Quotes about closing
page 7

“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.”

Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) British comic actor and filmmaker

As quoted in his obituary in The Guardian (28 December 1977)

Life

“It's hard to close the door on optimistic expectations when you love someone.”

Dennis Lehane book A Drink Before the War

Source: A Drink Before the War

Love

“I love you. I love you,
but I’m turning to my verses
and my heart is closing
like a fist.”

Frank O'Hara book Meditations in an Emergency (book)

Source: Meditations in an Emergency

Love, Heart

“It's okay not to know all the answers. It's better to admit our ignorance than to believe answers that might be wrong. Pretending to know everything, closes the door to finding out what's really there.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958) American astrophysicist and science communicator

“Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing.”

Bill Cosby (1937) American actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist

Sleep

“When you walk a dog on a short leash, she's close enough to bite you.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Bleeds

Dogs

“Just because we don’t see eye to eye on everything doesn’t mean we can’t be close.”

Sarah Dessen book Along for the Ride

Source: Along for the Ride

“Am I such a bad person for dreaming of a world that ends when I do? I don't mean the world ending with respect to me, but every set of eyes closing with mine.”

Jonathan Safran Foer book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Source: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

World, Dreams, Personality

“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.”

Barbara Kingsolver (1955) American author, poet and essayist

People

“Intimate, loving, and enduring relationships with our family and close friends will be among the sources of the deepest joy in our lives.”

Clayton M. Christensen (1952–2020) Mormon academic

Source: How Will You Measure Your Life?

Love, Family, Joy

“How closely women clutch the very chains that bind them!”

Margaret Mitchell book Vom Winde verweht (1937 German edition)

Source: Gone with the Wind

Women

“He settled his hat back into position. She was a rookie in her first big game, and he’d never let her see how close she’d come to unseating a champion”

Susan Elizabeth Phillips (1948) American writer

Source: Heaven, Texas

Game

“Nothing had been okay, not for a long time. And every moment that I thought I was getting close, like the one I’d had earlier, seemed to remind the universe that I didn’t deserve that, not yet.”

Sarah Dessen (1970) American writer

Source: Saint Anything

Universe, Time

“Then again, he supposed the healing process, in contrast to trauma, was gentle and slow… The soft closing of a door, rather than a slam.- John”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Reborn

“I have a big hole in my heart," I said. "But it'll close over."
I don't want to sound all Dr. Phil," she said. "But don't let the scab seal the pain in, okay?"
That's good advice," I said. "I hope I can manage it.”

Charlaine Harris book Definitely Dead

Source: Definitely Dead

Pain, Hope, Heart

“Prisons are the temples where devils learn to prey. Every time we turn the key we twist the knife of fate, because every time we cage a man we close him in with hate.”

Gregory David Roberts book Shantaram

Source: Shantaram

Hate, Fate, Learning, Time

“Sometimes, mothers say and do things that seem like they don't want their kids… but when you look more closely, you realize that they're doing those kids a favor. They're just trying to give them a better life.”

Jodi Picoult book Handle With Care

Source: Handle with Care

Life

“I wonder, though…what would it be like? To be that close to a boy and have him see all of you, no holding back.”

Jenny Han book To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Source: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Boy

“Nico wasn't sure whether to kick himself or Will Solace. If he hadn’t been so distracted bickering with the son of Apollo, he would never have allowed the enemy to get so close.”

Rick Riordan book The Blood of Olympus

Source: The Blood of Olympus

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”

Paulo Coelho book The Devil and Miss Prym

Source: The Devil and Miss Prym

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself”

Henry Miller (1891–1980) American novelist

World, Grass

“Once you've decided that something's absolutely true, you've closed your mind on it, and a closed mind doesn't go anywhere. Question everything. That's what education's all about.”

David Eddings book Belgarath the Sorcerer

Source: Belgarath the Sorcerer

Education, Question

“To use an electronics analogy, closing a book on a bookmark is like pressing the Stop button, whereas when you leave the book facedown, you've only pressed Pause.”

Anne Fadiman (1953) American essayist, journalist and magazine editor

Source: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

Books

“Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart.”

Alexandre Dumas book The Count of Monte Cristo

Source: The Count of Monte Cristo

Pain, Heart

“In the dark, with the windows lit and the rows of books glittering, the library is a closed space, a universe of self-serving rules that pretend to replace or translate those of the shapeless universe beyond.”

