Quotes about anything
page 12

“Von Linden really should know me well enough by now to realise that I am not going to face my execution without a fight. Or with anything remotely resembling dignity.”

Elizabeth Wein book Code Name Verity

Variant: Von Loewe really should know me well enough by now to realize that I am not going to face my execution without a fight. Or with anything remotely resembling dignity.
Source: Code Name Verity

Fight

“It was a train wreck happening right in front of me and I couldn't do anything about it, except that not only was I watching, I was also the train.”

Lisa Kleypas (1964) American writer

Source: Blue-Eyed Devil

Training

“Infatuation was a good thing. It gave spice to life, and added to its enjoyment… But it was different from love. Love was worth everything, and couldn't be exchanged for anything.”

Paulo Coelho book The Valkyries

Source: The Valkyries

Love, Life

“Thank you for this, Peter. For dry eyes and silent weeping. You taught me how to hide anything I felt. More than ever, I need that now.”

Orson Scott Card book Ender's Game

Source: Ender's Game

“But the bottom line is that, as humans, we are by nature selfish creatures. The only way we care about anything, really, is by making it about us.”

Sarah Dessen book The Moon and More

Source: The Moon and More

Way, Nature, Selfishness

“You must forge your own path for it to mean anything.”

Rick Riordan book The Lost Hero

Source: The Lost Hero

“I've never had any intentions about anything. That's why I am where I am today, which is neither here nor there, in a literal sense.”

Edward Gorey (1925–2000) American writer, artist, and illustrator

Source: Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey

Sense

“if you don’t try at anything, you can’t fail… it takes back bone to lead the life you want”

Richard Yates book Revolutionary Road

Source: Revolutionary Road

Life

“And do you know a funny thing? I'm almost fifty years old and I've never understood anything in my whole life.”

Richard Yates book The Easter Parade

Source: The Easter Parade

Life

“People seem to get used to anything, and it is a short step from adaptation to attachment.”

Lionel Shriver book We Need to Talk About Kevin

Source: We Need to Talk About Kevin

People

“When you sit down to write, write. Don't do anything else except go to the bathroom, and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off.”

Stephen King (1947) American author

“And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”

Mark Haddon book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Source: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Books

“He walks in daylight. But, like a demon, he’s weaker then. He seems to have the powers of a god, but no followers. What would you call him? (Xypher)
I wouldn’t call him anything that didn’t make him deliriously happy. (Simone)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Dream Chaser

God, Happiness

“Survival," I said softly. "It's selfish, and it's dark, and we've always been a species willing to do anything to satisfy our needs. Individuals have morals. Mobs have appetites.”

Rachel Caine (1962) American writer

Source: Total Eclipse

Selfishness

“… and we are in bed together
laughing
and we don’t care
about anything.”

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) American writer

“Calvin:"It says here that 'religion is the opiate of the masses.'… what do you suppose that means?"
Television: "… it means that Karl Marx hadn't seen anything yet”

Bill Watterson (1958) American comic artist

Source: Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995: An Exhibition Catalogue

Religion

“Why was the blind guy playing with matches, you ask? Because he's good at it. Anything to do with fire, igniting things, exploding things, things with fuses, wicks, accelerants… Iggy's your man. It's one of those good/bad things.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: Maximum Ride The Angel Experiment

Guy

“Caring about the quality of your work causes stress. Stress can kill you. Maintain good health by remembering that the stockholders are complete strangers who have never done anything for you.”

Scott Adams (1957) cartoonist, writer

Source: Dilbert's Guide to the Rest of Your Life: Dispatches from Cubicleland

Health

“Two days' hunger made a fine sauce for anything.”

Robert Jordan book The Eye of the World

Source: The Eye of the World

Hunger

“There's nothing in the sea this fish would fear. Other fish run from bigger things. That's their instinct. But this fish doesn't run from anything. He doesn't fear.”

Peter Benchley book Jaws

Source: Jaws

Fear, Fish, Sea

“But if you never did anything you couldn't undo you'd end up doing nothing at all.”

Anne Tyler Ladder of Years

Source: Ladder of Years

“Anyway, how are you and Ramona doing?'

Uh… you know. Pretty good.'

Have you said the L-Word yet?'

The L-Word? You mean? Lesbian?'
Uh… No. The other L-Word.'

?'

Okay. Uh, It's "love." I wasn't trying to trick you or anything.”

Bryan Lee O'Malley (1979) Artist

Source: Scott Pilgrim, Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together

Love

“Just once in my life--oh, when have I ever wanted anything just once in my life?”

Amy Hempel (1951) Short story writer

Source: The Dog of the Marriage: Stories

Life

“Nobody should be whipped. Remember that, once and for all. Neither man nor animal can be influenced by anything but suggestion.”

Mikhail Bulgakov book Heart of a Dog

Source: Heart of a Dog

Animals

“You must understand that when you are writing a novel you are not making anything up. It's all there and you just have to find it.”

Thomas Harris Red Dragon

Source: Red Dragon

Understanding

“She closed her eyes. "I didn't know that. i didn't know anything. It scares me the things I told myself. But I would have told myself almost anything, because I wanted to believe him."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to be with you.”

Ann Brashares book My Name is Memory

Source: My Name Is Memory

“Anything worth achieving is worth overachieving.”

Lois McMaster Bujold Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

Source: Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

“The only genius that's worth anything is the genius for hard work.”

