John Speed > Quotes

“The road is not certain, and the end of the journey cannot be seen. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“When you dance, sister, you feel in your heart the blessing of the Goddess, her peace, her kindness. But when you are with him, then the power of the Goddess is in your heart, crashing through you. The Goddess is no thing of stone. The Goddess is breath, desire, despair. She is the green of the brushing leaf, the baby's cry, the lovers bite, the fragrance of the rose. You feel the Goddess moving through you. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Fortunately she stopped the servants before the platters of cold meats left the house, sending them back to the kitchen where she had the ham and beef placed on separate plates, for the Hindi Christians despite their conversion would not eat cow and the Muslims would not eat pig. The Portuguese, of course, ate anything.”
― John Speed (The Temple Dancer), The Temple Dancer

“I think we were very foolish, you and I. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“This is desire, daughter, the endless piercing that informs the universe throughout eternity,”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“I do not dream anymore, nor do I sleep. My days are empty, my nights endless. My only thought is of her, this murderer. But despite what you say, she brings me life. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“The gods cannot place their gifts into a closed fist. First your hand must be emptied, then the gifts may be received. We poor fools call this loss, and we suffer, but it is the blessing of the gods.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Here in this old palace, untouched by the winds of change, here maybe some magic happens, for a little while. But the day must come when she will walk the road across the lake, and on that day, in the sad, heartless world on the other shore, you know it cannot last she is a slave. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“You can't trust even thieves these days.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Finally Lucinda grew used to her silence, and began not only to accept it, but treasure it. She too grew quiet. For the first time she heard the music of her heart.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“In Islam, all living things have souls. We are made pure by the fire of the lord compassion. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“You are closer to me than my breath,”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Maybe he loves her. Maybe he wishes to have her forever, maybe he wishes that she could be his bride. Even then he might lose much to be with her-his properties, his position. But next to his love for her, what meaning do they have? He would be a fool to treasure dead gold more then a live heart.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“We sleep in many tents,”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“At my age a man discovers regret, Senhor Mouse. I pursued blood instead of beauty. My memories are all of killing. I've forgotten the rest. Sometimes I cannot sleep. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“To worship means to feel distance. But God is not distant. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“It's one thing to be helpless as one tries to lace a corset or to mount an elephant, quite another to be helpless as a bandit pushes a black steel knife against the flesh of your throat while his brother comes to join him.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Things are best that way, Deoga. Forgetting, not remembering. You Farangs become encumbered with your past. The past drives you mad. It keeps you from acting sensibly. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“I smell like brett riley”
― John Speed

“Life is a caravan, and on this journey we sleep in many tents. Tomorrow I shall sleep in a different tent. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Leave me now as one leaves a corpse...with regret, and memories, but without a second look. ”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“When one carries poison, thoughts of death are never far away.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“The dew on the leaves before the sun rises.
The silence before the cock crows.
The eggshell not yet broken by its chick.
Not what is, but what might be.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“Unser Leben ist uns nur für einen Moment geliehen. Niemand weiß, wann der Engel an unsere Tür klopft und die Schuld einfordert.”
― John Speed, Die Tempeltänzerin

“On suicide:
Those are vanities, child. They cause immeasurable suffering in this life and all future lives. Who knows, perhaps you have been given this harsh portion because of misdeeds in some past life.”
― John Speed, The Temple Dancer

“My thoughts were gentle, not so long ago. I no longer have that luxury.”
― John Speed