I was asked by the inimitable Micah Dillon to furnish Facebook with a list of ten literary quotations that stand out to me. Always willing to indulge in a bit of pretentious quote-mining, I thus present my own Book List. 1.) I sadly want a reform in the construction of children. Natures only idea seems to be to make them machines for the production of incessant noise. The Woman in White, Wikie Collins 2.) “It doesnt matter what people call you unless they call you pigeon pie and eat you up.” Brideshead Revisted, Evelyn Waugh 3.) “Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.” The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde 4.) Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant 5.) Darkling I listen; and, for many a time I have been half in love with easeful Death, Calld him soft names in many a musèd rhyme, To take into the air my quiet breath; Now more than ever seems it rich to die, To cease upon the midnight with no pain, While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad In such an ecstasy! Ode to a Nightingale, John Keats 6.) LANE presents several letters on a salver to ALGERNON. It is to be surmised that they are bills, as ALGERNON, after looking at the envelopes, tears them up. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde 7.) I believe there is a great deal too much mutual confession going on today, as if sharing one’s problems somehow makes them go away. All it really does, of course, is increase the number of people who have to worry about a particular issue. Personally, I have never sought to burden other people with my life history and I have no intention of meddling in theirs. Major Pettigrews Last Stand, Helen Simonson 8.) I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our more stupid melancholy propensities, for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one’s very being and yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?” Candide, Voltaire 9.) “A Strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. The idea of sorrow has always appealed to me but now I am almost ashamed of its complete egoism. I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow. Today it envelops me like a silken web, enervating and soft, and sets me apart from everybody else.” Bonjour Tristesse, Francois Sagan 10.) If a man is a gentleman, he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde There are a couple of repeated authors, for which I can only apologise for my limited reading list. At any rate, Id be interested in hearing Jack, Ella and Annes top ten quotes.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:21:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015