The Sparrow Hops Quotes & Sayings

The Prodigal

Dark morning rain
Meant to fall
On a prison and a schoolyard,
Falling meanwhile
On my mother and her old dog.

How slow she shuffles now
In my father's Sunday shoes.
The dog by her side
Trembling with each step
As he tries to keep up.

I am on another corner waiting
With my head shaved.
My mind hops like a sparrow
In the rain.
I'm always watching and worrying about her.

Everything is a magic ritual,
A secret cinema,
The way she appears in a window hours later
To set the empty bowl
And spoon on the table,
And then exits
So that the day may pass,
And the night may fall
Into the empty bowl,
Empty room, empty house,
While the rain keeps
Knocking at the front door. — Charles Simic

I want to make photographs whose very ambiguity provokes thought, rather than cuts it off prematurely. I want to make pictures that work on a more mysterious level, that approach the truth by a more circuitous route. — John Pfahl

Climbing has taught me many lessons, one of the most important being, just how ever-present death is. Having faced death a few times now while climbing, has made me realize that I have no fear of it. — Mekael Shane

Inherent rights are from God, and the tragedies of the world originate in their attempted denial. — Warren G. Harding

Charisma
the divine force that manifests itself in men and women. The supernatural power we don't need to show to anyone because everyone can see it, even usually insensitive people. But it only happens when we're naked, when we die to the world and are reborn to ourselves — Paulo Coelho

From now on it is not dying we must fear, but living. — Arundhati Roy

Violent revolutions usually only mean a change of personnel at the top. — Petra Kelly

I think the media spends a lot of time fooling itself. — Penn Jillette

Celebrity culture is an aspirational culture regardless of how much you don't want it to be. — Paloma Faith

We have little choice but to place a certain level of trust in scientists - even when it comes to the model-driven speculative discipline of climate change. And, need it be said, most scientists take great care in being honest, principled and precise. — David Harsanyi

The only reason you do not do great things is because you timidly cling to small things. Will you let loose of small things and bear the uncertainty of having nothing for a while? Do this and eventually you will do great things. — Vernon Howard

This is Ahab, that's Jezebel," said Evie, who was one of those who name animals after the less successful characters of Old Testament history. — E. M. Forster

He smelled like carpeting, Scotch tape, and steak sauce. — Patton Oswalt

The sparrow hops along the veranda, with wet feet. — Jack Kerouac

Maybe that's a haiku, maybe not, it might be a little too complicated," said Japhy. "A real haiku's gotta be as simple as porridge and yet make you see the real thing, like the greatest haiku of them all probably is the one that goes 'The sparrow hops along the veranda, with wet feet.' By Shiki. You see the wet footprints like a vision in your mind and yet in those few words you also see all the rain that's been falling that day and almost smell the wet pine needles."

(The Dharma Bums, Chap. 8) — Jack Kerouac

A lot of times I watch sporting events, and there are things I want to say and things I see that don't get said or talked about. — Landon Donovan

When the Fed raises or lowers interest rates, for instance, then that affects the entire economy. Contracts or expands it. — David Baldacci

For as long as there are men and women, some things in life will best be done arm in arm, and strolling in a flower garden is one. — Ivan Doig