“I feel I stand in a desert with my hands outstretched, and you are raining down upon me.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Do people always fall in love with things they can't have?'
'Always,' Carol said, smiling, too.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“It would be Carol, in a thousand cities, a thousand houses, in foreign lands where they would go together, in heaven and in hell.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“But there was not a moment when she did not see Carol in her mind, and all she saw, she seemed to see through Carol. That evening, the dark flat streets of New York, the tomorrow of work, the milk bottle dropped and broken in her sink, became unimportant. She flung herself on her bed and drew a line with a pencil on a piece of paper. And another line, carefully, and another. A world was born around her, like a bright forest with a million shimmering leaves.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“I know what they'd like, they'd like a blank they could fill in. A person already filled in disturbs them terribly.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“What was it to love someone, what was love exactly, and why did it end or not end? Those were the real questions, and who could answer them?”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“January. It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door. Its cold sealed the city in a gray capsule. January was moments, and January was a year. January rained the moments down, and froze them in her memory: [...]Every human action seemed to yield a magic. January was a two-faced month, jangling like jester's bells, crackling like snow crust, pure as any beginning, grim as an old man, mysteriously familiar yet unknown, like a word one can almost but not quite define.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Perhaps it was freedom itself that choked her.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Then Carol slipped her arm under her neck, and all the length of their bodies touched fitting as if something had prearranged it. Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh. She had a vision of a pale white flower, shimmering as if seen in darkness, or through water. Why did people talk of heaven, she wondered”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“How was it possible to be afraid and in love... The two things did not go together. How was it possible to be afraid, when the two of them grew stronger together every day? And every night. Every night was different, and every morning. Together they possessed a miracle.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“It always gets late with you. - Is that a compliment?”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“I think people often try to find through sex things that are much easier to find in other ways.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“And she did not have to ask if this was right, no one had to tell her, because this could not have been more right or perfect.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Was it love or wasn't it that she felt for Carol? And how absurd it was that she didn't even know. She had heard about girls falling in love, and she knew what kind of people they were and what they looked like. Neither she nor Carol looked like that. Yet the way she felt about Carol passed all the tests for love and fitted all the descriptions.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Carol raised her hand slowly and brushed her hair back, once on either side, and Therese smiled because the gesture was Carol, and it was Carol she loved and would always love. Oh, in a different way now because she was a different person, and it was like meeting Carol all over again, but it was still Carol and no one else. It would be Carol, in a thousand cities, a thousand houses, in foreign lands where they would go together, in heaven and in hell. Therese waited. Then as she was about to go to her, Carol saw her, seemed to stare at her incredulously a moment while Therese watched the slow smile growing, before her arm lifted suddenly, her hand waved a quick, eager greeting that Therese had never seen before. Therese walked toward her.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“She thought of people she had seen holding hands in movies, and why shouldn't she and Carol?”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“But when they kissed goodnight in bed, Therese felt their sudden release, that leap of response in both of them, as if their bodies were of some materials which put together inevitably created desire.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Their eyes met at the same instant moment, Therese glancing up from a box she was opening, and the woman just turning her head so she looked directly at Therese. She was tall and fair, her long figure graceful in the loose fur coat that she held open with a hand on her waist, her eyes were grey, colorless, yet dominant as light or fire, and, caught by them, Therese could not look away. She heard the customer in front of her repeat a question, and Therese stood there, mute. The woman was looking at Therese, too, with a preoccupied expression, as if half her mind were on whatever is was she meant to buy here, and though there were a number of salesgirls between them, There felt sure the woman would come to her, Then, Then Therese saw her walk slowly towards the counter, heard her heart stumble to catch up with the moment it had let pass, and felt her face grow hot as the woman came nearer and nearer.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Do you like her'
''Of course!' What a question! Like asking her if she believe in God.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“What could be duller than past history!' Therese said, smiling. 'Maybe futures that won't have any history.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“I let it boil and it's got scum on it," Carol said annoyedly. "I'm sorry."
