Quotes by Author | Beyond Motive

top of page

Quotes by Author

"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."

"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."

Dorothy L. Sayers, British Author

Knowledge, Quotation, Thinking

429

"The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the 'alleluias' of self-importance, life can become genuine, lucid and graceful, like a flow of wellness in the glow of a new morning. ['Words flew away like birds']"

"The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the 'alleluias' of self-importance, life can become genuine, lucid and graceful, like a flow of wellness in the glow of a new morning. ['Words flew away like birds']"

Erik Pevernagie, Belgian Author

Simplicity, Ego, Authenticity, Grace, Clarity

411

"The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible."

"The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible."

Toni Cade Bambara, American Author

Revolution, Job, Writer

360

"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."

"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."

Edward Abbey, American Author

Integrity, Action, Sentiment, Character

290

"Instant communication is not communication at all but merely a frantic, trivial, nerve-wracking bombardment of cliches, threats, fads, fashions, gibberish and advertising."

"Instant communication is not communication at all but merely a frantic, trivial, nerve-wracking bombardment of cliches, threats, fads, fashions, gibberish and advertising."

Edward Abbey, American Author

Communication, Technology, Culture, Critique

287

"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization."

"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization."

Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Author

269

"The barbarians never take a city until someone holds the gates open to them. And it's your own multicultural authorities who will do it for you."

"The barbarians never take a city until someone holds the gates open to them. And it's your own multicultural authorities who will do it for you."

Christopher Hitchens, American Author

Warning, City, Authority, Betrayal

264

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Robert Brault, American Author

239

"Direct your attention to people; love, help and care for them."

"Direct your attention to people; love, help and care for them."

Sunday Adelaja, Nigerian Author

Care, Love, Influence, Service

239

"Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self-respect springs."

"Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self-respect springs."

Joan Didion, American Author

Self, Character, Self-Respect, Responsibility, Ethics

239

"When we give up the chase, we give up our wishing."

"When we give up the chase, we give up our wishing."

Stephen Richards, British Author

Mindset, Chase, Wish, Give-up, Desire

230

"Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can. Of course, I could be wrong."

"Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can. Of course, I could be wrong."

Terry Pratchett, English Author

Creativity, Exercise, Fantasy, Mind, Wrong

223

"Our challenge is not to let life mold us or break us."

"Our challenge is not to let life mold us or break us."

Sunday Adelaja, Nigerian Author

Courage, Challenge, Life, Mold, Break

212

"When ambition ends, happiness begins."

"When ambition ends, happiness begins."

Thomas Merton, American Author

Happiness, Ambition

211

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

Mark Twain, American Author

Wisdom, People, Doubt, Fool, Open

188

"The religion of the Indian is the last thing about him that the man of another race will ever understand."

"The religion of the Indian is the last thing about him that the man of another race will ever understand."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

Religion, Man, Race, Will

186

"Recollection builds up our personality. Our individuality is based on all the little pieces we assembled in the past. ['The past was her best friend']"

"Recollection builds up our personality. Our individuality is based on all the little pieces we assembled in the past. ['The past was her best friend']"

Erik Pevernagie, Belgian Author

Identity, Memory, Personality, Past

184

"In every religion there is an element of the supernatural, varying with the influence of pure reason over its devotees."

"In every religion there is an element of the supernatural, varying with the influence of pure reason over its devotees."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

Religion, Influence, Reason, Supernatural

178

"We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery."

"We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery."

Samuel Smiles, Scottish Author

Wisdom, Success, Mistake, Failure

176

"To feel today what one felt yesterday isn't to feel - it's to remember today what was felt yesterday, to be today's living corpse of what yesterday was lived and lost."

"To feel today what one felt yesterday isn't to feel - it's to remember today what was felt yesterday, to be today's living corpse of what yesterday was lived and lost."

Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese Author

Living, Today, Yesterday

173

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

Helen Keller, American Author

Wisdom, Vision, Being, Blind, Sight

171

"Art is a revolt against fate."

"Art is a revolt against fate."

Andre Malraux, French Author

170

"In a country like France, so ancient, their history is full of outstanding people, so they carry a heavy weight on their back. Who could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?"

"In a country like France, so ancient, their history is full of outstanding people, so they carry a heavy weight on their back. Who could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?"

Manuel Puig, Argentinian Author

History, People, Country, France

168

"Especially moments when things are very difficult and complicated for me and I am still trying to grasp what is happening and I am still trying to understand and to reach family back home."

"Especially moments when things are very difficult and complicated for me and I am still trying to grasp what is happening and I am still trying to understand and to reach family back home."

Edwidge Danticat, Haitian Author

Family, Home, Moments, Trying

167

"We should try to understand our innermost needs. We shouldn't use irony to reduce their power."

"We should try to understand our innermost needs. We shouldn't use irony to reduce their power."

