“Of course it would cost something, but he was an expert in cutting corners; and when there were no more corners left he would make circles rounder.”
― Bernard Malamud, quote from The Magic Barrel
“Her face deeply moved him. Why, he could at first not say. It gave him the impression of youth--spring flowers, yet age--a sense of having been used to the bone, wasted; this came from the eyes, which were hauntingly familiar, yet absolutely strange. He had a vivid impression that he had met her before, but try as he might he could not place her although he could almost recall her name, as he had read it in her own handwriting. No, this couldn't be; he would have remembered her. It was not, he affirmed, that she had an extraordinary beauty--no, though her face was attractive enough; it was that something about her moved him. Feature for feature, even some of the ladies of the photographs could do better; but she lapsed forth to this heart--had lived, or wanted to--more than just wanted, perhaps regretted how she had lived--had somehow deeply suffered: it could be seen in the depths of those reluctant eyes, and from the way the light enclosed and shone from her, and within her, opening realms of possibility: this was her own. Her he desired. His head ached and eyes narrowed with the intensity of his gazing, then as if an obscure fog had blown up in the mind, he experienced fear of her and was aware that he had received an impression, somehow, of evil. He shuddered, saying softly, it is thus with us all. Leo brewed some tea in a small pot and sat sipping it without sugar, to calm himself. But before he had finished drinking, again with excitement he examined the face and found it good: good for Leo Finkle. Only such a one could understand him and help him seek whatever he was seeking. She might, perhaps, love him. How she had happened to be among the discards in Salzman's barrel he could never guess, but he knew he must urgently go find her.”
― Bernard Malamud, quote from The Magic Barrel
“She is not for you. She is a wild one--wild, without shame. This is not a bride for a rabbi".”
― Bernard Malamud, quote from The Magic Barrel
“Leo hurried up to bed and hid under the covers. Under the covers he thought his life through. Although he soon fell asleep he could not sleep her out of his mind. He woke, beating his breast. Though he prayed to be rid of her, his prayers went unanswered. Through days of torment he endlessly struggled not to love her; fearing success, he escaped it. He then concluded to convert her to goodness, himself to God. The idea alternately nauseated and exalted him.”
― Bernard Malamud, quote from The Magic Barrel
“But that’s what happened, Freeman, who had often been in love, told himself. Until you were lovers you were strangers.”
― Bernard Malamud, quote from The Magic Barrel
Bernard Malamud
Born place: in Brooklyn, New York, The United States
Born date April 28, 1914
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“Pythagoras apparently wrote nothing, and yet his influence was so great that the more attentive of his followers formed a secretive society, or brotherhood, and were known as the Pythagoreans.
Aristippus of Cyrene tells us in his Account of Natural Philosphers that Pythagoras derived his name from the fact that he was speaking (agoreuein) truth like the God at Delphi (tou Pythiou).”
― quote from The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
“What about Gloria Katz and Susan Milano?” Myron asked. “Where are they?” Cole smiled without mirth or humor. Myron saw the missing teeth and wondered if they were part of the disguise or something more sinister. “I’ll tell you about them another time,” he said. Myron”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Fade Away
“But I’m not naturally thin. I do struggle. I do deserve credit every single time I think about something in a helpful way or engage in helpful behavior.”
― Judith S. Beck, quote from The Beck Diet Solution
“...he said almost nothing, and ground his teeth against his desire to tell them the truth: God is helpless. We are at the mercy of our own radical freedom, and all God can do is take into God's self the grief, the violence, the sublime acts of kindness, the good sex. God comes to us from the future, and has only one godlike gift: the lure. We are lured toward truth, beauty, and goodness...the lure is pulling at our hearts like some lucid joy inside every actual occasion and all we have to do is...Say yes.”
― Haven Kimmel, quote from The Solace of Leaving Early
“(...) rozwścieczyło to jeszcze bardziej, wypchnęła do przodu swój gigantyczny biust tak, że Haakani aż się potknął cofając, i palnęła, że lepiej by sobie possał cyca, jeśli nie ma nic ważniejszego do powiedzenia. Kobiety zarechotały szorstko, a Haakani poczerwieniał. Potem powiedział, że na palce będzie się siłował dopiero, gdy baba wychyli kieliszek wódki. Ponieważ była chrześcijanką, odmówiła. Sprzeczali się, wałkując temat tam i z powrotem. W końcu, z czystej złości, Hilma chwyciła spory kieliszek bimbru, wypiła do dna i wystawiła swój długi pazur. Wszyscy ucichli i przerażeni wlepili oczy w staruszkę.”
― Mikael Niemi, quote from Popular Music from Vittula
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Shadow's EdgeBookQuoters 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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