Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Books and reading
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“[M]aterials should resist mechanical forces and other effects... starting with all types of loading and external forces... and with the mechanical properties of the materials... constitutes the part given most emphasis in technical books and schools.”
Eduardo Torroja (1899–1961) said by 1961 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Words are sublime, and in books we may commune with the dead. Beyond this there is nothing true, no voices we can hear.”
Sofia Samatar (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's funny, I grew up in a happy family with loving parents, but I've killed off a lot of parents in these books. The orphan in children's literature, allows the child protagonist to move the story forward themselves. I think that, however happy a family, every intelligent child thinks: 'How did I come to be born to these parents?' – it is about finding your place in the world.”
Brian Selznick (born 1966) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Brian Selznick: how Scorsese's Hugo drew inspiration from his magical book (February 11, 2012)
“On "Cut You In". **{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/?id=mQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=jerry+cantrell+cut+you+in#v=onepage|title=The Modern Age|work=Billboard|date=April 18, 1998}}}”
Jerry Cantrell (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Criticism in Scotland, of books as well as plays, is often bedevilled because we all know each other too well. The clique can cast its chill over its rivals; the claque delude with false praise.”
Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Octobiography (1976), ch. 15
“He said to the effect that no knowledge of Islam can be gained from books of Kalam, as kalam is not from knowledge and that "It is better for a man to spend his whole life doing whatever Allah has prohibited - besides shirk with Allah - rather than spending his whole life involved in kalam.”
Al-Shafi‘i (767–820) said by 820 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The entire Story of the Stone is plausible and reasonable, and each event or each word is judiciously put down, but this sort of absurd talk now and then appears too. Is the author being deliberately playful and whimsical? Here he is having his good laugh, unlike [authors of] other books in which "ghostly talk" [kuei-hua] is undertaken in all seriousness.”
Zhiyanzhai first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Enchantment and Disenchantment: Love and Illusion in Chinese Literature by Wai-yee Li (Princeton University Press, 1993), footnote on p. 240
“One of the reasons I became so involved in activism for primate conservation was not just from the books and movie’s I saw, but from looking into the eyes of a chimpanzee in a zoo. I’ll never forget it... it changed my life.”
Charlotte Ross (born 1968) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Award-Winning Animal Activist—Actress Charlotte Ross—Campaigns for Great Apes", interview with National Geographic (24 November 2013).
“The desire to have many books, and never to use them, is like a child that will have a candle burning by him all the while he is sleeping. (The Compleat Gentleman, 1622)”
Henry Peacham (born 1578) first seen 1001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from: 1001 quotations to inspire you before you die; Quintessence Editions Ltd., 2016, ISBN 978-1-84403-895-4
“Whoever said, he/she is a proud non-reader of books is living in oblivion.”
Gaurav Sharma (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Apollo is the greatest adventure of all humankind, and it needs to be recorded in every way possible for future generations in books, in movies and on television. … I’m an artist. That’s the way I care about things. Maybe 200 years from now, someone will say, "I’m glad he did that.”
Alan Bean (1932–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not a single one of the men who were close to me has ever had a direction-giving influence on my inclinations, strivings, or my world-view. On the contrary, most of the time I was the guiding spirit. I acquired my view of life, my from life itself, and in uninterrupted study from books.”
Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952) said by 1952 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They have four books in that language (Sanskrit), which they are constantly in the habit of repeating. Their name is Bed (Vedas). They contain stories of their gods, but little advantage can be derived from their perusal.”
Amir Khusrow (1253–1325) said by 1325 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Extract trs. in Elliot and Dowson, III, p. 563. quoted from Lal, K. S. (1992). The legacy of Muslim rule in India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. Chapter 5
“None of the Sanskrit books, not even the most ancient, contain any distinct reference or allusion to the foreign origin of the Indians.”
John Muir (indologist) first seen 1860 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Muir [1860] 1874, 322), quoted from Bryant, E. F. (2001). The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture : the Indo-Aryan migration debate. Oxford University Press. chapter 3
“GOVERNMENT SURPLUS: Employment figures and history books are 'cooked'. Young people are manipulated. The status quo is maintained by an insidious mafiosi piping drugs to the unsuspecting by means of an ever expanding cycloptic media.”