Manuel Puig, Argentinian Author

Power, Irony, Needs

166

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today."

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today."

H. G. Wells, English Author

Resilience, Today, Yesterday

165

"All is worthwhile if the soul is not small."

"All is worthwhile if the soul is not small."

Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese Author

165

"The hospitality of the wigwam is only limited by the institution of war."

"The hospitality of the wigwam is only limited by the institution of war."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

War, Hospitality

163

"Life is a comedy for those who think... and a tragedy for those who feel."

"Life is a comedy for those who think... and a tragedy for those who feel."

Horace Walpole, English Author

Life, Comedy, Tragedy

163

"If a spectator with a philosophical mind, somebody accustomed to reading books, gets the same kind of information in a movie, he might not fully understand it."

"If a spectator with a philosophical mind, somebody accustomed to reading books, gets the same kind of information in a movie, he might not fully understand it."

Manuel Puig, Argentinian Author

Books, Information, Mind, Reading

158

"It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure on the world."

"It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure on the world."

John Steinbeck, American Author

Death, Thought, Action, Dying

157

"Many days I don't write any code at all, and some days I spend all day writing code."

"Many days I don't write any code at all, and some days I spend all day writing code."

Larry Wall, Canadian Author

Career, Day, Writing

156

"There was no religious ceremony connected with marriage among us, while on the other hand the relation between man and woman was regarded as in itself mysterious and holy."

"There was no religious ceremony connected with marriage among us, while on the other hand the relation between man and woman was regarded as in itself mysterious and holy."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

Marriage, Ceremony, Man, Religious

155

"There's a practical problem about time and energy, and a more subtle problem of what it does to a writer's head, to continually analyze why they write, where it all comes from, where it's going to."

"There's a practical problem about time and energy, and a more subtle problem of what it does to a writer's head, to continually analyze why they write, where it all comes from, where it's going to."

Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese Author

Time, Energy, Writer

154

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

E. L. Doctorow, American Author

Driving, Night, Writing

154

"Today we are afraid of simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. We don't believe in the good old words because we don't believe in good old values anymore. And that's why the world is sick."

"Today we are afraid of simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. We don't believe in the good old words because we don't believe in good old values anymore. And that's why the world is sick."

Lin Yutang, Chinese Author

Values, Goodness, Kindness, Mercy

153

"Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."

"Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."

Lewis Carroll, English Author

152

"You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in you power."

"You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in you power."

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russian Author

Power, People, Man

151

"No one who is at all acquainted with the Indian in his home can deny that we are a polite people."

"No one who is at all acquainted with the Indian in his home can deny that we are a polite people."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

150

"I'm not terribly happy about rock and roll. Certain rock music is uninspiring, numbing; it makes you feel like an idiot."

"I'm not terribly happy about rock and roll. Certain rock music is uninspiring, numbing; it makes you feel like an idiot."

Manuel Puig, Argentinian Author

149

"Could it think, the heart would stop beating."

"Could it think, the heart would stop beating."

Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese Author

149

"The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government."

"The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

Family, Government

149

"Our people, though capable of strong and durable feeling, were not demonstrative in their affection at any time, least of all in the presence of guests or strangers."

"Our people, though capable of strong and durable feeling, were not demonstrative in their affection at any time, least of all in the presence of guests or strangers."

Charles Eastman, Sioux Author

Time, People, Affection, Feeling

149

"No man is as anti-feminist as a really feminine woman."

"No man is as anti-feminist as a really feminine woman."

Frank O'Connor, Irish Author

148

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

Mark Twain, American Author

Courage, Fear, Absence

148

"And this we should believe: that hope and volition can bring us closer to our ultimate goal: justice for all, injustice for no-one."

"And this we should believe: that hope and volition can bring us closer to our ultimate goal: justice for all, injustice for no-one."

Eyvind Johnson, Swedish Author

Hope, Injustice

148

"Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force - people not realizing that they were always there but doing different things than what we see them doing at the moment."

"Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force - people not realizing that they were always there but doing different things than what we see them doing at the moment."

Edwidge Danticat, Haitian Author

148

"The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."

"The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."

Mark Twain, American Author

Inspirational, Books, Man

148

"The conclusion you can draw from these characteristics is that you have an uneven development of class activity and an uneven development of class consciousness in the working class."

"The conclusion you can draw from these characteristics is that you have an uneven development of class activity and an uneven development of class consciousness in the working class."

Ernest Mandel, Belgian Author

Development, Class, Consciousness

147

"My only fantasy about writing was that in my old days, after directing many masterpieces, I would write my memoirs."

"My only fantasy about writing was that in my old days, after directing many masterpieces, I would write my memoirs."

Manuel Puig, Argentinian Author

Movies, Fantasy, Old, Writing

147

bottom of page