Tanpinar Quotes & Sayings

The Muslim East has been in a defensive posture for centuries. Take Turkey. For a period of close to two hundred years, we've been living through phases of vital self-defense and security. In such a society, a fortress mentality naturally arises. If today we've lost the concept of freedom, the reason is that we're living in a state of siege." Suad — Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

The digital age is for me in many ways about temporal wounding. It's really messed up our ontological clocks. — Masha Tupitsyn

Tanpinar presciently feared that to embrace the western conception of progress was to be mentally enslaved by a whole new epistemology, one that compartmentalised knowledge and concealed an instrumental view of human beings as no more than things to be manipulated. — Pankaj Mishra

Pain and happiness are simply conditions of the ego. Forget the ego. — Laozi

I have some pretty forceful ideas about the world - obviously I do. But I suppose I can only really speak about them from within the protection of a literary form. — Rachel Cusk

Pain is superficial, and therefore fear is. The torments of martyrdoms are probably most keenly felt by the by-standers. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I fear that those who see freedom solely as a political concept will never fully grasp its meaning. The political pursuit of freedom can lead to its eradication on a grand scale - or rather it opens the door to countless curtailments. — Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

A pyramid of souls exists, based on the desire to receive. At the base of the pyramid are many souls with small desires, earthly, looking for a comfortable life in an animal-like manner: food, sex, sleep. The next layer comprises fewer souls, those with the urge to acquire wealth. These are people who are willing to invest their entire lives in making money, and who sacrifice themselves for the sake of being rich.

Next are those that will do anything to control others, to govern and reach positions of power. An even greater desire, felt by even fewer souls, is for knowledge; these are scientists and academics, who spend their lives engaged in discovering something specific. They are interested in nothing but their all-important discovery.

Located at the zenith of the pyramid is the strongest desire, developed by only a small few, for the attainment of the spiritual world. All these levels are built into the pyramid. — Michael Laitman

I didn't mean to hurt her — Quinn Loftis

For as Dostoyevsky warned, "No nation on earth, no society with a certain measure of stability, has been developed to order, on the lines of a program imported from abroad. — Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

The unwholesome may be otherwise, but the Whole is ever holy. — Fakeer Ishavardas

It's only now you're gone I see how you're my reason for doing things. Now I'm a stiltwalker with the stilts removed. My emptied trouser legs flap in the wind and I can't remember how to walk without being precipitously propped. — Sara Baume

Word on the street is how the Pastor bought pussy on Saturday, and then spit cum lies on Sunday. Riddle me that Batman, — Flenardo L Taylor

Pornography ... overtakes lives, causing loss of the Spirit, distorted feelings, deceit, damaged relationships, loss of self-control, and nearly total consumption of time, thought, and energy. — Linda S. Reeves

That, little one, is true Dominance/submission. Not what Bradford did to you. The sub trusts her Dom enough to give him her power. The Dom takes the power the sub gives him and uses it to give her extreme pleasure. Submission is always freely given, never forced. Forced submission is abuse." Charlie's — Julie Shelton

But, Doctor, I'm not ill. Good God! I've told you everything".
Again his fixed his eyes on mine and stopped me, his voice full of resolve.
"You are ill. It is the fate we all share since the birth of psychoanalysis". — Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

You your best thing, Sethe. You are. — Toni Morrison

Astronomy, mixed with astrology, occupied a large number of tablets in the Babylonian libraries, — Ethelbert William Bullinger

I am so tired of ruggedly handsome heroes. I don't know too many ruggedly handsome people who are necessarily nice people. In fact, the beautiful people have a big handicap because they rely too much on their appearance and don't bother to become interesting. — Barbara Mertz