Quotes by Writer | Beyond Motive

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Quotes by Writer

"When a man lies he murders some part of the world. These are the pale deaths men miscall their lives."

"When a man lies he murders some part of the world. These are the pale deaths men miscall their lives."

Paul Gerhardt, German Writer

Man, Men, Lies, World

393

"To him, they looked like shadows that his wife had left behind. Size 7 shadows of his wife hung there in long rows, layer upon layer, as if someone had gathered and hung up samples of the infinite possibilities (or at least the theoretically infinite possibilities) implied in the existence of a human being."

"To him, they looked like shadows that his wife had left behind. Size 7 shadows of his wife hung there in long rows, layer upon layer, as if someone had gathered and hung up samples of the infinite possibilities (or at least the theoretically infinite possibilities) implied in the existence of a human being."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Existence, Possibility, Humanity, Imagination

283

"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination."

"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination."

Jose Rizal, Filipino Writer

225

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."

Milan Kundera, Czechoslovakian Writer

Power, Man, Memory, Struggle

195

"Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy."

"Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy."

William S. Burroughs, American Writer

Advertising, Sales, Talk, Will

194

"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity."

"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity."

Voltaire, French Writer

Thought, Thoughts, Awareness, Consciousness, Infinity

186

"I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees."

"I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees."

Pablo Neruda, Chilean Writer

Romantic, Spring, Trees, Want

169

"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."

"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."

Elbert Hubbard, American Writer

165

"A handful of men, inured to war, proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of raw and undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to the slaughter."

"A handful of men, inured to war, proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of raw and undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to the slaughter."

Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, Roman Writer

Man, Men, War, Victory, Troops

164

"While a people preserves its language; it preserves the marks of liberty."

"While a people preserves its language; it preserves the marks of liberty."

Jose Rizal, Filipino Writer

People, Language, Liberty

158

"When I wrote my book I wanted to love someone. I wanted to be in love. Now I know that I shall never be in love - and I no longer wish to be."

"When I wrote my book I wanted to love someone. I wanted to be in love. Now I know that I shall never be in love - and I no longer wish to be."

Mary MacLane, Canadian Writer

154

"Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison."

"Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison."

Mary Wollstonecraft, British Writer

Beauty, Body, Mind, Prison

151

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth."

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth."

Voltaire, French Writer

Religion, Mother, Daughter, Astrology

148

"The youth is the hope of our future."

"The youth is the hope of our future."

Jose Rizal, Filipino Writer

Hope, Future, Youth

148

"Someone who can write aphorisms should not fritter away his time in essays."

"Someone who can write aphorisms should not fritter away his time in essays."

Karl Kraus, Austrian Writer

Time, Aphorisms

146

"The appalling thing is the degree of charity women are capable of. You see it all the time... love lavished on absolute fools. Love's a charity ward, you know."

"The appalling thing is the degree of charity women are capable of. You see it all the time... love lavished on absolute fools. Love's a charity ward, you know."

Lawrence Durrell, British Writer

Love, Women, Time, Charity

146

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."

Voltaire, French Writer

145

"Boredom is always counter-revolutionary. Always."

"Boredom is always counter-revolutionary. Always."

Guy Debord, French Writer

145

"Our lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."

"Our lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."

Walter Anderson, German Writer

Wisdom, First, Risk

144

"Everything in the world has its reasons for doing what it does. The wind has its reasons. We just don't notice as we go about our lives. But then, at some point, we are made to notice. The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you. The wind knows everything that's inside you. And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. They all know us very well. From top to bottom. It only occurs to us at certain times. And all we can do is go with those things. As we take them in, we survive, and deepen."

"Everything in the world has its reasons for doing what it does. The wind has its reasons. We just don't notice as we go about our lives. But then, at some point, we are made to notice. The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you. The wind knows everything that's inside you. And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. They all know us very well. From top to bottom. It only occurs to us at certain times. And all we can do is go with those things. As we take them in, we survive, and deepen."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Nature, Reason, Purpose, Survival

144

"Only in dreams, in poetry, in play do we sometimes arrive at what we were before we were this thing that, who knows, we are."

"Only in dreams, in poetry, in play do we sometimes arrive at what we were before we were this thing that, who knows, we are."

Julio Cortazar, Argentinian Writer

Dream, Dreams, Poetry, Play

143

"Everything can be killed except nostalgia for the kingdom, we carry it in the color of our eyes, in every love affair, in everything that deeply torments and unties and tricks."

"Everything can be killed except nostalgia for the kingdom, we carry it in the color of our eyes, in every love affair, in everything that deeply torments and unties and tricks."

Julio Cortazar, Argentinian Writer

Love, Eyes, Nostalgia

143

"Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy."

"Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy."

Voltaire, French Writer

Personal, Abstinence, Abuse, Excess, Man

138

"Nothing made by brute force lasts."

