“Maybe the play wasn't about miracles. No, maybe it was about the passage of time, and the need for patience, and the ability to forgive. Maybe Shakespeare was saying that even in a world where miracles can happen, there's still going to be pain, and loss, and regret. Because sometimes people die and you can't bring them back. That's what life is Joseph realized, miracles and sadness, side by side.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Time is supposed to move forwards.'
'What if I don't like what happens?'
'Then...you change it.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“But there are other stories waiting to be told, and they will be lost one day, too. Whatever the case, it's all beneath your feet, right now.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Standing on the roof at night, beside the golden ship
I look across the city and I dream a wild trip.
The waves are high, the wind is strong, the moon is white and full.
I smell the salt upon the sea, a strong magnetic pull.
I shout into the endless dark, awaiting the reply:
'Away! Away' It says: 'Away! Now spread your wings and fly.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“That night, cold and alone, Joseph had thought he'd found a portal into the past.
But he'd been wrong. It was a vision of the future.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Albert casually tossed everything back into the water. "Walking along the shore here is like walking on history," he said. "It's like walking on an endless catalogue of lost stories waiting to be told, and they will be lost one day, too. Whatever the case, it's all beneath your feet, right now.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Albert shrugged, but Joseph could sense a world of things his uncle wasn't saying.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“His mother stared into his eyes and paused for a moment. She stood completely still, as if she'd transformed into a statue. Joseph found himself thinking again about the end of The Winter's Tale and the queen's return to life. He still felt angry that the young prince Mamillius hadn't been saved, too, and he thought about Marcus, but as he looked up at his mother's face, a new thought came to him. Maybe the play wasn't about miracles. No, maybe it was about the passage of time, and the need for patience, and the ability to forgive. Maybe Shakespeare was saying that even in a world where miracles can happen, there's still going to pain, and lost, and regret. Because sometimes people die and you can't bring them back. That's what life is Joseph realized, miracles and sadness, side by side.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“So after some instruction, Joseph put on the apron and started carefully polishing the clean dishes even though it made no sense to him.
Over the course of the day, he learned how to wash the floors and clean the windows and empty out the iron stove. Soon the kitchen smelled of lemons and spices, fresh bread and soap.
There was a short break for lunch before resuming work. The light shifted during the afternoon and cascaded through the clean windows, burnishing the room with gold.
Joseph was so focused on the work, on the patters of the silverware and the curve of the handles on the ancient pitchers and measuring cups, that he forgot for a little while about his parents, and St. Anthony's, and the fire, and losing Blink. He felt a kind of pride in being allowed to touch all the delicate glassware, plates, and bowls, and he hadn't broken a single thing.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“The light bounced off the water and shimmered against the buildings on the other side of the river. Joseph walked, listening to the sound of what was beneath his feet, and soon he noticed he was alone. He turned and saw Frankie had stopped beside Albert and filled her jacket pockets. Looking at the two of them, Joseph wondered for a moment if Leo had ever come down here to go mudlarking, his red hair shining in the sun. the vision seemed so vivid, but then Joseph remembered that Leo wasn't real, and the boy dissolved like smoke into the winter sky.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“You either see it or you don't.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Maybe time is like that insect," Blink said, "trapped beneath the crystal of your watch.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Even a broken watch is correct twice a day.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," translated Florent. "By Jules Verne. This book I have not read in many years."
"We're reading it in French class," Joseph said. "It's hard to understand, but I found a line that Uncle Albert would love."
Florent opened to a dog-eared page where Joseph had underlined a sentence and written the translation in the margin. Florent read it out loud. "'Let me tell you, Professor, that you will not regret the time spent on board. You are going to travel in a a land of marvels.”
― Brian Selznick, quote from The Marvels
Brian Selznick
Born place: in East Brunswick, New Jersey, The United States
Born date July 14, 1966
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“I read books when I was a kid, lots of books. Books always seemed like magic to me. They took you to the most amazing places. When I got older, I realized I couldn’t find books that took me to all the places I wanted to go. To go to those places, I had to write some books myself.”
― Pat Murphy, quote from The Wild Girls
“Connie, giving her thoughts on why Vinnie's hot temper is less than normal, says: "Lucille must have fed him a Vallium smoothie this morning.”
― Janet Evanovich, quote from Explosive Eighteen
“There are things we don't do. From this moment forth, let us all ensure our every action reflects well on us and our ancestors. Let us live to the highest standards, lest we win this war only to find ourselves staring in the mirror at the face of our late enemy.”
― Jack Campbell, quote from Dauntless
“I have chiseled features. Look. Look how chiseled they are. And my teeth are at least as white as his. You seriously think he's good-lookin'?"
"I do," said Tanith.
"Right," Sanguine said and nodded. "I'm gonna kill him."
She kept her laugh soft so it wouldn't travel. "I think he's good-looking, but I think you're better looking."
"Oh," Sanguine said. "I mean, yeah. I am. I'm glad you noticed.”
― Derek Landy, quote from The Maleficent Seven: From the World of Skulduggery Pleasant
“A'ohe I pau ka 'ike I ka halau ho'okahi, she said. It was a popular hula adage that meant:All knowledge is not contained in only one school.”
― Wendy Wunder, quote from The Probability of Miracles
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Sleepeth Not, the Ba...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.
