Quotes about meaning
page 20

“Personally, I believe “Young Adult” to be an arbitrary title that means the book "Can be enjoyed by anyone/Has a main character who’s not quite an adult/Isn’t really boring.”

Shannon Hale (1974) American fantasy novelist

Books, Personality

“I was the Sumerian god of fertility. You know what that means, don’t you? (Sin)
You have a lot of penis envy over the other fertility gods? Don’t worry. I won’t tell the other gods about your small penis problem. (Kat)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Devil May Cry

God, Problem, Envy

“But just because you love something, I added to myself, doesn't mean you'll ever be great. Not if you don't work. Most people stink at the things they love.”

Amy Chua book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Source: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Love, People

“Maybe we're standing like coins on the edge?"
Allie considered this. "Meaning?"
"Meaning, we might be able to shake things up a little, and find a way to come up heads."
"Or tails," suggested Allie.
"What are youabout?" said Lief.
"Life and death.”

Neal Shusterman book Everlost

Source: Everlost

Life, Death, Way

“Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back. You're done. It doesn't necessarily mean that you want to have lunch with the person. If you keep hitting back, you stay trapped in the nightmare…”

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

Source: Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

Forgiveness, Personality

“Any problems with your flight? (Acheron)
I didn’t eat my pilot if that’s what you mean. And little Nicky here is still breathing and not bleeding. (Zarek)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon Night Embrace

Source: Night Embrace

Problem

“Just because someone isn’t willing or able to love us, it doesn’t mean that we are unlovable.”

Brené Brown (1965) US writer and professor

Source: Rising Strong

Love

“But just because you bury something, that doesn't mean it stops existing. Those feelings, they'd been there all along. All that time. I had to just face it.”

Jenny Han (1980) American writer

Source: We'll Always Have Summer

Feeling, Time

“Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Ian put in. "Just fridge yourselves, as Jonah says."
"Dude," Dan said. "Do you mean?"
"Precisely. Just what I said.”

Jude Watson book A King's Ransom

Source: A King's Ransom

Hope

“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

“It means, Doug Swieteck, that in this class, you are not your brother.”

Gary D. Schmidt book Okay for Now

Source: Okay for Now

“Genius, in truth, means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.”

William James (1842–1910) American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist

Source: 1890s, The Principles of Psychology (1890), Ch. 19
Source: The Writings of William James

Truth, Way

“Learning how to think' really means learning how to exercise some control over how & what you think. It means being conscious & aware enough to choose what you pay attention to & to choose how you construct meaning from experience.”

David Foster Wallace (1962–2008) American fiction writer and essayist

Source: This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

Exercises, Thinking, Learning

“Honest. It's almost always best to go with honest. It means you never have to worry about getting your story straight.”

Jim Butcher book Cold Days

Source: Cold Days

“The absence of pain means death, so when something no longer bothers you, you've died to that thing.”

Joyce Meyer (1943) American author and speaker

Death, Pain

“We never choose which words to use, for as long as they mean what they mean to mean, we don’t care if they make sense or nonsense.”

Norton Juster book The Phantom Tollbooth

Source: The Phantom Tollbooth

Sense

“I mean, when the world comes for your children, with the knives out, it's your job to stand in the way.”

Joe Hill (1879–1915) Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World

Source: Horns

Children, World, Way

“Meaning what? We're going to pretend nothing's going on? That's stupid. The only way to deal with any of this is to get it out in the open."

Have you been watching Oprah again?”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

Stupidity, Way

“Because that's the thing about mean people: They make you think that the world will never work, that there are divides that you will fall into if you approach. It takes a whole lot of good people to fill in the breach created by a single mean one.”

David Levithan book Wide Awake

Source: Wide Awake

People, World, Thinking

“Because love was not the answer to every question. Because real love meant sacrifice. Sometimes love means letting go.”

Melissa de la Cruz (1971) American writer

Source: Gates of Paradise

Love, Question

“Has that line ever worked for anyone?”
“I’m not feeding you lines. I mean every word.”
…
“Day One of my life was the day I met you.”
“Okay, that’s a winner. You can put it in.”

Sylvia Day (1973) American writer

Source: Entwined with You

Life

“Relationships evolve, just like people do. Just because you know someone doesn't mean you know everything about them.”

Sarah Dessen (1970) American writer

Source: Saint Anything

People

“I know what "nothing" means, and keep on playing.”