"Nothing made by brute force lasts."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer

137

"An angry father is most cruel towards himself."

"An angry father is most cruel towards himself."

Publilius Syrus, Roman Writer

Planning, Father

136

"I turned my home state of Florida into the Land of Xanth."

"I turned my home state of Florida into the Land of Xanth."

Piers Anthony, English Writer

Home, Land, State

135

"God is the tangential point between zero and infinity."

"God is the tangential point between zero and infinity."

Alfred Jarry, French Writer

135

"Not only is our love for our children sometimes tinged with annoyance, discouragement, and disappointment, the same is true for the love our children feel for us."

"Not only is our love for our children sometimes tinged with annoyance, discouragement, and disappointment, the same is true for the love our children feel for us."

Bruno Bettelheim, Italian Writer

Love, Children, Disappointment, Discouragement

134

"I had a terrible vision: I saw an encyclopedia walk up to a polymath and open him up."

"I had a terrible vision: I saw an encyclopedia walk up to a polymath and open him up."

Karl Kraus, Austrian Writer

133

"You can hesitate before deciding, but not once the decision is made."

"You can hesitate before deciding, but not once the decision is made."

Jose Bergamin, Spanish Writer

Decision-Making, Decision

133

"We are justified in enforcing good morals, for they belong to all mankind; but we are not justified in enforcing good manners, for good manners always mean our own manners."

"We are justified in enforcing good morals, for they belong to all mankind; but we are not justified in enforcing good manners, for good manners always mean our own manners."

Gilbert K. Chesterton, English Writer

Mankind, Manners, Morals

133

"Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions."

"Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions."

Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian Writer

Man, Men, Needs, Victims, Will

129

"There were also horror shows on the radio. Very terrifying and thrilling to me as a kid. They had all these creepy sound effects. They would come on at ten o'clock at night, and I just would scare myself to death."

"There were also horror shows on the radio. Very terrifying and thrilling to me as a kid. They had all these creepy sound effects. They would come on at ten o'clock at night, and I just would scare myself to death."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Death, Horror, Night, Sound

128

"When law and duty are one, united by religion, you never become fully conscious, fully aware of yourself. You are always a little less than an individual."

"When law and duty are one, united by religion, you never become fully conscious, fully aware of yourself. You are always a little less than an individual."

Frank Herbert, American Writer

Religion, Duty, Law, United

128

"I am human and let nothing human be alien to me."

"I am human and let nothing human be alien to me."

Terence, Roman Writer

127

"The world is full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

"The world is full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer

Happiness, Kings, World

127

"In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it."

"In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it."

Ernst Fischer, Austrian Writer

Faith, Art, Change, Society

127

"To me, it's all about opening all the doors and getting people to be not only prolific, but creative and having control of their music."

"To me, it's all about opening all the doors and getting people to be not only prolific, but creative and having control of their music."

Eric Brown, British Writer

Music, People, Control

126

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Resilience, Pain, Suffering, Choice

124

"Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue."

"Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue."

Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French Writer

Virtue, Hypocrisy, Vice

124

"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous."

"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous."

Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian Writer

Act, Fact, Grief, Man

122

"One is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety is always on their guard."

"One is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety is always on their guard."

Publilius Syrus, Roman Writer

Wisdom, Danger, Safety

122

"A solitary, unused to speaking of what he sees and feels, has mental experiences which are at once more intense and less articulate than those of a gregarious man."

"A solitary, unused to speaking of what he sees and feels, has mental experiences which are at once more intense and less articulate than those of a gregarious man."

Thomas Mann, German Writer

122

"The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way."

"The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way."

Dale Carnegie, American Writer

Education, Successful, Man, Mistakes, Profit

121

"I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough."

"I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Being, Feeling, Post

120

"The ideal reasoner, he remarked, would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it."

"The ideal reasoner, he remarked, would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it."

Arthur Conan Doyle, British Writer

Events, Fact, Results

120

"It would have shown people that I was prepared to do that kind of work, although I find myself in a position now where I don't really need to and I could pick and choose the kind of characters I'd like to do."

"It would have shown people that I was prepared to do that kind of work, although I find myself in a position now where I don't really need to and I could pick and choose the kind of characters I'd like to do."

Garth Ennis, Irish Writer

Work, People, Now

119

"Momo listened to everyone and everything - even to the rain and the wind and the pine trees - and all of them spoke to her after their own fashion."

"Momo listened to everyone and everything - even to the rain and the wind and the pine trees - and all of them spoke to her after their own fashion."

Michael Ende, German Writer

Fashion, Rain, Trees, Wind

119

"When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool."

"When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool."

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian Writer

Acceptance, Suffering, Worry

118

"I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up."

"I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Being, Fiction, Identity, Now

118

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