“It's always easier to learn something than to use what you've learned. . . . You're alone when you're learning. But you always use it on other people. It's different when there are other people involved.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“A choice tells the world what is most important to a human being. When a man has a choice to make he chooses what is most important to him, and that choice tells the world what kind of a man he is.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“It is strange how ideas can float about and be ignored until they are put into a book. A book can be a weapon...”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“I held it close to my face and smelled the ink. I have always loved the smell of ink in a new book.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“When the alternative is possible disaster, a man must gamble.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“One derives great moral strength from a cup of coffee," I said.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“You don't want to make mistakes with people. Sometimes when you make a mistake you lose a human soul.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“It's always easier to learn something than to use what you've learned.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“Williamsburg was stifling, narcotized by the heat.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“We become like dead branches and last year's leaves and what the hell good are we for ourselves and the world in a mental ghetto.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“A man must sometimes be forced to make choices, for it is only by his choices that we know what a man truly is.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“They become angry and ugly and they fight anything that's a threat to them. We have to learn how to fight back without hurting them too much.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“It's only a book. But what it means to write a book.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“He's not asking me to make a choice. He's telling me to take a stand. I'm either with him or against him. All or nothing. I'm disgusted with the whole business. I don't want smicha if the price I have to pay for it is to stop thinking.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“A man must be forced to choose. It is only when you are forced to choose that you know what is important to you.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“Take care of your father," he said. "There aren't many people like him around anymore.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“If everybody who had brains and doubts left Orthodoxy, we would be in a great deal of trouble.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“Verbal fraud is worse than monetary fraud.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“Perhaps. But it is childish to think of what might have been.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“How do I convince him that the way we study Talmud is not a threat?'
'But it is a threat, Reuven. I just told you it is a threat. In the hands of those who do not love the tradition it is a dangerous weapon.'
'Everything is dangerous in the wrong hands. How do I convince him that we're not a threat?”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“It's my world, best friend. And I haven't seen anything outside that's better.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“There are times when those who fear God make themselves very unpleasant as human beings.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“We will have many fights. But they will be for the sake of Torah.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“There’s a rabbi in the Talmud who even says there’s no atonement for lashon hara.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
“Gossip, gossip, gossip. Rumors. Tongues. ‘Life and death are in the power of the tongue,’ ” he quoted in Hebrew.”
― Chaim Potok, quote from The Promise
Chaim Potok
Born place: in Buffalo, New York, The United States
Born date February 17, 1929
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“Even when you're down, there is still hope. No matter how bad things get and no matter how small a hope there is, anything is better than nothing, No matter how bad things get, they can always, ALWAYS get worse. Take my word on that.”
― Christina Engela, quote from Demonspawn
“O holy God! The sinless seraphs covered their faces in Your presence. How much more should we who are but sinful creatures bow in reverence before Your throne. You alone are holy. You alone are the transcendent, majestic God. You alone are morally pure. You are perfect light; in You there is no darkness at all. And yet, through Your Son You came to us as our Savior. You came not to pronounce woe but blessing to those who trust in Jesus. Fill our hearts with awe because of Your holiness, and with amazement because of Your love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord we praise You. Amen.”
― Jerry Bridges, quote from The Joy of Fearing God
“If you try to help me in any way, you’ll annoy her, and you’ll not only interfere with her murder timeline… you’ll put yourself IN it.”
― Rebecca McNutt, quote from Mandy and Alecto: The Collected Smog City Book Series
“Give me the setting sun, and I’ll be a richer man than most. For never have I seen gold like that which glows above the earth. Give me the night sky, and I’ll be the richest man for sure. For never have I seen diamonds like those that dance beside the moon.”
― Rachel Morgan, quote from The Faerie Prince
“The dreamers are the saviors of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers.”
― James Allen, quote from As a Man Thinketh: You Are Literally What You Think
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The Killing GameBookQuoters 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.
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