Fondamental Quotes & Sayings

A long time ago, I heard a piece of advice that went something like "write the book you wish you could find on the shelf but can't." And that's what I do... — Maggie Stiefvater

Because nothing is as good as you can imagine it. No one is as beautiful as she is in your head. Nothing is as exciting as your fantasy. — Chuck Palahniuk

The accumulation of facts, even if interesting in themselves, should not constitute the main part of education; these facts, whether they be of classical learning or knick-knacks of history, will be of little use unless the mind has been trained to see them in proper perspective. — Arthur Lynch

You belong with us," he said quietly. "Nothing's going to change that. — Nora Roberts

Hide not thy tears; weep boldly, and be proud to give the flowing virtue manly way; it is nature's mark to know an honest heart by. — Aaron Hill

In 1947 I defended my thesis on nuclear physics, and in 1948 I was included in a group of research scientists whose task was to develop nuclear weapons. — Andrei Sakharov

What happened between us has colonized every last brain cell. I can barely tie my shoelaces. I forgot how to chew this morning. — Jandy Nelson

Sometimes people just need to talk. They need to be heard. they need the validation of my time, my silence, my unspoken compassion. They don't need advice, sympathy or counselling. They need to hear the sound of their own voices speaking their own truths, articulating their own feelings, as those may be at a particular moment. Then, when they're finished, they simply need a nod of the head, a pat on the shoulder or a hug. I'm learning that sometimes silence really is golden, and that sometimes "Fuck, eh?" is as spiritual a thing as needs to be said. — Richard Wagamese

Now that I was a novelist, I could not face the ignominy of failing to produce novels. — Thomas Keneally

Tell me, where in life is there a value that would make us consider suicide uncalled for on principle! Love? Or friendship? I guarantee that friendship is not a bit less fickle than love and it is impossible to build anything on it. Self-love? I wish it were possible. — Milan Kundera

The only guide which I feel that I can follow is not the fluctuating dicta of those who are victors in the battle for popularity at a given moment, but my own understanding of the American tradition in which I was brought up. — Jane Jacobs