Quotes about voice
page 7

“I finally realized the source of your mutual attraction," Saiman said, his voice dry.
"You both think violence is foreplay.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Rises

“We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.”

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) 20th century English author

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915)
Source: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Other Poems
Context: I grow old … I grow old...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

“Would you?” said Gabriel to Will, hotly. “If it was your family?” His lip curled. “Never mind. It’s not as if you know the meaning of loyalty —”
“Gabriel.” Gideon’s voice was a reprimand to his brother. “Do not speak to Will in that manner.”

Cassandra Clare book Clockwork Princess

Source: Clockwork Princess

Family, Loyalty

“Erotic play discloses a nameless world which is revealed by the nocturnal language of lovers. Such language is not written down. It is whispered into the ear at night in a hoarse voice. At dawn it is forgotten.”

Jean Genet book The Thief's Journal

Source: The Thief's Journal

World, Lovers, Night

“My will broke at the sound of his voice, and my head turned
with as much inevitability as a sunflower turning its face to
the sun.”

Patricia Briggs book Silver Borne

Source: Silver Borne

“I turned and faced the Olympians.
"We need a shroud," I announced, my voice cracking. "A shroud for the son of Hermes.”

Rick Riordan book The Last Olympian

Source: The Last Olympian

“Really, Luther, if I knew you were that hungry, I would’ve picked up some takeout.”
At the sound of my voice, he turned. “You!”
“Me.”
“What is this?” He looked at Julie. “Mini-you?”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Shifts

“Wisdom's daughter walks alone—”
“Ella!” Frank stood suddenly. “Maybe it's not the best time—”Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice.”

Rick Riordan The Mark of Athena

Source: The Mark of Athena

Wisdom, Time, Daughters

“Imagination is the voice of daring. If there is anything Godlike about God it is that. He dared to imagine everything.”

Henry Miller book Sexus

Tropic of Capricorn (1939)
Source: Sexus

God, Imagination

“Vin isn't… like other women."
Tindwyl raised an eyebrow, her voice softening slightly.
"I think that the more women you come to know, Your Majesty, the more you'll find that statement applies to all of them.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Well of Ascension

Women, Thinking

“Rachel?” came Ivy’s voice from her room. “Where’s my sword?”
“In the foyer where you left it last week when the evangelists were canvassing the neighborhood”

Kim Harrison (1966) Pseudonym

Source: A Perfect Blood

“The voice of passion is better than the voice of reason. The passionless cannot change history.”

Czeslaw Milosz (1911–2004) Polish, poet, diplomat, prosaist, writer, and translator

History, Passion, Change

“They're waiting for you. Go on in." Adrian leaned close to Keith's ear and spoke in an ominous voice."If. You. Dare.”

Richelle Mead Bloodlines

Source: Bloodlines

“I don't know about the rest of you who have little voices, but something about mine made me feel completely compelled to listen to it.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: The Angel Experiment

“[Y]ou possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.”

Aristophanés The Knights

Source: The Knights

“Christmas garland and a rock?" he said, a smile in his voice. "Why not an ornament?"

"Wolves aren't fragile," I told him. "And they're… stubbon and hard to move.”

Patricia Briggs book Silver Borne

Source: Silver Borne

Smile, Christmas

“The masters of life know the way, for they listen to the voice within them, the voice of wisdom and simplicity, the voice that reasons beyond cleverness and knows beyond knowledge.”

Benjamin Hoff book The Tao of Pooh

Source: The Tao of Pooh

Life, Wisdom, Way, Knowledge

“It's a coffee cup."
She could hear the irritation in her own voice. "I know it's a coffee cup."
"I can't wait till you draw something really complicated, like the Brooklyn Bridge or a lobster. You'll probably send me a singing telegram.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Bones

Source: City of Bones

Coffee, Singing, Waiting, Drawing

“[E]ach of our voices has something unique to say. Not only should I not mold my life to the demands of external conformity; I can't even find the model by which to live outside myself. I can only find it within.”

Charles Taylor (1931) Canadian philosopher

Source: Multiculturalism

“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tales of a Wayside Inn

Pt. III, The Theologian's Tale: Elizabeth, sec. IV.
Source: Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863-1874)

Life, Silence, Distant, Night

“Voice is not just the sound that comes from your throat, but the feelings that come from your words.”

Jennifer Donnelly A Northern Light

Source: A Northern Light

“You sound disappointed.” Shane’s voice came out faint and thready, and he put his head back against the cushions as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn, I hate this. I really do.”

I know,” Oliver said. “Your blood reeks of it.”