Roy Harper (singer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In point of authenticity the Vedas have incontestible precedence out of the most ancient records. These holy books which, according to the Brahmins, contain the revealed word of God, were honoured in India long before Persia, Asia Minor, Egypt and Europe were colonised or inhabited.”
Louis Jacolliot (1837–1890) said by 1890 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My posts are the bible. My brain is the bible. The books I'm releasing are bibles. It's all bible, baby”
“The teacher has an impact on student from within then by mere relying on books as a guide will made the static impact specially on practice of deen Where as the kinetic and mobile companionship will bring a dynamic impact Specially in attaining Wisdom (Hikmat e Amli) contextual understanding (Faham o Baseerat).”
Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (1913–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But it is said by some, our "books and papers do not speak the truth." Why, then, do they not contradict what we say? They cannot. Moreover, the South has entreated, nay, commanded us, to be silent; and what greater evidence of the truth of our publications could be desired?”
Angelina Grimké (1805–1879) said by 1879 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would like to see the children of Gaza have the coloring books and the crayons that we had on board with us. I would like to see the houses that have been destroyed rebuilt. I would like to see the lives rebuilt of the people of Gaza. And I would like to see the people of Palestine have, enjoy their human rights.”
Cynthia McKinney (born 1955) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Democracy Now! (2009)
“Do you realize that when I get back from this trip two years from now I am going to be getting more in royalties from children’s books than I will in salary for being a space scientist?”
Robert L. Forward (1932–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny.”
Elijah Cummings (1951–2019) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Official Twitter account (24 September 2019)
“I was always discouraged,” she says. “Even when I had a fellowship for painting, some of my teachers were very hostile. ‘You’re taking this too seriously. You’re only a girl. Don’t set your heart on art.’ My boyfriends in college stole my brushes and my books, like, ‘We need this more than you do.'”
Carolee Schneemann (1939–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life of St Francis of Assisi, TAN Books, 2010.”
Bonaventure (1221–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the streambed of education is being enlarged, one formidable force altering its contours is competition. Learning is where you find it: on "Sesame Street," in inner games of tennis and the Zen of everything, in teaching and learning cooperatives, in computers, on FM radio, in self-help books, in magazines... and television documentaries.”
Marilyn Ferguson (1938–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I knew that there had been books in the ancient world, of course, and that most of them were probably from that time before television, but I had no idea there were that many.”
Walter Tevis (1928–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“David L. Lange and H. Jefferson Powell, No Law: Intellectual Property in the Image of an Absolute First Amendment, Stanford Law Books, 2009. ISBN 9780804745789”
David L. Lange wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The first step in Sufism is the breaking of inkpot and the tearing-up of books and the forgetting of all kinds of intellectual knowledge.”
Abu Sa'id Abu'l-Khayr (967–1049) said by 1049 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books just don’t register with this crowd. They think I lack common sense; I think they lack a part of their souls.”
Maureen Corrigan (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mr. Wonderful isn’t just going to knock on the door,” a girlfriend once said, chiding me. “Why not?” I thought. That’s the way people often meet in books—effortlessly, without guile or strategizing.”
Maureen Corrigan (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Angels in the house always die in the books they preside over because early ascension into heaven is their reward—and because their goodness makes them boring.”
Maureen Corrigan (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Indian government funded in part the work of ISKCON (Hare Krishna) in re-forestation of Vrindavan. Department of environment is supporting temples to maintain sacred groves. Ecological aspects of Sanatana dharma have been included in the school text books of at least one state, UP.”
Meera Nanda (born 1954) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dharmic ecology and the neo-Pagan international: the dangers of religious environmentalism in India", 18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, Lunds University, Sweden. 8 July 2004. Quoted from Elst, Koen…
“Sorry to offend but in my books Blacks were the architects of Apartheid. Go figure.”
Steve Hofmeyr (born 1964) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the origins of apartheid, in a tweet on 23 October 2014.
“The structure of the text has been more extensively studied, already by Bergaigne (1878-83) and Oldenberg in the 19th century. From the latter's Prolegomena (Oldenberg 1888), it appears that the Ṛgveda was composed and assembled in the following stages, beginning 'at the centre' with books 2-7" (WITZEL 1995b:309).”
Michael Witzel (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By contrast, the Pürus, who along with the Bharatas appeared on the scene later, began to use the designation “Five Peoples” immediately: as discussed above, they probably regarded themselves as being located at the centre. In the later books the tribes mentioned include both the older “Five Peoples” as well as the newcomers, namely the Pürus and the Bharatas.”
