Shabakat Quotes & Sayings

Why do so many of us not give ourselves permission to be alive until we are absolutely assured that we will die? ... If we are not in [this present millisecond of life and conscious experience], we are not alive; we are merely thinking our lives. Yet we have seen so many die, looking back over their shoulders at their lives, shaking their heads and muttering in bewilderment, "What was that all about?" — Stephen Levine

Many, many composers have only found their way to a certain form, through familiarizing themselves with texts. — Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Contrary to popular assumption, going on an expedition around the world is not merely a matter of obtaining a ship and charting a course. There are visas to be considered, and bureaucracy to navigate when those visas fail to arrive in time, expire too soon, or meet with blank stares on the receiving end. The politics of nations and their economic markets may interfere with your journey. In short, you may spend an appalling amount of time mired in stuffy little offices, trying to get permission to be where you are. — Marie Brennan

My beloved is the sun
And I am the earth that thrives only in her warmth. My beloved is the rain
And I am the grass that thirsts for her quenching kiss. My beloved is the wind
And I am the wings that soar when she fills me with her gentle strength.
My beloved is the rock
Upon which rests the happiness of all my days.
- The Elements of Love, a poem by Aileron v'En Kavali of the Fey — C.L. Wilson

Some manufacturers illustrate their advertisements with abstract paintings. I would only do this if I wished to conceal from the reader what I was advertising. — David Ogilvy

A weak man is not as happy as that same man would be if he were strong. This reality is offensive to some people who would like the intellectual or spiritual to take precedence. It is instructive to see what happens to these very people as their squat strength goes up. — Mark Rippetoe

When I was at USC, I did a movie with somebody, and I had a blast doing it. — Matt Willig

Leftism should be about the people. That's how it began. — Camille Paglia

I would rather be funny than gorgeous, absolutely. Because it's too hard to be gorgeous, you know. I could make a stab at gorgeous as long as I had something funny to say to get out of it. — Gilda Radner

Those who have been touched by forgiveness and new life and have thus entered into God's rule become, like Jesus, bearers of that rule. — Dallas Willard

Suddenly I'm scared.
That the solar panels were a time machine.
That I'm a grown-up woman coming back to this place after many years.
That my parents are gone, and our house isn't ours anymore.
It's a broken down ruin with no one in it.
Living here all together was so sweet.
Even when we fought.
It felt like it would never end.
I'll always miss it. — Jennifer Egan