Alberto Manguel (1948) writer

Source: The Library at Night

Books, Universe

“Do you think everybody misses somebody? Like I miss my mama?” “Mmmm-hmmm,” said Gloria. She closed her eyes. “I believe, sometimes, that the whole world has an aching heart.”

Kate DiCamillo book Because of Winn-Dixie

Source: Because of Winn-Dixie

World, Thinking, Heart

“People used what they called a telephone because they hated being close together and they were too scared of being alone.”

Chuck Palahniuk book Survivor

Source: Survivor

Hate, People

“Invention:
I always wanted to invent something that would move around & make funny noises & would change the world as we know it & I forgot all about that until we had kids & now I see I came pretty close.”

Brian Andreas (1956) American artist

World, Change

“I'll just tell you what I remember because memory is as close as I've gotten to building my own time machine.”

Samantha Hunt The Invention of Everything Else

Source: The Invention of Everything Else

Memory, Time

“Dullard: Someone who looks up a thing in the encyclopedia, turns directly to the entry, reads it, and then closes the book.”

Philip José Farmer (1918–2009) American science fiction writer

Books, Reading

“It's bullshit to think of friendship and romance as being different. They're not. They're just variations of the same love. Variations of the same desire to be close.”

David Levithan (1972) American author and editor

Variant: It's b******* to think of friendship and romance being different. They're not. They're just variations of the same love. Variatons of the same desire to be close.
Source: Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

Love, Friendship, Thinking

“I love the detail about the workings of the human heart and mind that only fiction can provide - film can't get in close enough.”

Nick Hornby (1957) English novelist

Love, Heart

“When the time came to leap in faith, whether you had your eyes open or closed or screamed all the way down or not made no practical difference.”

Lois McMaster Bujold book The warrior's Apprentice

Source: Vorkosigan Saga, The Warrior's Apprentice (1986)

Faith, Way, Time

“It was so nice just to live in the moment, to enjoy holding him so closely, to pretend for a little while that they were merely two young people in love and nothing else.”

Melissa de la Cruz book The Van Alen Legacy

Source: The Van Alen Legacy

Love, People

“With my eyes closed, I would touch a familiar book and draw its fragrance deep inside me. This was enough to make me happy.”

Haruki Murakami book Norwegian Wood

Source: Norwegian Wood

Books, Drawing, Happiness

“… Bringing the very heavens close enough to touch.
It was Zsadist.
His eyes closed, his head back, his mouth wide open, he sang.
The scarred one, the souless one, had the voice of an angel.”

Jessica Bird book Dark Lover

Source: Dark Lover

Angels

“Life is a play that does not allow testing. So, sing, cry, dance, laugh and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.”

Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) British comic actor and filmmaker

Source: Charlie Chaplin: Interviews

Life, Singing, Dance, Cry

“Really? And what curse befalls the Adams of the world?"
Ann opens her mouth and, presumably thinking of nothing to say, closes it again.
It is Felicity who answers, eyes steely. "They are weak to temptation. And we are their temptresses.”

Libba Bray book Rebel Angels

Source: Rebel Angels

World, Thinking

“Living a connected life ultimately is about setting boundaries, spending less time and energy hustling and winning over people who don’t matter, and seeing the value of working on cultivating connection with family and close friends.”

Brené Brown (1965) US writer and professor

Source: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Life, People, Family, Time

“A guy who is crazily, madly in love with you. A guy who sees how incredible and amazing you are, even though you’re not the cheerleader or even close to the prettiest girl in the school. A guy who thinks you’re beautiful, just the way you are.”

Candace Bushnell book The Carrie Diaries

Source: The Carrie Diaries

Love, School, Beauty, Way

“Ignorantly is how we all fall in love; for it is a kind of fall. Closing our eyes, we leap from that cliff in hope of a soft landing. Nor is it always soft; but still, without that leap nobody comes to life.”

Salman Rushdie book The Moor's Last Sigh

Source: The Moor's Last Sigh

Love, Life, Hope

“Only love can heal the wounds of the past. However, the intensity of our woundedness often leads to a closing of the heart, making it impossible for us to give or receive the love that is given to us.”

Bell Hooks book All About Love: New Visions

Source: All About Love: New Visions

Love, Past, Heart

“Could I just use the loo?” I asked the nice officer.
“No.” She closed the door in my face, As if I might rig an explosion in the toilet. Honestly.”

Rick Riordan book The Red Pyramid

Source: The Red Pyramid

“I held her close to me with my eyes closed, wonering if anything in my life had ever been this perfect and knowing at the same time that it hadn't. I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be.”

Nicholas Sparks book A Walk to Remember

Source: A Walk to Remember

Love, Life, Feeling, Imagination

“He held her close enough to kiss, close enough to whisper the most important secrets in the world, and he spoke to her as he would have wanted some good angel to speak to his family, to his own shivering young soul, long ago and in a land far away.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: Saving Raphael Santiago

Secret, World, Family, Angels

“No," he said, voice thick and husky. His fingers dug into the chair's arms. "You'd better not get too close."
I stopped, laughing softly. "You don't strike me as the assaulting type, Mortensen."
"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything.”

Richelle Mead (1976) American writer

Source: Succubus on Top

Time

“American long for a closed society in which everything can be bought, where laborers are either hidden away or dressed up as nonhumans, so as not to be disconcerting. This place is called Disney World”

Adam Gopnik book Paris to the Moon

Source: Paris to the Moon

World

“I think that is why we stay close to our families, no matter how neurotic the members, how deeply annoying or dull- because when people have seen you at your worst, you don’t have to put on the mask as much.”

Anne Lamott (1954) Novelist, essayist, memoirist, activist

Source: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

People, Family, Thinking

“When you call me close
to tell me
your body is not beautiful
I want to summon
the eyes and hidden mouths
of stone and light and water
to testify against you.”

Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) Canadian poet and singer-songwriter

Beauty, Light, Water

“That, dillop brain, is what getting close to the Darke does. It makes you think only of yourself. It takes you away from people you care about. And now you don't have anyone to talk to and it serves you right.”

Angie Sage book Darke

Source: Darke

People, Thinking

“Maybe I was being too picky. Maybe I didn't want to be close to anyone. Maybe I'd just be the type who couldn't feel love all the way or something. I couldn't tell what was wrong, but what was wrong was that it just wasn't right.”

Deb Caletti (1963) American writer

Source: The Secret Life of Prince Charming

Love, Way, Feeling

“I don't love you anymore", she whispered. "I don't love you at all." His throat closed. "It's all right, sweetheart. I love you enough for both of us.”

Susan Elizabeth Phillips (1948) American writer

Source: Kiss an Angel

Love

“The news should have terrified her, but it was difficult to be frightened of anything when she was sitting so close to Rom. 'I thought we had convinced him that I was leading a blameless life?' 'We had, till you burst out of that damnable cake.”

Eva Ibbotson A Company of Swans

Source: A Company of Swans

Life

“You know the saying, don’t kill the messenger? Hold that thought really, really close to your hearts. (Hermes)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Acheron

Heart

“It's strange to be so physically close to someone who's so distant”

Suzanne Collins (1962) American television writer and novelist

Distant

“To be closed from everything, and yet to feel, to think… This is the truth of hell, stripped of its gaudy medievalisms. This loss of contact.”

Joanne Harris book Chocolat

Source: Chocolat

Truth, Feeling, Hell, Thinking

“Some memories remain close; you can shut your eyes and find yourself back in them. But there are second-person memories, too, distant you memories, and these are trickier: you watch yourself in disbelief.”

Jess Walter book Beautiful Ruins

Source: Beautiful Ruins

Distant, Memory, Personality

“The stars up close to the moon were pale; they got brighter and braver the farther they got out of the circle of light ruled by the giant moon”

Ken Kesey book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Source: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Star, Light

“To understand the world at all, sometimes you could only focus on a tiny bit of it, look very hard at what was close to hand and make it stand in for the whole;”

Donna Tartt book The Goldfinch

Source: The Goldfinch

World, Understanding

“When God closes a door, he opens a window. Yeah. The problem was that this particular window opened off the tenth story, and he wasn't so sure God supplied parachutes.”

Diana Gabaldon (1952) American author

Source: An Echo in the Bone

God, Problem

“At the moment when her eyes closed, when all feeling vanished in her, she thought that she felt a touch of fire imprinted on her lips, a kiss more burning than the red-hot iron of the executioner.”

Victor Hugo book The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Source: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Feeling, Kiss

“Any man who thinks he is going to be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him should take a close look at the American Indian.”

Henry Ford (1863–1947) American industrialist

Possibly said by Hugh Allen, printed in Reader's Digest (Jan. 1967)
Misattributed

Thinking, Happiness

“There was a yell, but Magnus had already risen and closed the door before he could see Alec fall down the steps, as that was the sort of thing a man had to do in private.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: The Course of True Love [and First Dates]

“Have you ever felt really close to someone? So close that you can't understand why you and the other person have two separate bodies, two separate skins?”

Nancy Garden book Annie on My Mind

Source: Annie on My Mind

Understanding, Personality

“From a distance, it makes perfect sense that the people and the things you think will save you are the very ones that have the power to disappoint you most bitterly, but up close it can hit you as a bewildering surprise.”

Tom Perrotta (1961) American novelist and screenwriter

Source: Joe College

People, Disappointment, Thinking, Sense

“There is a universe behind and before him. And the day is approaching when closing the last book on the last shelf on the far left; he will say to himself, "now what?”

Jean Paul Sartre (1905–1980) French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and …

Source: Nausea, The Wall and Other Stories

Books, Universe

“The second bathroom's downstairs - that's kind of the emergency backup bathroom when Shane's in there moussing his hair for like an hour or something…."
"" Shane yelled from behind the closed door.”

Rachel Caine book Glass Houses

Source: Glass Houses

“She closed one eye and looked at me and said, "I know there is a blessing in this somewhere."

It is worth living long enough to outlast whatever sense of grievance you may acquire. Another reason why you must be careful of your health.”

Marilynne Robinson Gilead

Source: Gilead

Health, Sense

“I am the lord of Redmont Fief. He is my tenant. I am his commander. End of story. Ipso facto. Case-o closed-o.”

John Flanagan (1873–1938) Irish-American hammer thrower

Source: The Burning Bridge

“I closed my eyes to watch tiny dancers like jeweled birds cross the dark screen of my eyelids.”

Janet Fitch book White Oleander

Source: White Oleander

Bird

“Phryne was getting out of the car. Dot closed her eyes. Miss Fisher was about to happen to someone again.”

Kerry Greenwood (1954) Australian crime writer

Source: Dead Man's Chest

Cars

“He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

Variant: He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.

Dead

“Schuyler pulled Oliver close and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. Thank you for loving me enough to let me go.”

Melissa de la Cruz book The Van Alen Legacy

Source: The Van Alen Legacy

Love

“There are a few absolute no-brainer rules in my world. Real close to the top of this list is: if an Unseelie prince runs from it, I'm going to run from it, too. [said Dani]”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Source: Iced

World

“I will tell you how to become rich. Close the doors. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.”

Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

Fear

“I need a new friend. I need a friend, period. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover giggle giggle yak yak. Just a pseudo-friend, disposable friend. Friend as accessory. Just so I don't feel or look so stupid.”

Laurie Halse Anderson Speak

Source: Speak

Stupidity, Feeling, Clothes

“I feel ashamed now that I tried to take my life. It is such a precious thing. I had no one to talk me out of my despair and that was a mistake. You need to keep people close. You need to give them access to your heart.”

Mitch Albom For One More Day

Source: For One More Day

Life, People, Feeling, Heart

“And maybe it is only by finding yourself that you can feel the true intensity of becoming close to another person.”

David Levithan The Realm of Possibility

Source: The Realm of Possibility

Feeling, Personality

“Hey, you've still got your endangered hymen. Which means you'll make it to closing credits - I'm s. o. l.”

Kresley Cole American writer

Source: Poison Princess

“If someone is really close with you, your getting upset or them getting upset is okay, and they don’t change because of it. It’s just part of the relationship. It happens. You deal with it.”

Sarah Dessen book Just Listen

Variant: If someone is really close with you, your getting upset or them getting upset is okay, and they don't change because of it. It's just part of the relationship. It happens. You deal with it.
Source: Just Listen

Change, Parting

“As if when someone close to us dies, we momentarily trade places with them, in the moment right before. And as we get over it, we’re really living their life in reverse, from death to life, from sickness to health.”

David Levithan book Every Day

Source: Every Day

Life, Death, Health

“Yeah I missed you since the place got wrecked
By the winds of change and the weeds of sex
looks like freedom but it feels like death
it's something in between, I guess
it's closing time.”

Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) Canadian poet and singer-songwriter

Death, Sex, Feeling, Freedom