Quotes about want
page 28

“He looked so lost, so soulful, so lonely. I wanted him to kiss me now. I wanted to let him know I was his for all eternity.”

Ellen Schreiber book Vampire Kisses

Source: Vampire Kisses

Soul, Kiss

“The willingness to be and to have just what God wants us to be and have, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else, would set our hearts at rest, and we would discover the simpler life,
the greater peace.”

Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015) American missionary

Life, God, Peace, Heart

“It was so weird, because usually I was totally nervous talking to guys. But Eli was different. He made me want to say more, not less. Which was maybe not a good thing.”

Sarah Dessen book Along for the Ride

Source: Along for the Ride

Guy

“If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass.”

Lawrence Block (1938) American writer

Source: Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print

Lie, Feeling, Waiting

“Even if all the clocks in the station break down, thought Hugo, time won't stop. Not even if you really want it to.

Like now.”

Brian Selznick book The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Source: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Time

“She didn't know whether she was running away from something or running to something, but she admitted that deep in her heart she wanted to go home.”

Beatrice Sparks (1917–2012) American writer

Source: Go Ask Alice

Home, Heart

“So you drive as far as you can, even when you can clearly read the sign. You want to think you are exempt, that it doesn’t apply to you. But it does. Life is still a dead end. And we still have a hard time believing it”

Robert Fulghum book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Source: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Life, Thinking, Time, Reading

“I have decided that maybe I want to write when I grow up. I just don't know what I would write.”

Stephen Chbosky book The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“If you want a lover I'll do anything you ask.

If you want a different kind of love I'll wear a mask.

If you want to strike me down in anger here I stand.

If you want a partner in life take my hand.

I'm your man.”

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

Love, Life, Lovers, Anger

“So, that’s what they wanted: lies. Beautiful lies. That’s what they needed. People were fools. It was going to be easy for me.”

Charles Bukowski book Ham on Rye

Source: Ham on Rye

People, Beauty, Fools

“I don’t want your candor. I want your soul in a silver thimble.”

Don DeLillo Valparaiso

Source: Valparaiso

Soul

“When what you want is a relationship, and not a person, get a dog.”

Deb Caletti (1963) American writer

Source: The Secret Life of Prince Charming

Dogs, Personality

“The secret of being a top-notch con man is being able to know what the mark wants, and how to make him think he's getting it.”

Ken Kesey book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Source: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Secret, Thinking

“The world is full of places to which I want to return”

Ford Madox Ford book The Good Soldier

Source: The Good Soldier

World

“Sometimes, one wants to have the illusion that one is making ones own life, out of one's own resources.”

Zadie Smith book NW

Source: NW

Life

“I’m not strong enough for this,” he whispered in her ear—like he didn’t want anyone to hear that coming out of his mouth. Ever. Running her hands up his powerful back, she held him just as hard. “But I am.”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: The King

Strong

“No one has imagined us. We want to live like trees,
sycamores blazing through the sulfuric air,
dappled with scars, still exuberantly budding,
our animal passion rooted in the city.”

Adrienne Rich book The Dream of a Common Language

Source: The Dream of a Common Language

Imagination, Tree, Passion, Animals

“It was like a song, one of those sweet, wrenching songs that makes the hair on your arms stand up. That makes you want to throw yourself on the floor and just bawl. Or fall backward and surrender to the music utterly.”

L.J. Smith (1965) American author

Source: Night World, No. 1

Music

“In the end, the only person I truly want to comfort me is Haymitch, because he loves Peeta, too.”

Suzanne Collins book Mockingjay

Source: Mockingjay

Love, Personality

“I don’t like your hair black. (Artemis)
And I don’t like your head attached to your shoulders. Guess we can’t all have what we want, huh? (Acheron)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Acheron

“My eyelids are my own private cave, he murmured. That I can go to anytime I want.”

Aimee Bender (1969) Novelist, short story writer

Source: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

“Roland could not understand why anyone would want cocaine or any other illegal drug, for that matter, in a world where such a powerful one as sugar was so plentiful and cheap.”

Stephen King book The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Source: The Drawing of the Three

World, Understanding

“I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.”

Shirley Jackson book We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Source: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

People, Help

“I don't know that I've ever felt as happy as I did that day, but then again, it was always like that when we were together. I never wanted it to end.”

Nicholas Sparks book The Best of Me

Source: The Best of Me

Happiness

“He lives.
I breathe.
I want. Him. Always.
Fire to my ice. Ice to my fever.
-Mac”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Source: Shadowfever

“Writers have to keep on writing if they want to mature, like caterpillars endlessly chewing on leaves.”

Haruki Murakami (1949) Japanese author, novelist

Source: 1Q84 BOOK 3

“Maybe… you'll fall in love with me all over again."
"Hell," I said, "I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?"
"Yes. I want to ruin you."
"Good," I said. "That's what I want too.”

