“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“When in doubt, choose to live.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a proper exam before they're allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Look, that's why there's rules, understand? So that you think before you break 'em.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“The first words that are read by seekers of enlightenment in the secret, gong-banging, yeti-haunted valleys near the hub of the world, are when they look into The Life of Wen the Eternally Surprised.
The first question they ask is: 'Why was he eternally surprised?'
And they are told: 'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.'
The first words read by the young Lu-Tze when he sought perplexity in the dark, teeming, rain-soaked city of Ankh-Morpork were: 'Rooms For Rent, Very Reasonable.' And he was glad of it.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“The thing is, I mean, there’s times when you look at the universe and you think, “What about me?” and you can just hear the universe replying, “Well, what about you?” ”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Jeremy tried to be an interesting person. The trouble was that he was the kind of person who, having decided to be an interesting person, would first of all try to find a book called How to Be An Interesting Person and then see whether there were any courses available.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Time was something that largely happened to other people; he viewed it in the same way that people on the shore viewed the sea. It was big and it was out there, and sometimes it was an invigorating thing to dip a toe into, but you couldn't live in it all the time. Besides, it always made his skin wrinkle.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“When you look into the abyss, it’s not supposed to wave back.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“There is no doubt that being human is incredibly difficult and cannot be mastered in one lifetime.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Seeing things a human shouldn't have to see makes us human.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“In order to have a change of fortune at the last minute, you have to take your fortune to the last minute.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Things are not as they seem. They are what they are.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“No other species anywhere in the world had invented boredom. Perhaps it was boredom, not intelligence, that had propelled them up to the evolutionary ladder.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Oh, where are my manners? Do sit down. Pull up a small child.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Questions don't have to make sense, Vincent," said Miss Susan. "But answers do.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Sometimes thinking is like talking to another person, but that person is also you.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Genius is always allowed some leeway, once the hammer has been pried from its hands and the blood has been cleaned up.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Even with nougat, you can have a perfect moment.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“...'I thought the rule was that all monks were shaved.'
'Oh, Soto says he is bald under the hair,'said Lu Tze. 'He says the hair is a separate creature that just happens to live on him.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, re-created anew. Therefore, he understood, there is, in truth, no Past, only a memory of the Past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, STAYS HAPPENED.
"What kind of philosophy is that?"
THE ONLY ONE THAT WORKS.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Don't you *ever* let go?"
"I haven't yet."
"Why?"
"I suppose... because in this world, after everyone panics, there's always got to be someone to tip the wee out of the shoe.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“There's no educating a smart boy.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“He had never been interested in stories at any age, and had never quite understood the basic concept. He'd never read a work of fiction all the way through. He did remember, as a small boy, being really annoyed at the depiction of Hickory Dickory Dock in a rag book of nursery rhymes because the clock in the drawing was completely wrong for the period.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“That is because you don't yet know how to deal with time," said Wen. "But I will teach you to deal with time as you would deal with a coat, to be worn when necessary and discarded when not."
"Will I have to wash it?" said Clodpool.
Wen gave him a long, slow look.
"That was either a very complex piece of thinking on your part, Clodpool, or you were just trying to overextend a metaphor in a rather stupid way. Which, do you think, it was?"
Clodpool looked at his feet. Then he looked at the sky. Then he looked at Wen.
"I think I am stupid, master."
"Good," said Wen. "It is fortuitous that you are my apprentice at this time, because if I can teach you, Clodpool, I can teach anyone.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“And, er, these stories about you..."
"Oh, all true. Most of them. A bit of exaggeration, but mostly true."
"The one about the Citadel in Muntab and the Pash and the fish bone?"
"Oh, yes."
"But how did you get in where half a dozen armed and trained men couldn't even - ?"
"I am a little man and I carry a broom," said Lu-Tze simply. "Everyone has some mess that needs clearing up. What harm is a man with a broom?"
"What? And that was it?"
"Well, the rest was a matter of cookery, really. The Pash was not a good man, but he was a glutton for his fish pie."
"No martial arts?" said Lobsang.
"Oh, always a last resort. History needs shepherds, not butchers."
"Do you know okidoki?"
"Just a lot of bunny-hops."
"Shittake?"
"If I wanted to thrust my hand into hot sand I would go to the seaside."
"Upsidazi?"
"A waste of good bricks."
"No kando?"
"You made that one up.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“Just a minute," said Lobsang. "Who are you? Time has stopped, the world is given over to...fairy tales and monsters, and there's a schoolteacher walking around?"
"Best kind of person to have," said Susan. "We don't like silliness. Anyway, I told you. I've inherited certain talents."
"Like living outside of time?"
"That's one of them."
"It's a weird talent for a schoolteacher!"
"Good for marking, though," said Susan calmly.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
“People like that don't need a reason apart from "because I can". They have a nightmare and try to make it happen.”
― Terry Pratchett, quote from Thief of Time
Terry Pratchett
Born place: in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, The United Kingdom
Born date April 28, 1948
See more on GoodReads
“Friend, have the courage
To care little for wealth, and shape yourself,
You too, to merit godhead.”
― Virgil, quote from The Aeneid
“All kings are blind. The good ones see this and use more than their eyes to lead.”
― J.R. Ward, quote from Lover Avenged
“adversity bends the heart as fire bends the stubborn steel, and those who are no longer their own governors, and the denizens of their own free independent state, must crouch before strangers.”
― Walter Scott, quote from Ivanhoe
“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Return of the King
“For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor.”
― Ayn Rand, quote from Anthem
Too Good to Be True
Loki
3 Willows: The Siste...
The Towers of Silenc...
Collected Poems
Dog on ItBookQuoters 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.
