Couples John Updike Quotes & Sayings

Jonah, on the other hand, did not wish to live any longer because God had not carried out His threat against the hated Ninevites. His weariness of life arose, not like Elijah's from stormy zeal for the honor of God and His kingdom, but from the motivation of the nonfulfillment of his prophecy. This vexation was caused by his fear of being regarded as a false prophet and by the fact that he was jealous of his reputation. — Gerhard F. Hansel

Oh yeah it does, most definitely it has an ocean, only it's purple, and the sand is blue and the sky is hella green. — Jandy Nelson

Etiquette? What kind of etiquette was there in someone trying to murder me? — Jennifer Estep

There's no staying where you were. If you're not doing anything, your skills and point of view are atrophying. — M. Night Shyamalan

The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam. — Joseph Conrad

I have a wife and two daughters; people who depend on me. Everything is more important than it was when I was 20. But now I'm like, "Eh, I made it this far." — Rob Corddry

You just never know what hurts people are living with, do you? Were all so good at hiding them. — Samantha Young

I tell stories. Because I believe you can do things that joke tellers can't do, and that is, bring your audience along. — Bill Cosby

A morning later, Nancy described her first dream, the first remembered dream of her life. She and Judy Thorne were on a screened porch, catching ladybugs. Judy caught one with one spot on its back and showed it to Nancy. Nancy caught one with two spots and showed it to Judy. Then Judy caught one with three spots and Nancy one with four. Because (the child explained) the dots showed how old the ladybugs were. She told this dream to her mother, who had her repeat it to her father at breakfast. Piet was moved, beholding his daughter launched intoanother dimension of life. Like school. He was touched by her tiny stock of imagery the screened porch (neither they nor the Thornes had one; who?), the ladybugs (with turtles the most toylike of creatures), the mysterious power of numbers, that generates space and time. Piet saw down a long amplifying corridor of her dreams, and wanted to hear her tell them, to grow older with her, to shelter her forever." John Updike, Couples, 1968. — John Updike

It's like his parents are funneling years of their lives into Rusty so he'll get well sooner. But I think if that were possible, more children who got hurt would end up as orphans. — Shaun David Hutchinson

Winds are advertisements of all they touch, however much or little we may be able to read them; telling their wanderings even by their scents alone. — John Muir

A few places are especially conducive to inspiration - automobiles, church - public places. I plotted Couples almost entirely in church - little shivers and urgencies I would note down on the program, and carry down to the office Monday. — John Updike

This got him to the door. There, ridiculously, he turned. It was only at the door, he decided in retrospect, that her conduct was quite in excusable: not only did she stand unncessarily close, but, by shifting the weight of her body to one leg and leaning her head sidewise, she lowered her height several inches, placing him in a dominating position exactly suited to the broad, passive shadows she must have known were on her face." ("Snowing in Greenwich Village") — John Updike

You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn't flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn't have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there. — Richard Bach

Man is closer to God according to his existence in grace than he is according to his existence in nature. — Thomas Aquinas

I've owned mopeds in the past. — Brett Dalton