Michael Witzel (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In general, the books of RV level I (RV 4-6) are thoroughly South Asian and have reference to local climate, trees and animals. We therefore have to take them seriously at their word, and cannot claim that they belong just to Afghanistan.”
Michael Witzel (born 1943) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: WITZEL 2000: The Languages of Harappa. Witzel, Michael. Feb. 17, 2000. (WITZEL 2000a:§13). Quoted in Talageri, S. G. (2010). The Rigveda and the Avesta. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
“Please don't grow up to be one of those men who lie for the sport of it, and most men do. That's a fact... That's why the world is so messed-up, Noah. That's why history books are full of so much heartache and tragedy. Politicians, dictators, kings, phony-baloney preachers--most of 'em are men, and most of 'em lie like rugs. Don't you dare grow up to be like that."(Chapter 3)”
Carl Hiaasen (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A religious staying off of the growing evil of the race — the excursion business — will do more to overthrow the odious Jim Crow laws of our statute books than all the railroad suits which are prosecuted.”
Ida B. Wells (1862–1931) said by 1931 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The theme of displacement is very natural for me. It always comes up in my books because I have been a foreigner all my life and I don’t feel I belong anywhere. I’m an immigrant.”
Isabel Allende (born 1942) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how her sense of self remains tied to her native country in “Isabel Allende: 'Few couples survive the death of one child, let alone three'” in The Guardian (2015 Dec 2)
“There is a wonderful sentence, a statement, by one of Bertolt Brecht's characters, he says: "I am that man that goes around with a brick in his hand, to show the world how his house was." And that's the way I feel about my books in a way, that they are my bricks. I can show people what I believe my world was, so I've not lost it. (1990)”
Isabel Allende (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For it was through books that she felt her life to be unjudged Look at all of the great mix-ups, messes, confinement, and double-dealings in Shakespeare, she thought. Identities disguised continually, in a combative dance of illusion and discovery. Hers was hardly the most sinful, tragic, or bizarre. (p199)”
Louise Erdrich (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All of the books will be connected somehow—by history and blood and by something I have no control over, which is the writing itself. The writing is going to connect where it wants to, and I will have to try and follow along.”
Louise Erdrich (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People need bookstores and need other readers. We need the intimate communication with others who love books. We don’t really think we do, because of the ease that the Internet has introduced, but we still need the physical world more than we know.”
Louise Erdrich (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The thing is, the regime makes it very hard for people to be interested. If you are dedicated to finding out the truth, you can. There are ways to climb the firewall. You can buy banned books in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is more… It is the risk associated with it that puts people off wanting to think about it.”
Jung Chang (born 1952) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the middle class in China’s seeming apathy in “Jung Chang interview: why I'm still banned in China” in The Telegraph (2013 Sep 22)
“Books are medicine. What heals me may not be the right prescription for anyone else.”
Sandra Cisneros (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(What moves you most in a work of literature?) I’m not yet the writer I aspire to be, but at my age, great books written by women over 60 give me hope. Diana Athill, Colette, Harriett Doerr, Marguerite Duras, Grace Paley, Elena Poniatowska, Jean Rhys, Mercé Rodoreda, to name but a few.”
Sandra Cisneros (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This paper should be filled with statistics, but no statistic can show the joy of a child who runs around the room to tell his friends, "She speaks Spanish. She can help you with your books.”
Pura Belpré (1899–1982) said by 1982 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: My Work in the Children's Room" in The Stories I Read to the Children: The Life and Writing of Pura Belpré by Lisa Sánchez González (2013)
“paintings and books conceal more than they ever tell.”
Ana Castillo (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(Q: "will that be your major goal-to achieve peace?") Yes, yes-to put out into the world a vision of peaceful living and of how human beings can relate to one another harmoniously and joyfully and how groups of people come together. I feel that peace has hardly been imagined. It is rarely dramatized in the theater, in the movies, even in books.”
Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a writer, I think I’m more an eye than an ear — the world comes mainly in for me at the eye. So I’m glad the visuals came through for you. As I’m writing my books, I really do see them almost literally — I experience scenes almost as an onlooker, watching from the outside.”
Donna Tartt (born 1963) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how she uses visualization in her writings in "Interview with Donna Tartt", Medium (July 13, 2015)