Kathleen Winsor (1919–2003) American author

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about”

Wayne W. Dyer (1940–2015) American writer

“His library was a fine dark place bricked with books, so anything could happen there and always did. All you had to do was pull a book from the shelf and open it and suddenly the darkness was not so dark anymore.”

Ray Bradbury Farewell Summer

Source: Farewell Summer

Books

“• Dan: I love you.
• Alice: Where?
• Dan: What?
• Alice: Show me. Where is this 'love'? I can't see it, I can't touch it, I can't feel it. I can hear it, I can hear some words but I can't do anything with your easy words.”

Patrick Marber Closer

Source: Closer

Love, Feeling

“Sam and Patrick looked at me. And I looked at them. And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend.”

Stephen Chbosky book The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Thinking

“I knew people were talking, but I wasn't listening. I wasn't interested in anything anyone had to say.”

Michael Thomas Ford (1968) American writer

Source: Suicide Notes

People

“I want you to admit just once what you feel
for me. I want to know if you'll miss me even
a little. If you'll remember me. If you're sorry
for anything.”

Lisa Kleypas (1964) American writer

Source: Sugar Daddy

Feeling

“No. I don't go through your things. I just come once in a while to make sure you're in one piece. I like knowing you're safe, asleep in your bed. I haven't stolen anything…”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Strikes

“Anything is better than stagnation.”

Arthur Conan Doyle book The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Source: The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

“You can’t convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it’s based on a deep seated need to believe.”

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) American astrophysicist, cosmologist, author and science educator

Sometimes attributed to Contact (1985), but the quote does not appear in that book. <br class="br">It appears attributed to Sagan in Judson Poling's 2003 book "Do Science and the Bible Conflict?", but without source. <br class="br">Misattributed <br class="br">Source: Via Google Books https://books.google.com/books?id=Ondv5WzhYYYC&pg=PA21&dq=Sagan

“There was this funny thing of anything could happen now that we realized everything had.”

Raymond Carver (1938–1988) American short story author and poet

Source: Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories

“Just so you know, you can call me anything you want—just as long as you always call me.”

Gena Showalter (1975) American writer

Source: Through the Zombie Glass

“What do you think it is?"
"It could be anything from a lawn trimmer to a bomb, for all I know."
"I would never build a lawn trimmer," Myrnin said. "What did the lawn ever do to me?”

Rachel Caine (1962) American writer

Source: Ghost Town

Thinking

“It is books that are a key to the wide world; if you can't do anything else, read all that you can.”

Jane Hamilton (1957) American novelist

Books, World, Reading

“Remember… life is short. Each moment you have is precious. Treasure every second. Don't spend them doing anything you don't love.”

Meg Cabot (1967) Novelist

Source: Queen of Babble Gets Hitched

Love, Life

“I just don’t see how anyone can be so cold. (Kiara)
And you should be grateful, little girl, to whatever god you worship, that you can say that. In the world we come from, I don’t understand how anyone can be anything but cold. (Syn)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Born of the Night

God, World, Girl, Understanding

“Making a journey by night is more wonderful than anything in the world.”

Tove Jansson book Moominpappa at Sea

Source: Moominpappa at Sea

World, Night

“For in spite of language, in spite of intelligence and intuition and sympathy, one can never really communicate anything to anybody.”

Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English writer

"Sermons in Cats the musical"
Music at Night and Other Essays (1931)

Intelligence, Communication

“How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me?”

Leonard Cohen book Beautiful Losers

Source: Beautiful Losers

“You've recognised a fundamental feature of an addict's life. Maintaining your habit is so important you've no real interest in anything else.”

Marian Keyes (1963) Irish writer

Source: Rachel's Holiday

Life

“Cucumber and bergamot," Clary said. "Is there anything else you hate that I ought to know about?"

Jace looked at Dorothea over the rim of his teacup. "Liars," he said.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Bones

Source: City of Bones

Hate

“You convinced yourselves we're just a bunch of regular lads who got a bad break in life. Anything else would have cracked your dream open and made you face reality. Illusion is easy. Illusion is the loser's way out. Your way.”

Peter F. Hamilton book The Reality Dysfunction

Source: The Reality Dysfunction

Life, Dreams, Way, Reality

“Ah, this is fine," he cried triumphantly, holding up a small medallion on a chain. He dusted it off, and engraved on one side were the words "WHY NOT?" "That's a good reason for almost anything - a bit used perhaps, but still quite serviceable.”

Norton Juster book The Phantom Tollbooth

Source: The Phantom Tollbooth

“You're mine, damn ye, Claire Fraser! Mine, and I wilna share ye, with a man or a memory, or anything whatever, so long as both shall live.”

Diana Gabaldon book Dragonfly in Amber

Source: Dragonfly in Amber

Memory

“Everyone is afraid of something. We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything.”

Cassandra Clare book Lord of Shadows

Variant: We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don’t wish you didn’t fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn’t feel anything.
Source: Lord of Shadows

Love, People, Fear, Feeling

“I don't say anything and he casually leans against my desk, picking up the novel that's sitting there.

"It's bullshit," he tells me, flicking through it. "There's no such thing as Atticus Finch."

I shrug. "It'd be nice if there was, though.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“and if we can change
things that have
already happened

if those planes can fly in
uneasy formation

if that splinter moon
can blow away the shadows

then anything,
anything at all.”

Jaclyn Moriarty (1968) Australian writer

Source: The Ghosts of Ashbury High

Change, Flying