Rachel Caine (1962) American writer

Source: Last Breath

Hate, Disappointment

“Death did not play favorites—He loved all equally.
What you cannot escape, you must fight; what you cannot fight, you must endure.
The god's voice—not quite words, just a thread of meaning laid in my receptive mind”

Lilith Saintcrow (1976) American writer

Source: Dead Man Rising

Love, Death, God, Fight

“It's too late," she said.
"Don't say that." His voice was half a whisper. "I love you, Tessa. I love you.”

Cassandra Clare book Clockwork Prince

Source: Clockwork Prince

“You," Madeline said, her voice hollow and wheezing, "are like a bad case of herpes, wizard. You're inconvenient, embarassing, no real threat, and you simplygo away.”

Jim Butcher Turn Coat

Source: Turn Coat

“Your ultimatum didn’t sit well with me, so naturally, I voiced my opinion.”
“Which was?”
“That you should go copulate with a pig. It sounded way cooler in medieval French.”

Kresley Cole American writer

Source: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

“Oh, it's you," Curran's voice said quietly. "I thought it was an elephant.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Bites

“Speech is the voice of the heart.”

Anna Quindlen (1952) journalist, Novelist

“You used your power to toss one rock at me?" he exclaimed, an almost comic note of incredulity in his voice.
"On the contrary," I heard Dorian say pleasantly. "I didn't use magic for that. I just threw it.”

Richelle Mead (1976) American writer

Source: Storm Born

“Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice, God's speaking from the whirlwind, nature's old song, and dance…”

Annie Dillard (1945) American writer

Source: Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters

God, Nature, Dance

“A choir is made up of many voices, including yours and mine. If one by one all go silent then all that will be left are the soloists.

Don’t let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song.”

Vera Nazarian (1966) American writer

Source: The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

“I can’t listen to you. I can’t listen to your voice. It’s as though I’d drunk a bottle of anise and fallen asleep wrapped in a quilt of roses. It pulls me along – and I know I’m drowning – but I go on down.”

Federico García Lorca Blood Wedding

Source: Bodas de sangre

“When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story's voice makes everything its own.”

John Berger (1926–2017) British painter, writer and art critic

Source: Keeping a Rendezvous

“He pleaded so much that he lost his voice. His bones began to fill with words.”

Gabriel García Márquez book One Hundred Years of Solitude

Source: One Hundred Years of Solitude

“I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language. Without her to talk to, there was nothing to say.”

Rob Sheffield (1966) American music journalist

Variant: I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language.
Source: Love Is a Mix Tape

“You want the truth, of course. You want me to put two and two together. But two and two doesn’t necessarily get you the truth. Two and two equals a voice outside the window. Two and two equals the wind. The living bird is not its labeled bones.”

Margaret Atwood book The Blind Assassin

Source: The Blind Assassin

“His voice wore no pants.”

Tom Robbins (1932) American writer

“The source of my difficulties has always been the same: an inability to accept what to others seems natural, and an irresistible tendency to voice opinions no one wants to hear…”

Isabel Allende (1942) Chilean writer

“God, I miss you,” he said in a voice that cracked. “Every night. Every day…”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Reborn

“I didn't know," he said. "I didn't know you needed me."
Her voice shook. "I always need you”

Cassandra Clare book City of Fallen Angels

Source: City of Fallen Angels

“I just don't know," I said, my voice sounding bumby, not like mine, "how do you help someone who doesn't want your help. What do you do when you can't do anything?”

Sarah Dessen Lock and Key

Source: Lock and Key

“Part 5

The Voice-
Make that my voice”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: Maximum Ride The Angel Experiment

“Amy," Elsie Moore said in her crackling voice, her gaze fixed on Declan. "I want you to get me a new bear. A blond one.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: On the Edge

“I g-g-guess… I'm dead?" she heard her own voice call out, strangely high-pitched and thin.
For a long time, she heard nothing else. And then:
"Hi, Dead. I'm Dan.”

Peter Lerangis book The Sword Thief

Source: The Sword Thief

“Wake up, Caitlin, Mr. Lensing had said. But what he didn't understand was that this dreamland was preferable, walking through this life half-sleeping, everything at arm's length or farther away. I understood those mermaids. I didn't care if they sang to me. All I wanted was to block out all the human voices as they called me name again and again, pulling me upward into light, to drown.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Source: Dreamland (2000)

Life, Sleep, Light

“So what’d you do to the lesser?” a male voice said.
“I lit his cigarette with a sawed-off,” another one answered. “He didn’t come down for breakfast, you feel me?”

Jessica Bird book Dark Lover

Source: Dark Lover

“It's wonderful how, the moment you talk about God and love, your voice becomes hard, and your eyes fill with hatred. No, Margret, you certainly haven't the true faith.”

August Strindberg The Father

Source: The Father

Love, God, Faith

“The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.”

John Calvin (1509–1564) French Protestant reformer

“It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not
to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is
against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.”