Joan Didion book Play It as It Lays

Source: Play It as It Lays

“Meaning, I need you to focus. If you want to save Madaug, you need to listen to me or the mortents will eat both of you Pop-Tarts for breakfast. (Ambrose)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Infinity

“I'm killing time while I wait for life to shower me with meaning and happiness.”

Bill Watterson (1958) American comic artist

Life, Time, Waiting, Happiness

“Just because a person is beautiful doesn't mean there's no soul beneath. Doesn't mean that person hasn't suffered like everyone else, doesn't mean they don't hope to still be a good human being in an awful world.”

David Levithan (1972) American author and editor

Source: Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

World, Beauty, Hope, Soul

“This is a cardinal Ya-Ya rule: you must meet each person's eyes while clinking glasses in a toast. Otherwise, the ritual has no meaning, it's just pure show. And that is something the Ya-Yas are not.”

Rebecca Wells book Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Source: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Personality

“What it's like to be a parent: It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.”

Nicholas Sparks book The Wedding

Source: The Wedding

Heart Touching, For Parents, Love, Parent

“Hassan returned the smile. Except his didn’t look forced. And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too”

Khaled Hosseini book The Kite Runner

Source: The Kite Runner

People, Smile, Thinking

“We’re multigenerational Squires. (Carl)
Which means what? You prance around with tinfoil armor and plastic swords pretending to be knights? (Nick)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Infinity

“Quoting an old proverb: "An empty cart rattles loudly." she said. meaning, One who lacks substance boasts loudest.”

Alan Brennert (1954) American writer

Source: Honolulu

Quotes

“Belief means nothing without actions”

Randa Abdel-Fattah (1979) contemporary Australian writer of novels for young adults

Source: Does My Head Look Big In This?

“You know what's funny about death? I mean other than absolutely nothing at all? You'd think we could remember finding out we weren't immortal. Sometimes I see children sobbing airports and I think, "Aww. They've just been told.”

Carrie Fisher book Wishful Drinking

Source: Wishful Drinking

Death, Children, Thinking

“I learned a long time ago not to judge people by what they look like, sound like, or by the clothes they wear. Just because a house is nice and shiny out front doesn’t mean it’s not rotting on the inside. (Kyrian)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Infinity

People, Learning, Time, Housing

“We, more than others, should carry jumper and tow cables not only in our cars, but also in our hearts, by which means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added momentum to mortal neighbors.”

Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) Mormon leader

Source: All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience

Cars, Heart

“If it means my death, I don't care, because even death will be a sort of freedom.”

Catherine Fisher book Incarceron

Source: Incarceron

Death, Freedom

“You mean to say he became mad deliberately?'
… Nothing is more likely,' said the duke.”

Susanna Clarke book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Source: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Madness

“Faith means that it doesn't matter what happens. You can trust that somebody is watching. Trust that somebody will make it all right.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Hero of Ages

Faith

“I mean, to me, freaking out is different. More of a running away, not telling anyone what's wrong, slowly simmering until you burst kind of thing.”

Sarah Dessen book Just Listen

Source: Just Listen

“There is something infantile in the presumption that somebody else (parents in the case of children, God in the case of adults) has a responsibility to give your life meaning and point.”

Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion

Source: The God Delusion (2006), p. 360

Life, God, Children, Parent

“It's the pointless things that give your life meaning. Friendship, compassion, art, love. All of them pointless. But they're what keeps life from being meaningless.”

Tim Winton (1960) Australian writer

Love, Life, Friendship, Art

“I suppose you should her it from me that I met your mother" he smiled a litte sadly. "well… When I say met I mean one time I tried to kill her."
"Do me a favor" Zach's voice was low and dark and dangerous. "Next time don't just try”

Ally Carter Out of Sight, Out of Time

Source: Out of Sight, Out of Time

Smile, Time

“In our monogamous part of the world, to marry means to halve one’s rights and double one’s duties.”

Arthur Schopenhauer book Parerga and Paralipomena

Vol. 2, Ch. 27, § 370
Variant translation: To marry is to halve your rights and double your duties.
Parerga and Paralipomena (1851), Counsels and Maxims

World, Parting

“Everything happens for a reason, but that doesn't mean there's a point.”

Sue Grafton (1940–2017) American writer

Source: C is for Corpse

“Let’s see, today is Thor’s Day the sixteenth.” “You mean Thursday?” “That’s what I said. The island will rise on the full moon six days from now, on the twenty-second, which is Woden’s Day.” “Wednesday?” I asked. “That’s what I said.”

