“Waiting is still an occupation. It is having nothing to wait for that is terrible.”
Cesare Pavese (1908–1950) Italian poet, novelist, literary critic, and translator
This Business of Living (1935-1950)
“It's only terrible to have nothing to wait for.”
— Erich Maria Remarque, book Three Comrades
Source: Three Comrades
Last update Sept. 29, 2023. History
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Do you have more details about the quote "It's only terrible to have nothing to wait for." by Erich Maria Remarque?
Erich Maria Remarque63
German novelist 1898–1970Related quotes
“The terrible burden of having nothing to do.”
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636–1711) French poet and critic
Le pénible fardeau de n'avoir rien à faire.
Epistle 11
“To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to live.”
Victor Hugo book Les Misérables
Variant: It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.
Source: Les Misérables
“Nothing is terrible except fear itself.”
Nil terribile nisi ipse timor.
Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and author
De Augmentis Scientiarum, Book II, Fortitudo (1623)
“The hooks have got to come off and I can wait. They are nothing but sore fingers.”
Charles Frederick Webber (1825–1863) American soldier killed in action
Charles Frederick Webber interviewed at a field hospital following the Battle of Gettysburg. He was holding his hand, from which the ends of four fingers had been shot off. He was smoking his pipe with with no sense of urgency and was allowing more wounded soldiers to go ahead of him. He died on July 19, 1863, 13 days after the wound, from the subsequent infection.
Quote
Source: [The Wounded, New York Herald, https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/New_York_Herald/1863/The_Wounded, July 6 1863]
Hugh Laurie (1959) British actor, comedian, writer, musician and director
Context: (Answering "What made you step up to making your own record?") I felt like I may not get opportunities to do this ever again, so it’s about time—it’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There’s almost no such thing as ready. There’s only now. And you may as well do it now. I mean, I say that confidently as if I’m about to go bungee jumping or something—I’m not. I’m not a crazed risk taker. But I do think that, generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.
Dave Eggers book What Is the What
Variant: If I ever fall in love again, I will not wait to love as best as I can. We thought we were young and that there would be time to love well sometime in the future. This is a terrible way to think. It is no way to live, to wait to love.
Source: What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng (2006), Ch. 21, pp. 317-318
Source: What Is the What
Context: I cannot count the times I have cursed our lack of urgency. If I ever love again, I will not wait to love as best as I can. We thought we were young and that there would be time to love well sometime in the future. This is a terrible way to think. It is no way to live, to wait to love.
“… and there was nothing to do except to wait and to hurt.”
Mark Haddon book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Source: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) American writer
Source: What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire