“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”
Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”
Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it's forever.”
Carl Sagan book Cosmos
Source: Cosmos (1980), p. 20 http://books.google.com/books?id=pxK-jkLVHK0C&q=Sagan+%22butterflies+who+flutter+for+a+day%22&dq=Sagan+%22butterflies+who+flutter+for+a+day%22&ei=3sGoSbb2JIHCzgS05LjsAw&pgis=1
Mary Renault book The Mask of Apollo
Source: The Mask of Apollo (1966)
“We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.”
Orson Scott Card book Ender's Game
Variant: We’re the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, but we eat the little bastards alive.
Source: Ender's Game
“Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” More like pour some penicillin”
Alafair Burke (1969) American novelist and legal scholar
All Day and a Night
W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American New Thought author
As quoted in How to Be the Employee Your Company Can't Live Without : 18 Ways to Become Indispensable (2006) by Glenn Shepard
Cassandra Clare book City of Bones
Clary, pg. 444
Source: The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones (2007)
Cassandra Clare book City of Ashes
Clary, Isabelle, Jace, and Simon, pg. 150
Source: The Mortal Instruments, City of Ashes (2008)
Context: "Traded him for Alec," Clary said.
"Not permanently."
"No," said Jace. "Just for a few hours. Unless I don't come back. In which case, maybe he does get to keep Alec. Think of it as a lease with an option to buy."
"Mom and Dad won't be pleased if they find out."
"That you freed a possible criminal by trading away your brother to a warlock who looks like a gay Sonic the Hedgehog and dresses like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?" Simon inquired. "No, probably not."
“BRODIE:
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned for SEGA.”
Kevin Smith (1970) American screenwriter, actor, film producer, public speaker and director
“Everyone becomes a part of history whether they like it or not and whether they know it or not.”
Philip Roth (1933–2018) American novelist
Jean Ferris (1939–2015) American children's writer
Source: Twice Upon a Marigold
“It's like I was connected to the plumping system.”
Rick Riordan book The Lightning Thief
Source: The Lightning Thief
Eloisa James (1962) American academic
Source: Duchess By Night
Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist
Song lyrics, The Essential Bob Dylan (2000), Maggie's Farm
Variant: Well I tried my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them
Melina Marchetta (1965) Australian teen writer
Source: Froi of the Exiles
“Here I am Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
Dave Eggers (1970) memoirist, novelist, short story writer, editor, publisher
Source: You Shall Know Our Velocity!
Jack Kerouac book Visions of Cody
girls, visions, anything, just in the same way and forever and I accept lostness forever.
Visions of Cody (1960)
“A rune, hovering like an angel: a shape like two wings joined by a single bar.”
Cassandra Clare book City of Heavenly Fire
Source: City of Heavenly Fire
Helene Hanff book 84, Charing Cross Road
Source: 84, Charing Cross Road
Jane Langton (1922–2018) Novelist, children's writer
Lynsay Sands Canadian writer
Source: Vampires are Forever
Chuck Klosterman book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
Source: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
“Apologizing is like spring cleaning.”
Katherine Hannigan (1962) American artist and novelist
Source: Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World
Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923) New Zealand author
Letter to Sylvia Payne (24 April 1906), from The Collected Letters of Katherine Mansfield (1984-1996), vol. I
“You don't think I'm crazy?" I asked hesitantly.
"Like I'm one to judge another persons sanity.”
Gena Showalter (1975) American writer
Source: Alice in Zombieland
“I liked finding dirt on people. It made all my trespasses seem trivial.”
Lisa Lutz (1970) US author
Source: The Spellman Files
“Life is like that. You live it forward but understand it backward.”
Abraham Verghese book Cutting for Stone
Variant: You live it forward, but understand it backward.
Source: Cutting for Stone
“I like it when my mother smiles. And I especially like it when I make her smile.”
Adriana Trigiani (1970) American film director
Source: Viola in Reel Life
Czeslaw Milosz (1911–2004) Polish, poet, diplomat, prosaist, writer, and translator
Nobel lecture (8 December 1980)
Context: Only if we assume that a poet constantly strives to liberate himself from borrowed styles in search for reality, is he dangerous. In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot. And, alas, a temptation to pronounce it, similar to an acute itching, becomes an obsession which doesn't allow one to think of anything else. That is why a poet chooses internal or external exile. It is not certain, however, that he is motivated exclusively by his concern with actuality. He may also desire to free himself from it and elsewhere, in other countries, on other shores, to recover, at least for short moments, his true vocation — which is to contemplate Being.
“It's a curious idea to reproduce when you don't even like life.”
Michel Houellebecq book Atomised
Source: The Elementary Particles
“You tell a kid he doesn't like to read, and he'll believe you”
Gabrielle Zevin (1977) American writer
Source: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Jonathan Safran Foer book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Source: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
“You’re like your,” he whispered. “You make the world go away for me”
Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist
Source: Father Mine
Craig Ferguson (1962) Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, producer and voice a…
“Vampires. Honestly, they're like children sometimes.”
Richelle Mead (1976) American writer
Source: Succubus Blues
“Everybody hates me because I'm so universally liked.”
Peter de Vries (1910–1993) American editor and novelist
Matsuri Hino Japanese manga artist
Source: ヴァンパイア騎士 10
Jonathan Tropper (1970) American writer
Source: This is Where I Leave You
“When life hands you a lemon, say "Oh yeah, I like lemons. What else you got?”
Henry Rollins (1961) American singer-songwriter
The Boxed Life
Francesca Lia Block (1962) American children's writer
Variant: What shall we do? All of us passionate girls who fear crushing the boys we love with our mouths like caverns of teeth, our mushrooming brains, and watermelon hearts?
Source: Blood Roses
“Finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) Irish poet, singer and songwriter
“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) 1817-1862 American poet, essayist, naturalist, and abolitionist
Rick Riordan book The Demigod Diaries
Variant: Leo had recently discovered how to change the display, like the Times Square JumboTron, so now the banner read: Merry Christmas! All your presents belong to Leo!
Source: The Demigod Diaries
“When I was a little kid I thought like a little kid, but now I'm five I know everything.”
Source: Room (novel) (2010)