Quotes from The Shoemaker's Wife

Adriana Trigiani ·  475 pages

Rating: (65.9K votes)


“When you lose someone, they take a bigger place in your heart, not a smaller one. Every day it grows, because you don't stop loving them. You wish you could talk to them. You need their advice. But life doesn't always give us what we need, and it's difficult.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Beware the things of this world that can mean everything or nothing.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Moments are history. If you have enough of them, they become a story.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Life, Enza decided, is not about what you get, but what is taken from you. It's in the things we lose that we discover what we most treasure.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“A practical girl never pines; she takes action.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife



“For a woman, love is the highest dream, and if a man promises to build a ladder tall enough to reach it, she believes him, hikes up her skirt, and follows him to the stars.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“If you look around to find meaning in everything that happens, you will end up disappointed. Sometimes there aren’t reasons behind the terrible things that go on. I ask myself, If I knew all the answers, would it help? I lie awake and wonder why I don’t have parents and wonder what will become of my brother and me. But when the morning comes, I realize that there’s nothing to be done about what has already happened. I can only get up and do my chores and push through the day and find the good in it.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“It's the secret to happiness, you know. Only take what you need.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Giacomina had taught her daughter that you must dig constantly for meaning in the sorrow of this life, and that this sorrow must galvanize you, not define you.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Mama always said a good family has one heartbeat. No one knows you like the people you live with, and no one will take up your cause to the outside world quite like your blood relatives.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife



“There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who want to know the facts, and those who want to make up a nice story to feel better. I wish I was the kind who made up stories.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Women move through the world never knowing their power.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Sometimes we get our hearts broken, only to have the right person come along to mend them.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“He promised to love me. And for once in my life, I'm going to do the impractical, unwise, ill-advised thing. I'm going to make a decision based upon the feeling I have in my heart, and not what looks good on paper or makes anyone else happy. I'm going to do something for me, and I'll live with whatever Ciro brings into my life and be happy that I did.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“You must pray.'
'No, Sister.' Ciro smiled weakly. 'I'm not a good Catholic.'
'Well, Ciro, you're a good man, and that's more important.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife



“Ciro took Enza's face in his hands. "I have loved you all of my life. I was a boy who knew nothing, but when I met you, somehow I understood everything”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“He loved his family and he loved beauty. For a true Italian, those are the only two things that matter, because in the end that's what sustains you. Your family gathers around you and shores you up while the beauty uplifts you.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“I've learned one important lesson in my life, and I'm going to share it with you. Don't worry about bad things that haven't happened yet. It will save you a lot of anxiety.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“All you needed is what every girl needs, a good friend. Someone to talk to, to share with, to run things by...”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“When I close my eyes, all I ever see is her face. There is no place or time without her. Where I am doesn't matter when we're apart. All I want is her.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife



“A man who needs a mirror is looking for something.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“He sank into the leather seat and held hope in his heart like a hundred stars.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“A cassock does not make a man a priest, any more than a fine dress makes a woman truly beautiful - or good or generous or intelligent. Don't confuse the way someone looks with the way they are.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“A man needs his father more as life progresses, not less. It is not enough to learn how to use a lathe, milk a cow, repair a roof; there are greater holes to mend, deeper wells to fill, that only a father’s wisdom can sustain. A father teaches his son how to think a problem through, how to lead a household, how to love his wife. A father sets an example for his son, building his character from the soul outward.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Enza thought no place on earth could be colder than the Italian Alps, but now she knew she just had never been to Minnesota.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife



“I’ve learned that it’s fine to have expectations, and dreams are wonderful, but once in a while, it would be good to have something come my way without having to fight for it.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“For Ciro, Enza would sacrifice, fight to put food on the table, worry and fret over babies, and live life in full. She had only one life to share, and one heart to give the man who most deserved it. If she took Ciro on, she was in for a struggle compared to her life with Vito, but the love of all loves was worth it.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“If a man walks in beauty, he will create, and when he creates, he prospers.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


“Ciro had made a bet in proposing to her, and on that same day, Enza made a bet of her own. She was putting all her money, effort and future into a partnership that she believed could not fail. She was going to pour all of herself into her marriage: love would sustain them, and trust would see them through. That was her belief, and that's how she was raised. When she spun the gold ring on her finger, it was as though it was made for her, but it meant even more that her husband had worn it since he was a boy. She was a part of his history now.”
― Adriana Trigiani, quote from The Shoemaker's Wife


Video

About the author

Adriana Trigiani
Born place: The United States
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“There's this party tomorrow night. The client with all the ex-husbands is throwing it, and I've got to go. I know it's last minute, and that Fridays are really busy for you. I'm also sure it's going to be boring. Anyway, if you can't go, I completely understand. But if you don't come with me, I'll be forced to meet rich, eligible bachelors who may or may not have all their original teeth and hair."
I bit my nail as I waited for his answer, trying to prepare myself for the possibility he couldn't go.
"You're not really giving me much of a choice," Jake said. "Not when I know you've got a weakness for bald men with dentures.”
― Cindi Madsen, quote from Cinderella Screwed Me Over


“Seven months Naasir had been hunting. Seven months since he'd told Ashwini he was ready to find a mate. Seven months and still his mate hadn't made herself known to him. Didn't she know he was looking for her?”
― Nalini Singh, quote from Archangel's Enigma


“Yeah. She's got this pretty red hair, green eyes, a smile that could knock the wind out of a guy -"
Casper was shaking his head.
"What?"
"You're right. You don't deserve her. I think you need to introduce her to me."
Derek grinned and reached for him, but Casper danced away.
"You know, I bet she'll take one look at me and forget all about you anyway, Dare."
"You think so."
Casper took off running.
"Yeah, you'd better run, punk!" Derek yelled after him, grinning.
Take a chance.”
― Susan May Warren, quote from Take a Chance on Me


“For he who loses all often easily loses himself.”
― Primo Levi, quote from Se questo è un uomo - La tregua


“She bit into a piece of heavily buttered bread, her eyes fluttering closed as the golden, flaky crust melted in her mouth. Pure heaven. Tristan was staring at her. “What?” she asked. “Your expression . . .” he said, pink tingeing his cheeks. “Never mind. Ah, here’s Braeden.”
― Sally Slater, quote from Paladin


Interesting books

All But My Life: A Memoir
(15.4K)
All But My Life: A M...
by Gerda Weissmann Klein
The Rosicrucian cosmo-conception: or, Mystic Christianity; an elementary treatise upon man's past evolution, present constitution and future development
(110)
The Rosicrucian cosm...
by Max Heindel
Hidden Gates
(225)
Hidden Gates
by D.T. Dyllin
Making Waves
(3.4K)
Making Waves
by Lorna Seilstad
The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Part One
(861)
The Complete Short S...
by Guy de Maupassant
It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways
(19.1K)

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.