Favorite quotes from books

[taustin]

"Humans need fantasy to be human, to be the place where the fallen angel meets the rising ape."

Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

[StoryEnthusiast]

Originally Posted by BenBanned

"It has been usual for men to think and to say, "Many men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor." Now, however, there is among an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment, and to say, "One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the slaves." The truth is that oppressor and slave are co-operators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting themselves. A perfect Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love, seeing the suffering which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed. "


James Allen
As Man Thinketh

A very good book, indeed, and it can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4507/4507-h/4507-h.htm

[Polyphemus]

"All animals are equal
but some animals are more equal than others"


George Orwell
Animal Farm

[BeccaPrice]

God is not willing to do everything, and thus deprive us of our free will and that share of glory which falls to our lot.

The Prince, Machievelli.

using that one as a sig almost got me thrown off one of my book-related lists. It apparently majorly offended one of the more established presences on the list.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

God is not willing to do everything, and thus deprive us of our free will and that share of glory which falls to our lot.

The Prince, Machievelli.

using that one as a sig almost got me thrown off one of my book-related lists. It apparently majorly offended one of the more established presences on the list.

Then you should probably avoid one of my other favorite Pratchett quotes:

"If there is any kind of supreme being, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior."

[Barty]

Originally Posted by StoryEnthusiast

One of my favorite quotes is "the borrower is the slave of the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). Sadly, many in the world have long forgotten this piece of wisdom written some 3,000 years ago by Solomon.

It depends on how much money you're talking about.

If you borrow $1000, they own you.

If you borrow $1000000000, you own them

[Quiss]

From my favourite book, it goes something like:

"When a true genius appears in the world he should be known by that all the dunces are in confederacy against him"

Jonathan Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

[StoryEnthusiast]

Originally Posted by Barty

If you borrow $1000000000, you own them

Just a threat to the lender?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

"I can't die yet, I haven't seen The Jolson Story."
-Robert "Jetboy" Tomlin, G.R.R. Martin's Wild Cards

[Fluribus]

One of my favorites is a paraphrase. St. Augustine wrote, in an introduction, to counter some of the objections that he thought might be raised against his book. One of the objections was that his book would be hard to understand.

The paraphrase of his response is...It's not my fault that you're an idiot.

[SuburbanSteve]

My favorites at the moment are:
Go then, there are other worlds than these.
We deal in lead.
From Stephen Kings The Dark Tower series

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
Roy in Blade Runner.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by taustin

Among D&D players, there's a pair of quotes:

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, it makes them soggy and hard to light."

and

"Please do not throw cigarette butts in the urinals for they are subtle and quick to anger."

I always heard:

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

[miguel1626]

Originally Posted by StoryEnthusiast

One of my favorite quotes is "the borrower is the slave of the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). Sadly, many in the world have long forgotten this piece of wisdom written some 3,000 years ago by Solomon.

Too bad it's not actually true... (Unless we're talking about loan sharks or foolish people who borrow way too much).

Staying on topic: I've way too many favorite quotes, but I've been thinking about one from The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy:

It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much–the wheel, New York, wars and so on–whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man–for precisely the same reasons.

[crich70]

"the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction". Mr. Bumble replies "If the law supposes that ... the law is a ass—a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience."

Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

One of my favorites is a paraphrase. St. Augustine wrote, in an introduction, to counter some of the objections that he thought might be raised against his book. One of the objections was that his book would be hard to understand.

The paraphrase of his response is...It's not my fault that you're an idiot.

He also said, "Lord give me chastity, but not yet." lol.