George Sheehan Irish footballer

Idea, Understanding, Learning

“[Poetry] is the liquid voice that can wear through stone.”

Adrienne Rich (1929–2012) American poet, essayist and feminist

Source: What is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics

“The moment love is born: the woman cannot resist the voice calling forth her terrified soul; the man cannot resist the woman whose soul thus responds to his voice.”

Milan Kundera book The Unbearable Lightness of Being

pg 160
Source: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Part Four: Soul and Body

“I'm not really qualified to install a security system," said Dimitri.
"Really? There's something you can't do?" Adrian's voice was so soft that I could barely hear him, and he was sitting right next to me.”

Richelle Mead book The Golden Lily

Source: The Golden Lily

“There was both love and despair in his voice.
He was truly handicapped when it came to emotions, and falling in love hadn't changed that…”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Unleashed

Love, Change, Despair

“Maureen clapped her hands together. "Oh," she said in her elfin little voice. "It's pretty."
"Pretty?" Simon looked quickly at the hunched shape on top of the concrete block. "Maureen, what the hell-”

Cassandra Clare book City of Fallen Angels

Source: City of Fallen Angels

“I'm gonna barf," I whispered to Fang, wiping my sweaty hands on my jeans.
You'll be fine," he whipered back. "You always are.
I'm gonna die," I moaned.
You can't die," he said a hint of a smile in his voice."You're the indesructible Max.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

“Long after you’ve forgotten someone’s voice, you can still remember the sound of their happiness or their sadness. You can feel it in your body.”

Anne Michaels (1958) Poet and novelist

Happiness, Sadness, Feeling

“Maybe, in the end it's the voice that tells the stories more than the stories themselves that matters.”

Stephen King book It

Source: It

“Don’t be afraid.”
“I hear voices,” Iggy said. “Be very afraid.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: The Angel Experiment

“Our bodies aren't strangers,' he said, his voice ragged. 'Our spirits aren't strangers'. He held her face in his hands. 'Tell me what part of me is stranger to you and I'll destroy that part of me.'
And she wept to hear his words.”

Melina Marchetta (1965) Australian teen writer

Source: Quintana of Charyn

“My voice is like a rumour. I'm not sure if it came out or not, or if it is true.”

Markus Zusak (1975) Australian author

Source: I Am the Messenger

“If I were dead and buried And I heard your voice, Beneath the sod My heart of dust Would still rejoice.”

Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976) American screenwriter and novelist

“I uncapped the blade, flung open the door, and found myself face-to-face with a black pegasus. Its voice spoke in my mind as it clopped away from the sword blade.”

Rick Riordan book The Titan's Curse

Source: The Titan's Curse

“Cursed?" I offered, my voice croaky because of my unshed tears.
"It isn't cursed." John said deliberately, rearranging the chain around my neck, "if you're wearing it. It's blessed.”

Meg Cabot (1967) Novelist

Source: Underworld

“To be both rich and handsome was bad enough. But to have a voice like honey over warm bread on top of that was simply inexcusable.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Wise Man's Fear

Source: The Wise Man's Fear

“It was funny to hear her voice aloud. Her thoughts and perceptions usually existed so deep inside her, they rarely made it to the surface without a deliberate effort.”

Ann Brashares The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Source: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

“Do you think we’ll be waiting long?” Valkyrie asked,
keeping her voice low.
“The last time we were in this building, we accused the
Grand Mage of being a traitor,” Skulduggery said. “Yes, I think
we’ll be waiting long.”

Derek Landy (1974) Irish children's writer

Source: The Faceless Ones

Thinking, Time, Waiting

“Am I blind?" Will's voice floated out of the darkness, tinged with annoyance. "I'm not going to be at all pleased if you've blinded me, Henry.”

Cassandra Clare book Clockwork Angel

Source: Clockwork Angel

“Damon’s voice was no louder than before. “Get away from my brother.” Bonnie could feel it inside him, a swell of Power like a tsunami. He continued, “Before I tear your heart out.”

L.J. Smith (1965) American author

Source: The Fury / Dark Reunion

Feeling, Tear, Heart

“A poem is like a score for the human voice.”

Li-Young Lee (1957) American writer

“Mo could paint pictures in the empty air with his voice alone.”

Cornelia Funke Inkheart trilogy

Source: Inkheart

“No, vertigo is something other than the fear of falling. It is the voice of emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.”

Milan Kundera book The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Source: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Part Two: Soul and Body, p 56

“Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."

[, 23 November 2004]”

Desmond Tutu (1931) South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner

“I am Tessa Gray,” she said in a low, clear voice. “And I believe in the importance of stories.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: The Whitechapel Fiend

“But when the other end of the line picked up, it was his voicemail that answered, not the man himself. "I know how devastated you must be to miss me," his cheery voice said, "but leave a message, and I'll try to ease your agony as soon as possible.”