Ernest Hemingway book A Farewell to Arms

Source: A Farewell to Arms

Love, Hell

“i been meek, and hard like an oak, i seen pretty people disappear like smoke. friends will arrive, friends will disappear. if you want me, honey baby, i'll be here.”

Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist

People, Baby

“I want someone who is fierce and will love me until death and knows that love is as strong as death, and be on my side forever and ever. I want someone who will destroy and be destroyed by me.”

Jeanette Winterson book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Source: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Love, Death, Strong

“I wake up thinking: What am I reading? What will I read next? I'm terrified that I'll run out, that I will read through all I want to, and be forced to learn wildflowers at last, to keep awake.”

Annie Dillard book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Source: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Thinking, Learning, Reading

“You know, I'd get a tattoo with your name on it. Only, I want you to have the freedom to change your name if you want to.”

David Levithan The Lover's Dictionary

Source: The Lover's Dictionary

Freedom, Change, Tattoo

“You're killing me because you want me to give a message to God for you?" Jace shook his head, the point of the blade scraping across his throat. "You're crazier than I thought”

Cassandra Clare book City of Glass

Source: City of Glass

God

“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.”

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish playwright

Source: Mrs. Warren's Profession & Others

People, World

“Wow, that was fun. Any place else you want to take me while we’re here? Maybe there’s a darker corner of hell than that hall of flesh-hungry demons, huh? (Sin)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Devil May Cry

Hell

“What would you do if I died?
If you died I would want to die too.
So you could be with me?
Yes. So I could be with you.
Okay.”

Cormac McCarthy book The Road

Source: The Road

“You're my sister," he said finally. "My sister, my blood, my family. I should want to protect you"- he laughed soundlessly and without any humor- "to protect you from the sort of boys who want to do with you exactly what I want to do.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Glass

Source: City of Glass

Family, Boy, Sister

“Kicking a police car? Really?' Caleb shrugged. 'Car offended me. It was sitting right where I wanted to stand. What would you do?”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Cars

“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.”

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish playwright

Life, Peaceful

“It occurred to me that everyone’s story matters to themselves, so the more I listened, the more she wanted to talk.”

Miranda July (1974) American performance artist, musician and writer

Source: It Chooses You

“We don't want to change. Every change is a menace to stability.”

Aldous Huxley book Brave New World

Source: Brave New World

Change

“For the first time, she did want more. She did not know what she wanted, knew that it was dangerous and that she should rest content with what she had, but she knew an emptiness deep inside her, which began to ache.”

Iain Pears book The Dream of Scipio

Source: The Dream of Scipio

Time

“She was a lucky woman who had established a happy knack of writing what quite a lot of people wanted to read.”

Agatha Christie Elephants Can Remember

Source: Elephants Can Remember

Happiness, People, Reading

“Please, please be some sex-starved nutcase who wants to kidnap me and make me your love slave, I begged silently.”

Cate Tiernan (1961) American novelist

Source: Immortal Beloved

Love, Sex

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand--and melting like a snowflake…”

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and author

Star, New Year

“I won’t tell you how I managed to break in, since I don’t want the authorities figuring out, but let’s just say that if you’re going to make a gate, make sure it reaches all the way to the ground.”

Meg Cabot book Shadowland

Source: Shadowland

Way

“Sometimes you dont even want to think aout what people are doing with their groceries.”

Sarah Dessen (1970) American writer

Source: Someone Like You

People, Thinking

“Wish for what you want, work for what you need.
-Carmen's grandmother”

Ann Brashares The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Source: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

“… there's not enough ink and paper to say all I wanted.”

Daniel Handler book Why We Broke Up

Source: Why We Broke Up

“We can travel anywhere we want, even to other planets. And for what? To sit day after day, declining in morale and hope. Falling into an interminable ennui.”

Philip K. Dick book The Man in the High Castle

Source: The Man in the High Castle (1962)

Hope, Travel

“I want to push the fast-forward button until I get back to happy.”

Terry McMillan book Getting to Happy

Source: Getting to Happy

Happiness

“And you know that when the truth is told that you can get what you want or you can just get old.”

Billy Joel (1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist

Variant: You can get what you want or you can just get old.

Truth

“there are very few who can think, but every man wants to have an opinion; and what remains but to take it ready-made from others, instead of forming opinions for himself?”

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German philosopher

Source: The Art of Always Being Right

Thinking

“Anthony grinned at her, knowing that would probably infuriate her all the more. "My eyes have been a-wandering, as you put it, for the last nineteen years. Give them a rest, Roslynn. They settled on you and don't want to move on.”

Johanna Lindsey (1952–2019) American writer

Source: Tender Rebel

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.”

