Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Magic trick: to make people disappear, ask them to fulfill their promises.
A sentimental aphorism is even more a surprise than a hard- boiled sonnet.
Let's have some good, old-fashioned literature, with a virgin and a moral.
Faith moves mountains, but you have to keep pushing while you are praying.
As a child I was middle-aged and cautious compared to my impulsive father.
The facts, even the real ones, must be imagined before they can be stated.
Unlike the ambiguity of life, the ambiguity of language does reach a limit.
I like what I do for a living. I also like NOT doing it--perhaps even more.
Fear of trying causes paralysis. Trying causes only trembling and sweating.
Mortality: not acquittal but a series of postponements is what we hope for.
Travelling carries me to the surface, away from the deeps of home-thoughts.
When a paradox is widely believed, it is no longer recognized as a paradox.
No matter how close thought sticks to the actual, it follows its own rules.
Growth provides novel experiences for youth; decay the same, alas, for age.
Avid readers are enchanted by meaning, which is available chiefly in books.
The horse stares at its captor, barely remembering the free kicks of youth.
A moratorium on opportunities, please. I need to recover from the last one.
An old man drinks tea and reads the newspaper--forgetting age for a moment.
My obsessions used to be my protectors, but now they have taken me prisoner.
Those who refuse to play second fiddle may wind up playing no fiddle at all.
Talk about yourself as much as you like, but do not expect others to listen.
The limits of prudence: one cannot jump out of a burning building gradually.
Reversing a proposition rearranges its terms, but still keeps out new terms.
Universal truths have become an embarrassment, but they won't quite go away.
In the present age, a man with harmonious ideas is regarded as out of touch.
The morose one refuses to smile even when he has just had his teeth cleaned.
Symbolism erects a facade of respectability to hide the indecency of dreams.
'Be faithful to your roots' is the liberal version of 'Stay in your ghetto.'
Modern pictures banish depiction for interfering with the workings of paint.
Antagonistic cooperation is the principle of all markets and many marriages.
Lovers' quarrels are not generally about money. Divorce cases generally are.
Learned researches lead to headaches, constipation, and befuddled quarreling.
A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings.
Somehow the body keeps life going despite the ravaging negations of the mind.
Some eras worship infancy; some, the aged. None as yet has adored middle age.
The banker rubs his nose, thinking of his cat stalking something on the lawn.
The horizon is more than a convention of landscape painting, less than truth.
Consensus is usually made possible by vague language and shallow commitments.
As I review my life, I feel I must have missed the point, either then or now.
Strict rules of evidence would destroy psychoanalysis and literary criticism.
People often imagine that being hard to please confers a certain superiority.
Adrenalin dispels boredom. Run, you sufferers from ennui! Run for your lives!
Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.
Every declaration of love contains an unstated list of exceptions and demands.
Small faults and virtues are for daily life. The big ones are for emergencies.
In the theater of confusion, knowing the location of the exits is what counts.
Smooth white skin invites something that will leave a trace, a kiss or a slap.
Rage against the world, if you like, but quietly, or the Guardians will awake.
The power of lying is much less than the power of what is not to be discussed.
Cynicism often draws correct conclusions, but nobody could live by its lights.