I adore quotes, I write them down everywhere and some have really helped at the suckier days of my life. So I'd like to make a few favorite quotes posts around life, love and books :) Because as Michel de Montaigne says: “I quote others only to better express myself.” With many of these quotes I have a special band so I'll try to explain myself as good as possible.
“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”
This is a quote from the Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It's one of the best books I've ever read that has a great emotional punch told from the point of view of Death set during the Second World War. Everytime I read this post I get a little teary eyed. How with all the awful things that happen on this planet, there still are good things too.
“Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all.”
―
William Goldman,
The Princess Bride
This reminds me on bad days that life isn't perfect and sometimes it fucking sucks. But you just need to keep going and it will be alright again.
“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Kurt Vonnegut is a great writer and philosopher, who really inspires me to be a better person.
“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large -- I contain multitudes.”
―
Walt Whitman
I contradict myself all the time. I'm glad Walt says it's okay.
“When you say too much about anything important. it always ends up sounding so much more trivial than it is. Words trash it.”
—Megan McCafferty
This is so true. Especially with books and movies, hard to explain what's so fantastic. So I just force my friends to read and watch what I loved ;)
Also how do you explain the love you have for your family, friends or books. I'm not a poet or even a writer, so I'm not even going to try. Actions, not words, count.
“Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren’t. I’m not surprised some people prefer books.”
—Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot
I'm not the best people person. But I've learned to understand them better by reading books and just by listening.
“Adolescence is best enjoyed without self-consciousness, but self-consciousness, unfortunately, is its leading symptom. Even when something important happens to you, even when your heart’s getting crushed or exalted, even when you’re absorbed in building the foundations of a personality, there comes these moments when you’re aware that what’s happening is not the real story. Unless you actually die, the real story is still ahead of you. This alone, this cruel mixture of consciousness and irrelevance, this built-in hollowness, is enough to account for how pissed off you are.”
― Jonathan Franzen, The Discomfort Zone
This quote struck me lately as very true. I hope it will change in time.
“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
―
Charlotte Brontë,
Jane Eyre
I behave like an idiot half of the time, so this is reassuring :)
“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
—Harlan Ellison
This bothers me a lot. I respect your opinion. But with no facts or evidence to back things up there is no way I will take you seriously. This is a huge problem in politics or even how people act around each other.
“Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.”
-Henry Miller
Because if you put yourself above other people, there isn't any point to your intelligence and fantastic cultivation.
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”
In a few words Elie Wiesel manages to capture the essentiel truth. That the most terrible situtions don't change because nobody cares, because they look another way, because the only interests that matter are their own.
So that were my favorite quotes about life at this moment. Next week: Quotes I love about Love.
What are your favorite quotes? Tell me in the comments!