Rick Riordan book The Sword of Summer

Source: The Sword of Summer

“Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith. Faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) American writer

Faith, Universe

“To escape from the world means that one's mind is not concerned with the opinions of the world.”

Dogen (1200–1253) Japanese Zen buddhist teacher

Source: A Primer Of Soto Zen

World

“I remember a friend many years ago who had taped a sign to his refrigerator: There's a dream dreaming us. If you try to think about what that means it makes your mind silly, but that silliness is good.”

Natalie Goldberg (1948) American writer

Source: Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life

Dreams, Thinking

“So just look mean and don’t make eye contact with anyone. (Syn)
Gee, hon, you take me to the most wonderful places. (Shahara)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Born of Fire

“Multiculturalism should not mean that we tolerate another culture’s intolerance. If we do in fact support diversity, women’s rights, and gay rights, then we cannot in good conscience give Islam a free pass on the grounds of multicultural sensitivity.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali book Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now

Source: Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now

Women, Support

“A positive attitude means all the difference in the world.”

Jenny Holzer (1950) American conceptual artist

World

“Magnus, we’re going down to the lake," he said. "Do you want to come?"
“Why?” Magnus inquired.
Alec shrugged, “Clary says it’s pretty,” he said. “I mean, I’ve seen it before, but there was a huge angel rising out of it, and that was distracting.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Heavenly Fire

Source: City of Heavenly Fire

Angels

“Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed.”

Rick Riordan The Mark of Athena

Source: The Mark of Athena

“Oh, terrific," Dan muttered. "Just what we need. Another code! Why can't people just say what they mean? Why can't they say THE MAP IS IN THE DESK?”

Jude Watson book A King's Ransom

Source: A King's Ransom

People

“All stories are true,” Skarpi said. “But this one really happened, if that’s what you mean.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

He took another slow drink, then smiled again, his bright eyes dancing. “More or less. You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere.”
Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 26, “Lanre Turned” (p. 203)

“Keeing busy" is the remedy for all the ills in America. It's also the means by which the creative impulse is destroyed.”

Joyce Carol Oates (1938) American author

Source: The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates: 1973-1982

Business

“Being oppressed means the absence of choices”

Bell Hooks (1952) American author, feminist, and social activist

“You're my brother."

"Those words don't mean anything where we're concerned. We aren't human. Their rules don't apply to us. Stupid laws about what DNA can be mixed with what. Hypocritical, really, considering. We're already experiments.”

Cassandra Clare The City of Lost Souls

Source: City of Lost Souls

Stupidity, Law

“Listen,' Clover said. 'Don't worry about not being able to come back, I've lived both places, and trust me, you won't be getting the short end of the stick if you end up in Foo. I mean, candy alone…”

Obert Skye (1970) American writer

“What's that supposed to mean? A wolf's head on a stick. Big wolf barbecue tonight? Bring your own wolf?”

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

Source: The Lost Colony

Wolf

“Life’s like that. As we grow and change, some things we’ve experienced before take on new meaning. It’ll happen for the rest of your life.”

Richelle Mead Blood Promise

Source: Blood Promise

Life, Change

“I do want your happiness. But the absence of fighting or hatred or desire also means the opposites do not exist either. No joy, no communion, no love. Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope.”

Haruki Murakami book Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Source: Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985), Chapter 32, Shadow in the Throes of Death
Source: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Context: First, about the mind. You tell me there is no fighting or hatred or desire in the Town. That this is a beautiful dream, and I do want your happiness. But the absence of fighting or hatred or desire also means the opposites do not exist either. No joy, no communion, no love. Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope.

Love, Hope, Loss, Joy

“People may or may not say what they mean… but they always say something designed to get what they want.”

David Mamet (1947) American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director

People

“I want words at my funeral. But I guess that means you need life in your life.”

Markus Zusak book The Book Thief

Source: The Book Thief

Life

“A true heiress is never mean to anyone - except a girl who steals your boyfriend”

Paris Hilton (1981) American socialite

Girl

“It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak the words that matter.”

Kate DiCamillo The Magician's Elephant

Source: The Magician's Elephant

Time

“In the morning there is meaning, in the evening there is feeling.”

Gertrude Stein book Tender buttons: objects, food, rooms

Source: Tender Buttons

Feeling

“Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.”

Theodore Dreiser book Sister Carrie

Variant: How true it is that words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.
Source: Sister Carrie

Feeling