Jonas Karlsson > Quotes

“Stupid people don’t always know that they’re stupid. They might be aware that something is wrong, they might notice that things don’t usually turn out the way they imagined, but very few of them think it’s because of them. That they’re the root of their own problems, so to speak. And that sort of thing can be very difficult to explain.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“He looked at me with the tired, ignorant, slightly stupid expression that is so common in people who aren't used to seeing the broader picture in small things.”
― Jonas Karlsson , The Room

“You don’t turn a river by abruptly trying to get it to change direction. You don’t have that much power. No matter how strong you are. The river will just overwhelm you and obstinately carry on pretty much as before. You can’t make it change direction overnight. No one can. On the contrary, you have to start by flowing with it. You have to capture its own force and then slowly but surely lead it in the desired direction. The river won’t notice it’s being led if the curve is gentle enough. On the contrary, it will think it’s flowing just the same as usual, seeing as nothing seems to have changed.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Her skirt was nice, but she was wearing a dull-colored blouse that wasn't at all attractive. I'd have to remember to tell her not to wear it when she was with me if the two of us were going to get together, I thought”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“My name’s Margareta, by the way.” “Oh,” I said, then thought that I ought to say something more. She looked as if she were expecting a reply, but what could I say? What could I possibly have to say about her name? Her name was Margareta. Okay. Good. Nice name.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Hannah with the ponytail was one of those women who laugh readily and can talk nonsense for hours without a single sensible thing being said. In principle I try to ignore people like that as much as possible. I simply choose not to think about them. Make up my mind that they don’t exist.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Ordinary people listen to a huge amount of nonsense that they would be better off without.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Margareta greeted almost all of them in an equally warm and friendly way, which put me in an even worse mood seeing as she really ought to realize that she was devaluing the impact of her smile if she used it on everyone.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“He had managed to make me feel both stupid and insecure, when in actual fact I was one of the smartest.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Stupid people don’t always know that they’re stupid.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“In the end I stopped noticing the passage of time, and even forgot how old I was. I would cycle slowly down to the lake through warm, gentle summer rain, and I was all ages at the same time.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Invoice

“You don't turn a river by abruptly trying to get it to change direction. You don't have that much power. No matter how strong you are. The river will just overwhelm you and obstinately carry on pretty much as before. You can't make it change direction overnight. No one can. On the contrary, you have to start by flowing with it”
― Jonas Karlsson

“Thinking about life. About all the times, the moments, that were gone for good. All the encounters and people.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Invoice

“Domme mensen weten niet altijd dat ze dom zijn. Misschien voelen ze wel dat er iets mis is, misschien merken ze dat de dingen niet zo gaan als ze hadden gewild, maar slechts weinigen beseffen dat dat aan henzelf ligt. Dat ze de wortel van hun eigen problemen zijn, zogezegd. Zoiets kan ook heel lastig zijn om uit te leggen.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“But there was something different about this bout of crying. It was calm, facyual crying. Good crying. Water cleansing the tubes, rather like clearing a gutter of leaves and pine needles. A way to get rid of negative energy and make room for something better. It was as if I could feel all the improper thoughts flying away, and new ones taking their place. Better ones. A fresh start.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Room

“Ik probeerde me te herinneren wanneer ik voor het laatst woedend was geweest. Vorige week had ik hardop gevloekt toen het hengsel van mijn papieren boodschappentas kapotging en alle boodschappen eruit vielen en op de stoep terechtkwamen. Ik moest alles in mijn armen houden en was behoorlijk geïrriteerd toen ik in mijn flat kwam. Maar op de een of andere manier ging dat over en raakte ik alweer in een goed humeur toen ik bedacht dat ik nog drie Metro's had liggen met onopgeloste kruiswoordpuzzels.”
― Jonas Karlsson, The Invoice