Faustian Contract Quotes & Sayings

A book is a product of a pact with the Devil that inverts the Faustian contract, he'd told Allie. Dr Faustus sacrificed eternity in return for two dozen years of power; the writer agrees to the ruination of his life, and gains (but only if he's lucky) maybe not eternity, but posterity, at least. Either way (this was Jumpy's point) it's the Devil who wins. — Salman Rushdie

And Polo answers, Traveling, you realize that differences are lost: each city takes to resembling all cities ... — Italo Calvino

We humans are in such a strange position - we are still animals whose behavior reflects that of our ancestors, yet we are unique - unlike any other animal on earth. Our distinctiveness separates us and makes it easy to forget where we came from. Perhaps dogs help us remember the depth of our roots, reminding us - the animals at the other end of the leash - that we may be special, but we are not alone. No wonder we call them our best friends. — Patricia McConnell

One of the most powerful ways that our shame triggers get reinforced is when we enter into a social contract based on these gender straitjackets. Our relationships are defined by women and men saying, "I'll play my role, and you play yours." One of the patterns revealed in the research was how all that role playing becomes almost unbearable around midlife. Men feel increasingly disconnected, and the fear of failure becomes paralyzing. Women are exhausted, and for the first time they begin to clearly see that the expectations are impossible. The accomplishments, accolades, and acquisitions that are a seductive part of living by this contract start to feel like a Faustian bargain. — Brene Brown

William Asquith Farnaby was nothing but a muddy filter, on the hither side of which human beings, nature, and even his beloved art had emerged bedimmed and bemired, less, other and uglier than themselves. — Aldous Huxley

The person in the balloon basket said "I hope you don't mind me helping, but it looked like you were having problems down there."
I said, "You're a Stegosaurus. — Neil Gaiman

The most important thing to me as a songwriter is the breath. The most important thing I could say to somebody is, 'Sometimes I just breathe you in.' — Tori Amos

In Western Civilization - America and Britain - if you see people talking and it becomes an argument and voices are raised, you are not surprised if violence follows. Hopefully it won't, but you are not surprised. — John Gimlette

This is my destiny - I'm supposed to do this, dammit! Don't tell me what I can and can't do! — John Locke

We can only grasp the gospel's sweetness if we first grapple with its offense- you can't save yourself. — Timothy Keller

At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable. — Orson Welles

Judaism is not a passive religion, but an active life factor which has coalesced
with the national consciousness into one organic whole. It is primarily the
expression of a nationality whose history for thousands of years coincides with
the history of the development of a humanity and the Jews are a nation which,
having once acted as the leaven of the social world, is destined to be resurrected
with the rest of civilized nations. — Moses Hess

I can honestly say I've never sold any arms to a repressive foreign regime while reassuring everyone at home that the weapons will be used for nice things. — Jo Brand

Every interaction in the marketplace produces some kind of evaluation or appraisal opportunity that can be conveyed to others by the person on the receiving end of the interaction. — Jim Blasingame