But Therese loved it, because she knew this was exactly what Carol would always do, be thinking of something else and let the milk boil.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Her life was a series of zigzags. At nineteen, she was anxious.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Was life, were human relations like this always, Therese wondered. Never solid ground underfoot. Always like gravel, a little yielding, noisy so the whole world could hear, so one always listened, too, for the loud, harsh step of the intruder's foot.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“The dusky and faintly sweet smell of her perfume came to Therese again, a smell suggestive of dark green silk, that was hers alone, like the smell of a special flower.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“An inarticulate anxiety, a desire to know, know anything, for certain, had jammed itself in her throat so for a moment she felt she could hardly breathe. Do you think, do you think, it began. Do you think both of us will die violently someday, be suddenly shut off? But even that question wasn’t definite enough. Perhaps it was a statement after all: I don’t want to die yet without knowing you. Do you feel the same way, Carol? She could have uttered the last question, but she could not have said all that went before it.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“At any rate, Therese thought, she was happier than she ever had been before. And why worry about defining everything?”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“I think friendships are the result of certain needs that can be completely hidden from both people, sometimes hidden forever.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“...It had all happened in that instant she had seen Carol standing in the middle of the floor, watching her. Then the realization that so much had happened after that meeting made her feel incredibly lucky suddenly. It was so easy for a man and woman to find each other, to find someone who would do, but for her to have found Carol-”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was pretense, like pretending self-control when something you loved was dead in front of your eyes. They would have to separate here.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from The Price of Salt
“Stop it, you two!” Spiderleg’s stern mew echoed around the hollow as he separated his kits. “We were just playing,” Toadkit complained. “Well, play something quieter!” Spiderleg snapped. “I don’t envy you, Graystripe. Two kits are hard enough.” Then he yelped in pain. “When I told you to play something else, Toadkit, I didn’t mean attacking my tail!”
― Erin Hunter, quote from Eclipse
“You know what your problem is? You got too many scruples. One or two is okay, but you get too many of them, and it clogs everything up."
What she said made no sense at all, but was probably right.
"I got some scruples," Lula said, "but I know when to stop. There's a point where you have to say enough is enough and screw scruples.”
― Janet Evanovich, quote from Finger Lickin' Fifteen
“Peter pushed off from the roof and stalked a few feet away, his back to her. “Please tell me this is all some kind of a sick joke.”
“It’s the truth. All of it. That’s why hunters are after me.”
“How did they find out?” Peter asked, swiveling toward her now.
“I think Beck ratted me out. I went to his house this morning and told him what had happened. He was furious, Peter. I’ve never seen anyone that angry.”
“Duh! Now there’s a surprise,” her friend replied sarcastically. “I saw the way he looked at you at your dad’s funeral. Of course he’d be mad. You’re about the only one on the planet who doesn’t realize how he feels about you.”
“He never said anything,” she retorted.
“Hey, we guys don’t blurt out that kind of stuff,” he replied. “It’s against the man code. Beck may never have said how he felt, but everything he did for you should have been a big clue. I mean, come on, how slow are you?”
She glowered at her friend. “I figured he was doing it because of my father.”
“Maybe, but the guy is really into you, Riley.”
“No way. If he’d liked me, he wouldn’t have blown me off and—”
“Ancient history, girl!” he countered. “You were, what, fifteen? Your dad would have torn him apart if he’d touched you. Beck had no other choice.”
“He didn’t have to be so mean.”
“God, will you listen to yourself?” Peter retorted.
“You have no idea how much he hurt me,” she shot back.
“Give it up, will you? You’re my best friend, but you can be a real self-centered asshat sometimes.”
― Jana Oliver, quote from Forgiven
“I'm going to take a shower. You're going to be good, try not to be sexy or freak me out or anything like that. I've got to concentrate, preparing for a formal party is serious business. I don't need distractions."
His eyes went half-mast and his half-grin appeared.
"You're doing it!"I accused.
His eyebrows went up.
I shook my head. "Never mind".
Then I stomped to the shower.”
― Kristen Ashley, quote from Rock Chick Redemption
“War don't ennoble men, it turns 'em into dogs. It poisons the soul.”
― James Jones, quote from The Thin Red Line
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.