Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Top Ten Literary Quotes

I haven't participated in this meme from The Broke and The Bookish in a long time. But quotes! I can't pass up a theme like that.

Okay, so, here goes. My top ten favorite quotes from books . . .

1. "And this I believe: that  the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am about." (East of Eden by John Steinbeck)

2. "Perhaps the best conversationalist in the world is the man who helps others to talk." (East of Eden by John Steinbeck)

3. "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." (Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess)

4. "She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She traveled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village". (Matilda by Roald Dahl)

5. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing". (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

6. "With my eyes closed, I would touch a familiar book and draw its fragrance deep inside me. This was enough to make me happy". (Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami)

7. "Being at a loss to resolve these questions, I am resolved to leave them without any resolution". (The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

8. ""People always think that happiness is a faraway thing," thought Francie, "something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains - a cup of strong hot coffee when you're blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you're alone - just to be with someone you love. Those things make happiness." (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith)

9. "The hours between eight in the evening and one or two in the morning have always been my magic hours. Against the blue candlewick bedspread the white pages of my open book illuminated by a circle of lamplight, were the gateway to another world." (The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield)

10. "Silence has many advantages . . . I write and draw in my notebook and I read anything I please. "(The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver)

19 comments:

Angela said...

What an amazing list! I tried to pick a fave, but I can't. I love them all.
Angela @ AJ Arndt Books Blog

Anne said...

Great list! East of Eden is one of my favorite books and I love those quotes.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

It's in reading and in searching for more beautiful phrases like these that I am doomed to spend my days.
;-> Thank you for sharing these great quotes.

Here's my
Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes.
Hope you'll stop by!

Laura said...

I love Norwegian Wood, but I don't remember that quote- it's lovely! I had quotes from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill A Mockingbird too, albeit different ones :)

Ann Kristin said...

What a wonderful list of quotes to make you think. :)

Lauren@The Housework Can Wait said...

Great list of quotes. That Dr. Seuss was a wise man :-)

Thanks for stopping by my TTT!

Laura said...

Great picks! I especially love the first one.

marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings said...

you just confirm that I need to read the thirteenth tail!

marissa
http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

Trisha said...

I also picked a quote from Oh, The Places You Will Go! Such a good book! I liked the one you chose from Matilda as well. Great choices!

Anonymous said...

I love the Dr. Suess and Matilda quotes! :)

Kari Po-Ku ▲ said...

Oh, I love quote #3. Great list! :D

Lee @ Rally the Readers said...

Great list! I especially like the one from To Kill a Mockingbird. Thanks for stopping by!

Zo said...

Great quotes. I really like the "Tree Grows in Brooklyn" quote. I've never even considered reading that, but based on that line, I may have to put it in my book pile!

Keri said...

I have a miniature copy of Oh, The Places You'll Go! which I keep in my bag and read when I'm out and about. ♥

Aggie said...

many of your quotes pertain to books &/or reading ;)

Kimberly @ Midnight Book Girl said...

Love the quote from Oh the Places You'll Go! And of course you can't go wrong with To Kill a Mockingbird!

Thanks for stopping by my post!

Red said...

This might be my favorite list of quotes for this topic. Suess! Dahl! And especially the Mockingbird one.

Brona said...

So many quotes from my favourite books - makes me want to reread them all :-)

Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic said...

I love these and I love that you have a Dr. Seuss quote :)