“Trying to fulfill earthly desires was like carrying water to the sea; a never- ending task, and an ultimately useless one.”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“The mandalas were meant to be objects of contemplation, aids to meditation, their proportions magically balanced to purify and calm the mind. To stare at a mandala was to experience, if only briefly, the nothingness that is at the heart of enlightenment.”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“Lead me into all misfortune. Only by that path can I transform the negative into the positive.”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“He had done the right thing and that was what counted. That was the best you could do in life. How others took it was beyond his control.”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“people were like icebergs--most of what really went on, especially the ugliness, was submerged”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“a walther ppk. you're a james bond fan, i imagine....”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“The point of a cruise ship is the cruise itself. But an ocean liner’s job is to transport people on a schedule. The”
― Douglas Preston, quote from The Wheel of Darkness
“No remedy but love Can make the lovesick well; Only the hand that tied the knot Can loose the tiger’s bell.”
― Cao Xueqin, quote from The Debt of Tears
“Aren't there going to be any refreshments?" Tharamn interrupted. "I always think better with a little snack to keep me going."
"I'm with you there," said Grishmak. "Bring on the nibbles!"
"There aren't any!" Cressida snapped. "This is all far too important, and besides, once you lot start easting, it'll only turn into a party."
"Can't say I have a problem with that myself," said Tharaman. "What about you, Grishy?"
"None at all. Bit of food and fun helps the boring bits along, in my opinion. Let's call a chamberlain and order some grub."
"No!" Cressida insisted. "We all need to concentrate, and I for one find it difficult to think one you and Tharaman start cracking bones and spitting out gristle."
"I never spit out gristle!" said Tharaman in miffed tones. "A terrible wast of protein. It just needs a little extra chewing, that's all."
Thirrin had watched the exchange in silence, but now she sat forward in her chair. "Actually I wouldn't mind a sandwich myself."
Cressida looked at her thunderously.”
― Stuart Hill, quote from The Last Battle of the Icemark
“夏草や
兵どもが
夢の跡
The summer grasses—
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
- Donald Keene, Travelers of a Hundred Ages, New York, 1999, p. 316 (Translation: Donald Keene)”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Backroads to Far Towns: Basho's Travel Journal
“As for the myths, take anyone's life and deny that most of it is deliberate self-delusion - an aggrandizement - a mixture of lies and truth, of what was wanted and what was had, producing the necessary justification for having been granted life in the first place. I was struck like a match, Lily wrote. I had no option but to burn.
You can put a period after that. Lily did. It was the story of her life.”
― Timothy Findley, quote from The Piano Man's Daughter
“Аварийна спирачка на времето. Какъвто и да е настоящият момент, аз съм го задържал. Твърде късно. Придържайки се към този прост метод, през нашите, колко бяха, дванайсет, дванайсет години и три месеца съвместен живот би следвало да съм обездвижил стотици хиляди такива мигновения, заплащайки може би умопомрачителни глоби, но съм успявал да спра влака. Кажи. Защо го направи? – би попитал облещеният кондуктор. Защото ми харесваше гледката. Защото исках да спра тези бягащи дървета и пътечката, която се виеше между тях. Като настъпя нейната изплъзваща се опашка. Това, което я сполетя, вероятно нямаше да ѝ се случаи, ако бях имал навика да спирам едно или друго късче от нашия съвместен живот, профилактично, пророчески, да позволявам на този или онзи миг да поеме спокойно дъх и да си почине. Да укротявам времето. Да дам отдих на пулса ѝ. Да се грижа за живота, живота – нашия пациент.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Bend Sinister
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.