Lofting Quotes & Sayings

In contexts of colonial oppression, intellectuals, especially those who advocate and work for justice, cannot be just-or mere- intellectuals, in the abstract sense; they cannot but be immersed in some form or another of activism, to learn from fellow activists through real-life experiences, to widen the horizons of their sources of inspiration, and to organically engage in effective, collective emancipatory processes, without the self-indulgence, complacency, or ivory-towerness that might otherwise blur their moral vision. In short, to be just intellectuals, committed to justice as the most ethical and durable foundation of peace. — Omar Barghouti

Dear me, what an unsatisfactory world it was! When one did find a nice kind of life something or somebody always seemed to shove you out of it just as you were beginning to enjoy it. — Hugh Lofting

Wherein lies a poet's claim to originality? That he invents his incidents? No. That he was present when his episodes had their birth? No. That he was first to repeat them? No. None of these things has any value. He confers on them their only originality that has any value, and that is his way of telling them. — Mark Twain

I don't believe in a lot of baggage. It's such a nuisance. Life's too short to fuss with it. And it isn't really necessary — Hugh Lofting

i had a
big smile
on my face
as i burned
the bridges
to all the things
i could not
repair

-does the smoke still choke you? — Amanda Lovelace

Great decisions often take no more than a moment in the making. — Hugh Lofting

Money," he said, "is a terrible nuisance. But it's nice not to have to worry. — Hugh Lofting

A naturall foole that could never learn by heart the order of numerall words, as one , two , and three , may observe every stroak of the Clock, and nod to it, or say one, one, one; but can never know what houre it strikes. — Thomas Hobbes

I make no claim to be an authority on writing or illustrating for children. — Hugh Lofting

The fact that I have been successful merely means that I can write and illustrate in my own way. — Hugh Lofting

You stupid piece of warm bacon. — Hugh Lofting

I suppose once you've been accused of being a witch, you're never really safe. People may blame all sorts of accidents and misfortunes on you. — Hugh Lofting

If I had my way ... there wouldn't be a single lion or tiger in captivity anywhere in the world. They never take to it. They're never happy. They never settle down ... You can see it in their eyes ... — Hugh Lofting

It is a horrible thing, money. But it is also horrible to be the only one who hasn't got any. One of my chief complaints against people
has always been that they had no respect for animals. But many people have a great respect for money. Animals with bank accounts of their own will be in a position to insist upon respect. — Hugh Lofting

Stars wide of belt often cultivated a gentlemanly grandeur, a groomed refinement that filtered through their fingertips - the dainty fidgets of Hardy's plump digits, Orson Welles performing magic tricks with nimble dexterity, Jackie Gleason lofting a teacup to his lips as if he were Lady Bracknell - or through a fine set of twinkle-toes. — James Wolcott

I watched the Indy 500, and I was thinking that if they left earlier they
wouldn't have to go so fast. — Steven Wright

You must graciously handle every challenge. — Lailah Gifty Akita

Whether or not anybody had invented the category in his lifetime, Babe Ruth was surely the Greatest Living Yankee almost immediately upon lofting home runs at the Polo Grounds, allowing the Yankees to build their own palace across the Harlem River. — George Vecsey

Some people you will always have about you whom you can trust, and no man these days can boast of more than that. Remember them; forget the others. — Hugh Lofting

Was it the Twilight of Magic? Perhaps. But only today's. Magic could never die while the sun had the power to rise again and man had the wish to seek. — Hugh Lofting

There is a path one takes when moving toward destruction. Like someone who has
one drink on a Friday night, and two the next, only to gradually and completely lose
control — Nicholas Sparks

There has always been a tendency to classify children almost as a distinct species. — Hugh Lofting

Whilst I love still hiding ... games and puzzles to play, I'm not as imprisoned by that need to fill every corner with detail. — Graeme Base

What is war?' I asked.
Oh, it's a messy, stupid business,' he said, 'Two sides wave flags and beat drums and shoot one another dead. It always begins this way, making speeches, talking about rights, and all that sort of thing.'
But what is it for? What do they get out of it?'
I don't know,' he said. 'To tell you the truth, I don't think they know themselves. — Hugh Lofting

Are they given in exchange for the glory of an African sunrise, for the twilight breeze whispering through the palms, for the green shade of the matted, tangled vines, for the cool, big-starred nights of the desert, for the patter of the waterfall after a hard day's hunt? What, I ask you, are they given in exchange for THESE? Why, a bare cage with iron bars; an ugly piece of dead meat thrust in to them once a day; and a crowd of fools to come and stare at them with open mouths! - No, Stubbins. Lions and tigers, the Big Hunters, should never, never be seen in zoos. — Hugh Lofting