Sören Kierkegaard (1813–1855) Danish philosopher and theologian, founder of Existentialism

God, Fight, Personality

“Angel wanted them all to burn in h-e- double toothpicks forever.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: The Angel Experiment

Angels

“People fell in love, and lost, and moved on. He didn’t know why he couldn’t. He didn’t know why he didn’t even want to. All he knew was that whatever he had to owe to Hell or Heaven for this chance, he was going to make it count.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Ashes

Source: City of Ashes

Love, People, Hell, Chance

“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

“I'm going to marry you one day, you know." "Is that a promise?" "If you want it to be.”

Nicholas Sparks book Dear John

Source: Dear John

“I got my heart broken. My spirit got shattered and mutilated. I will not be coming back from this. I don’t want to.”

Henry Rollins (1961) American singer-songwriter

Source: Solipsist

Heart

“I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this all at once, every moment, on the trail or off.”

Bill Bryson A Walk in the Woods

Source: A Walk in the Woods

Sleep

“I saw my whole life flash before my eyes, boss. It was horrific. I haven’t done anything to regret yet and it’s been way too brief. I at least want a license before I check out, you know?”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Inferno

Life, Way

“I think you can do whatever you want. In the end, we all live the life we choose for ourselves.”

Nicholas Sparks book See Me

Source: See Me

Life, Thinking

“Irony, perfect definition: that for which I want to possess it, I would no longer want once I possessed it.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Source: Shadowfever

Perfection

“Life just wants to be; but it doesn't want to be much.”

Bill Bryson book A Short History of Nearly Everything

Source: A Short History of Nearly Everything

Life

“Hey, ah, does anyone want a cookie or something? Oh yeah. A cookie. That would make everything better. Dunked in a shot of tequila, maybe? Or better yet, just the bottle? Yeah, that ought to do it.”

Kim Harrison (1966) Pseudonym

Source: Every Which Way But Dead

“When you gone to get married? You need to have some babies. It’ll settle you.'
'I don’t want to make somebody else. I want to make myself.”

Toni Morrison book Sula

Source: Sula

Baby

“It's like you have a plan and someone comes along and makes you want to change it all, but you still like your first plan, no matter how fantastic the second one makes you feel.”

Melina Marchetta (1965) Australian teen writer

Source: Saving Francesca

Feeling, Change

“You confuse me with something that is in you. I will not predict how you want to use me.”

Jenny Holzer (1950) American conceptual artist

“I wanted him to hold me, to take care of me. To make the pain dissolve away. I know that this was part of what had ruined everything but I wanted it once more anyway.”

Francesca Lia Block book Echo

Source: Echo

Pain, Parting

“I just want ambitious teenagers to know it is totally fine to be quite, observant kids. Besides being a delight to your parents, you will find you have plenty of time later to catch up.”

Mindy Kaling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Source: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Parent, Time

“Death doesn't really worry me that much, I'm not frightened about it… I just don't want to be there when it happens.”

Woody Allen (1935) American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, author, playwright, and musician

Variant: I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.

Death

“If you want to live where people are not afraid of mice, you must give up living in palaces.”

E. Lockhart book We Were Liars

Source: We Were Liars

People

“Anyone who wants to help me doesn't. Anyone who wants to kill me might. Anyone who wants to love me better not.”

Henry Rollins (1961) American singer-songwriter

Source: Eye Scream

Love, Help

“You know," I told him,"if you don't know how to eat a cupcake, that's nothing to be ashamed of."
Now he did smile. "I know how to eat a cupcake."
"Sure you do."
"I do," he said. "I just don't want one of those."
"Yeah? Prove it.”

Sarah Dessen book Along for the Ride

Source: Along for the Ride

Smile

“He says, "I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. I wanted you then, and when I thought you didn't want me, I turned my love into hate."

"Ethan…" Before I say another word his mouth comes down over mine and he kisses me.”

Marianne Curley book The Key

Source: The Key

Love, Hate, Kiss

“I know we loved each other, but distance can do strange things to people and before I was willing to tell you about it, I wanted to be certain that it would last”

Nicholas Sparks book Nights in Rodanthe

Source: Nights in Rodanthe

Love, People

“Consider it: every person you have ever met, every person will suffer the loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime?”

Sam Harris (1967) American author, philosopher and neuroscientist

Source: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

Love, World, Family, Suffering

“The magnetic pull only got stronger. She wanted to be held. She wanted him to hold her.”

L.J. Smith (1965) American author

Source: Dark Visions

“Hey," said Jace. who was sitting on an overturned speaker, looking at his cellphone, "do you want to see a photo of Alec and Magnus in Berlin?"
"Not really," said Simon.
"Magnus is wearing lederhosen."
"And yet, still no.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Fallen Angels

Source: City of Fallen Angels

Photo

“Simon didn’t think Meg really wanted to know how to eviscerate a rabbit. He could be wrong about that, but he just couldn’t picture Meg pouncing on a bunny and ripping it open with her teeth.
Maybe if he tried harder to picture it?”

Anne Bishop book Written in Red

Source: Written in Red

Thinking

“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, Happiness, Hope, Loss