Quotes from The Parrot's Theorem

Denis Guedj ·  344 pages

Rating: (2.1K votes)


“Nowadays people rush into print before they’ve even finished the proof.”
― Denis Guedj, quote from The Parrot's Theorem


“Thales did something different. He asked questions to which he didn’t know the answers.”
― Denis Guedj, quote from The Parrot's Theorem


“I forzati del portatile lo guardarono con indulgenza, mentre cercava con ansia febbrile. Il portapenne non c'era più. Si era certamente spezzato! Chinandosi per guardare sotto il tavolo, notò il rigonfiamento in una delle opere che trattavano di matematica e, aprendola, trovò il portapenne di Murano, infilato tra due pagine.”
― Denis Guedj, quote from The Parrot's Theorem


“[...] Quella perdita della libertà nello spazio fisico, aveva trovato il modo di compensarla, sostituendovi spazi di pensiero nuovi. Ciascuno se la cava come può, ammesso che ci riesca.”
― Denis Guedj, quote from The Parrot's Theorem


“I libri non resuscitano i morti, e non fanno di un idiota un uomo capace di ragionare, né di uno stupido un individuo intelligente: aguzzano lo spirito, lo destano, lo affinano e appagano la sua sete di conoscenza. Quanto a chi vuol sapere tutto, è meglio che la famiglia lo faccia curare, perché un simile desiderio non può che nascere da un turbamento dello spirito. Muto quando gli imponi il silenzio, eloquente quando lo fai parlare. Grazie al libro, puoi apprendere nello spazio di un mese quello che un'eternità non ti consentirebbe di apprendere dalle labbra di un sapiente, e questo senza farti contrarre debiti di sapere. Ti libera dall'imbarazzo, ti solleva dalle necessità di frequentare persone odiose e di avere rapporti con individui stupidi e incapaci di comprendere. Ti obbedisce di giorno come di notte, tanto in viaggio quanto nei periodi in cui sei sedentario. Se cadi in disgrazia, non per questo il libro rinuncia a servirti; se venti contrari soffiano contro di te, non ti si rivolta contro. Accade talvolta che il libro sia superiore al suo autore.”
― Denis Guedj, quote from The Parrot's Theorem



About the author

Denis Guedj
Born place: in Setif, Algeria
Born date November 22, 1940
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“If I wasn’t so happy he was alive, I would’ve killed him.”
― Lisa Tawn Bergren, quote from Torrent


“What a silly thing Love is," said the Student as he walked away. "It is not half as useful as Logic, for it does not prove anything, and it is always telling one of things that are not going to happen, and making one believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical, and, as in this age to be practical is everything, I shall go back to Philosophy and study Metaphysics.”
― Oscar Wilde, quote from The Nightingale and the Rose


“And before me the empty table at the Theater Café with my reservation - Barnum Nilsen, 8PM - the only table no one sits at. And this too is an echo, an echo of time, the shadows of a discus spinning through blinding sunlight.”
― Lars Saabye Christensen, quote from The Half Brother


“Enough about body language," said Kira. "I want to practice the link so hit me."
"Hitting you won't make the link easier to detect."
"It's an expression," said Kira.”
― Dan Wells, quote from Fragments


“Now it was just the two of us, Max and me. And about a thousand other people around us.”
― Kimberly Derting, quote from The Pledge


Interesting books

Far North
(3.3K)
Far North
by Marcel Theroux
Wolf Willow
(581)
Wolf Willow
by Wallace Stegner
The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
(5K)
Fade Away
(19K)
Fade Away
by Harlan Coben
The Beck Diet Solution
(1K)
The Beck Diet Soluti...
by Judith S. Beck
The Solace of Leaving Early
(2.9K)
The Solace of Leavin...
by Haven Kimmel

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.