“In early times, say the Icelandic chronicles, men from the Western Islands came to live in this country, and when they departed, left behind them crosses, bells, and other objects used in the practice of sorcery... In those days there was great fertility of the soil in Iceland. But when the Norsemen came to settle here, the Western sorcerers were forced to flee the land, and old writings say that Kolumkilli, determined on revenge, laid a curse on the invaders, swearing that they would never prosper here, and more in the same spirit, much of what has since, to all appearances, been fulfilled.”

Sjálfstætt fólk (Independent People) (1935), Book One, Part I: Icelandic Pioneers

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Halldór Laxness216

Icelandic author 1902–1998

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“There was a time, it says in books, that the Icelandic people had only one national treasure: a bell... When the king decreed that the people of Iceland were to relinquish all of their brass and copper so that Copenhagen could be rebuilt following the war, men were sent to fetch the ancient bell at Þingvellir by Öxará.”

Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) Icelandic author

Íslandsklukkan (Iceland's Bell) (1946), Part I: Iceland's Bell

“Iceland is not a little country. Iceland is the most big country in the world.”

Dorrit Moussaieff (1950) First Lady of Iceland

Said in Beijing (2008-08-22) and quoted in "Stórasta Land I Heiminu," http://www.dv.is/frettir/2008/8/22/storasta-land-i-heiminu/ DS.iv (2008-08-22). Note: "Stórasta" is more of a lapsus linguae than "most big," as to a native Icelandic speaker it would sound much worse grammatically than in English.

“It didn’t end there [with genocide]. They passed law after law‚ taking land from our people. Yet investors never left the country. When they passed the Land Act of 1913‚ investors never left the country. Investors came into the country.”

Julius Malema (1981) South African political activist

On 4 March 2018, at the launch of the EFF's election registration campaign, Standard Bank arena, Johannesburg. As quoted by Nico Gous in Land in SA was taken through ‘genocide’ and will be returned: Malema https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-03-04-land-in-sa-was-taken-through-genocide-and-will-be-returned-malema/, Sunday Times (4 March 2018)

“At this time, Icelanders were said to be the poorest people in Europe, just as their fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers had been, all the way back to the earliest settlers; but they believed that many long centuries ago there had been a Golden Age in Iceland, when Icelanders had not been mere farmers and fisherman as they were now, but royal-born heroes and poets who owned weapons, gold, and ships.”

Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) Icelandic author

Paradísarheimt (Paradise Reclaimed) (1960)

“Are you saying that you people knew about these amorophobots all the time?"
"Of course we did. They attacked us in Iceland. Remember?"
"No. I was unconscious.”

Eoin Colfer (1965) Irish author of children's books

Source: The Atlantis Complex

“Because there are indeed women in Iceland, it will now be proven to you, you ugly wench, that there are also men in Iceland!”

Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) Icelandic author

Jón Hreggviðsson
Íslandsklukkan (Iceland's Bell) (1946), Part I: Iceland's Bell

“The great forces of history were real, after a fashion. But when you examined them closely, those great forces always came down to the dreams and hungers and judgments of individuals. The choices they made were real. They mattered.”

Orson Scott Card (1951) American science fiction novelist

"Atlantis," from Keeper of Dreams (2008).

“Reliable men among the inhabitants of the islands, like the jurist (faqîh) and teacher (mu'allim) 'Alî, the judge 'Abdullãh - and others besides them - told me that the inhabitants of these islands were infidels. Subsequently a westerner named Abul Barakãt the Berbar who knew the great Qur'ãn came to them. He stayed amongst them and God opened the heart of the king to Islãm and he accepted it before the end of the month; and his wives, children and courtiers followed suit. They broke to pieces the idols and razed the idol-house to the ground. On this the islanders embraced Islãm and sent missionaries to the rest of the islands, the inhabitants of which also became Muslims. The westerner stood in high regard with them, and they accepted his cult which was that of Imãm Mãlik. May God be pleased with him! And on account of him they honour the westerners up to this time. He built a mosque which is known after his name.”

Ibn Battuta (1304–1377) Moroccan explorer

About the Maldive Islands , The Rehalã of Ibn Battûta translated into English by Mahdi Hussain, Baroda, 1967.
Travels in Asia and Africa (Rehalã of Ibn Battûta)

“Icelanders are grateful to meet foreigners who have heard of their country. And even more grateful to hear someone say it deserves better.”

Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) Icelandic author

Arnas Arnæus
Íslandsklukkan (Iceland's Bell) (1946), Part III: Fire in Copenhagen

“Some old men, by continually praising the time of their youth, would almost persuade us that there were no fools in those days; but unluckily they are left themselves for examples.”

Alexander Pope (1688–1744) eighteenth century English poet

Thoughts on Various Subjects (1727)

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Halldór Laxness216

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