Richelle Mead Blood Promise

Source: Blood Promise

“Then the voice in your head silently tells you to take your foot off your throat because just getting along shouldn’t be an ambition.”

Claudia Rankine book Citizen: An American Lyric

Source: Citizen: An American Lyric

“be a voice not an echo”

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

“The god of dirt
came up to me many times and said
so many wise and delectable things,
I lay
on the grass listening
to his dog voice,
frog voice; now,
he said, and now,
and never once mentioned forever

from, One or Two Things”

Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American writer

Source: Dream Work

God, Dogs, Grass, Time

“When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.”

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement

“Loafe with me on the grass—loose the stop from your throat;
Not words, not music or rhyme I want—not custom or lecture, not even the best;
Only the lull I like, the hum of your valved voice.”

Walt Whitman book Fulles d'herba

Source: Leaves of Grass

“It is never about how good your voice is; it is only about feeling the urge to sing, and then having the courage to do it with the voice you are given.”

Elizabeth Berg (1948) American novelist

Feeling, Courage, Singing

“Cheer up everyone," he said, a new brightness to his voice. "Since we’re all going to die horribly anyway, what’s there to be worried about?”

Derek Landy Skulduggery Pleasant

Source: Skulduggery Pleasant

“Our masters have not heard the people's voice for generations and it is much, much louder than they care to remember.”

Alan Moore V for Vendetta

Source: V for Vendetta

“Lover? I don't know. I don't know if she loves me. I don't know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see.”

Sophie Kinsella book I've Got Your Number

Source: I've Got Your Number

Love, Hope, Lovers, Thinking

“When she orgasmed, she said his name. Twice. And didn’t it make him glad that even though he had no voice, his ears worked just fine. –JM”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Mine

“Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.”

Lewis Hyde (1945) American writer

Source: Alcohol and Poetry: John Berryman and the Booze Talking

“Thoughts - even fears - were airy things, formless until you made them solid with your voice and once given that weight, they could crush you.”

Kristin Hannah (1960) American writer

Source: Firefly Lane

“Your mind knows only somethings. Your inner voice, your instinct, knows everything. If you listen to what youknow instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path”

Henry Winkler (1945) American actor, director and writer

“I cry to you, my Lord, my rock! Do not be deaf to me, for if you are silent, I shall go down to the pit like the rest. Hear my voice raised in petition as I cry to you for help, as I raise my hands, my Lord, toward your holy of holies.”

Nicholas Sparks book A Walk to Remember

Source: A Walk to Remember

“I understood now. This voice, the one that had been trying to get my attention all this time, calling out to me, begging me to hear it -- it wan't Will's. It was mine.”

Sarah Dessen book Just Listen

Source: Just Listen

“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. What I’ve learned to do when I sit down to work on a shitty first draft is to quiet the voices in my head.”

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

Effort, Learning

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.”

Michael Singer (1945) American landscape architect

Source: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

“The leaf fall of his words, the stained glass hues of his moods, the rust in his voice, the smoke in his mouth, his breath on my vision like human breath blinding a mirror.”

Anaïs Nin book House of Incest

Source: House of Incest

“I told them," he said in a clear, carrying voice, "that they should not give someone as old and powerful as I a daughter to love. That it would end badly.”

Patricia Briggs book Fair Game

Source: Fair Game

Love, Daughters

“My voice is clotted with unshed tears.”

Sophie Kinsella book Remember Me?

Source: Remember Me?

“Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness. And they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy… or they become legend.”

Jim Harrison (1937–2016) American novelist, poet, essayist

“All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see. - Sam Roxton”

Sophie Kinsella book I've Got Your Number

Source: I've Got Your Number

Hope, Thinking, Time

“Clary," he whispered. There was a thump, and she realized he had fallen to his kees by the side of her bed. She didn't move, but her body tightened. His voice was a whisper. "Clary, it's me. It's me.”

Cassandra Clare The City of Lost Souls

Source: City of Lost Souls

“Natalya asked, "How'd you escape all the vampires out for your head?"

In a monotone voice, Lothaire stated, "I'mgood.”

Kresley Cole American writer

Source: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

“In an undertone, I murmured, "This isn't over. I won't give up on you."
"I've given up on you," he said back, voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has.”

Richelle Mead book Spirit Bound

Source: Spirit Bound

“It was not uncommon to walk in the door of their home and find my mother sitting on the sofa reading over a manuscript with shampoo horns sculpted into her hair. Anne Sexton's voice would be blasting from the speakers.”

Augusten Burroughs book Running with Scissors

Source: Running with Scissors