from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“That was the best kind of story: when the teller was as much under its spell as the listener.”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“She took to reading with a fervor so extreme, Baba Joseph had to take the books from her hands by force. 'Your eyes are not tractors. They are not meant to pull heavy loads,' he said sternly.”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“Knowledge is a house that must be built from the ground up. We know how to make the roof. The information is useless if we don't understand the foundations on which it is to be placed.”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“I am one for whom dangers are play-
things
One who empties men of their
strength as a nut from its shell
The charms you use I chop up for
relish on my porridge
Beware! I am a deadly mamba
Wrestler of legends
A hive of hornets
A man among men”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“If you squat on a path, you'll get boils on your backside.”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

“Tendai remembered his last birthday. It seemed one shouldn't make wishes idly. Who knew which spirits were listening. He considered a moment and then thought, I wish for courage. Because with courage, you weren't afraid to look at the truth. You weren't afraid to ask questions or do the right thing.”
― Nancy Farmer, quote from The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

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Popular quotes

“Humans are the most gloriously bizarre creatures.”
― Jasper Fforde, quote from One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

“Douglas Ainslie: Look. Can you hear yourself? Can you? Do you have any idea what a terrible person you have become? All you give out is this endless negativity, a refusal to see any kind of light and joy, even when it's staring you in the face, and a desperate need to squash any sign of happiness in me or... or... or... anyone else. It's a wonder that I don't fling myself at the first kind word or gesture that comes my way, but I don't, ou... ou... ou... out of some sense of dried-up loyalty and respect, neither of which I ever bloody get in return.
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― Deborah Moggach, quote from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

“Youth is a marvelous garment. How misplaced is the sympathy lavished on adolescents. There is a yet more difficult age which comes later, when one has less to hope for and less ability to change, when one has cast the die and has to settle into a chosen life without the consolations of habit or the wisdom of maturity, when, as in her own case, one ceases to be une jeune fille un peu folle, and becomes merely a woman, worst of all, a wife. The very young have their troubles, but they have at least a part to play, the part of being very young.”
― Iris Murdoch, quote from The Bell

“Driggs, wake up." she shook him. "Driggs!"
"Whaaat?" he groaned, squinting. "Why again? With the shaking?"
She held up the scrap. "I just found this in your pants."
Driggs raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing in my pants?"
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― Gina Damico, quote from Scorch

“In the end, he hurt me more than I hurt him. I broke his heart, but he tore min into a million pieces. Even if I wanted to piece it back together, I would never find them all because he would always be holding some.”
― Claire Contreras, quote from There is No Light in Darkness

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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.