Ann > Ann's Quotes

“One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“Money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“What is love? There is nothing in the world, neither man nor Devil nor any thing, that I hold as suspect as love, for it penetrates the soul more than any other thing. Nothing exists that so fills and binds the heart as love does. Therefore, unless you have those weapons that subdue it, the soul plunges through love into an immense abyss.”
― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

“Love is wiser than wisdom.”
― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

“Tutte le persone che non sono belle, o che sono brutte, poi quando le conosci diventano più belle, sempre.”
― Francesco Piccolo, Momenti di trascurabile felicità

“La soddisfazione di infilare il braccio in fondo al frigorifero del bar o del supermercato e tirare fuori la bottiglia di latte con la scadenza più lontana, che qualcuno ha volontariamente coperto per farmi comprare la bottiglia con la scadenza più vicina.”
― Francesco Piccolo, Momenti di trascurabile felicità

“Gli amori che cominciano, che è molto prima di quando cominciano - cioè il momento in cui un innamoramento nasce senza che la persona che si innamora se ne sia accorta.”
― Francesco Piccolo, Momenti di trascurabile felicità

“De waarheid is dat alle macht ter wereld een vijand niet in een vriend kan veranderen.
Hij kan een vijand in een slaaf veranderen, maar niet in een kameraad.
Met alle macht kun je een fanaticus niet veranderen in een tolerant iemand.
En met alle macht ter wereld kun je een wraakzuchtige niet veranderen in een vriend.”
― Amos Oz

“To survive, you must tell stories.”
― Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before

“Sometimes what we want to do and what we must do are not the same. Pasquo, the smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.”
― Jess Walter, Beautiful Ruins

“Stories are people. I'm a story, you're a story...your father is a story. Our stories go in every direction, but sometimes, if we're lucky, our stories join into one, and for awhile, we're less alone.”
― Jess Walter

“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.”
― Shawn Slovo, Captain Corelli's Mandolin filmscript

“We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.”
― Louis de Bernières, Corelli’s Mandolin

“I know you have not thought about it. Italians always act without thinking, it's the glory and the downfall of your civilisation. A German plans a month in advance what his bowel movements will be at Easter, and the British plan everything in retrospect, so it always looks as though everything occurred as they intended. The French plan everything whilst appearing to be having a party, and the Spanish...well, God knows. Anyway, Pelagia is Greek, that's my point.”
― Louis de Bernières, Corelli’s Mandolin

“Lippen die je kussen, hoef je niet te lezen.”
― Arthur Japin, Kolja

“When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is!”
― Louis de Bernières, Corelli’s Mandolin

“Schoolkinderen worden snel groot (sneller dan wij volgens de krantenberichten), en ze moeten onze wereld gaan begrijpen. Lezen is een manier om de volgende generatie te helpen om te leren en te denken, maar net zo belangrijk is het om te blijven kijken naar het verleden. Ik hoop dat beide boeken mensen bij elkaar brengen. Het begrijpen van de geschiedenis is niet alleen interessant, het is bijzonder belangrijk.”
― Peter Frankopan, De nieuwe zijderoutes

“Is it progress if a cannibal uses a fork?”
― Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

“Politics: a Trojan horse race.”
― Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

“Elle plongea droit dans les bois, comme chaque fois, ignorant les pistes. Les arbres avaient dû se passer le mot, car ils me laissèrent la suivre.”
― Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Veiller sur elle

“Il faut avoir vu Rome sous la neige avant de prétendre avoir vécu.”
― Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Veiller sur elle

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.”
― Louis de Bernières, Corelli’s Mandolin

“Sapevi che l'infanzia è l'unico periodo della vita in cui la pazzia non è soltanto tollerata, ma prevista?”
― Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

“Veel van onze angsten berusten op pure inbeelding. Verander je inbeelding en je zult minder angst hebben.”
― Paul Verhaeghe

“Verbeelding is een uitstekend vertrekpunt voor verandering.”
― Paul Verhaeghe, Intimiteit

“Het niet bewust kunnen ervaren en uiten van het gevoelsleven kan bijdragen tot ziek worden. Dat emoties te maken hebben met lichamelijke spanningen en dat ontlading deugd doet, van lachen tot huilen, kunnen we allemaal ervaren. Maar het omgekeerde verband, dat tussen ziekte en het niet kunnen uiten en ontladen van emoties, bleef lange tijd een raadsel. Ondertussen hebben we een sleutel gevonden om de deur te openen naar het holistische netwerk. Die sleutel heet "stress".”
― Paul Verhaeghe, Intimiteit

“Functioneringsgesprekken zijn de nieuwste versie van de biecht, zij het zonder kans op absolutie.”
― Paul Verhaeghe, Identiteit

“Het is dan ook geen toeval dat Aristoteles zijn visie op kennis uitwerkt in twee boeken die gewijd zijn aan ethiek, want kennis is daaraan ondergeschikt. Waardevrije kennis bestaat niet, evenmin als wetenschap zonder passie.”
― Paul Verhaeghe, Identiteit

“Because what I learned from him is that love isn’t something that you find or that finds you—love is something you gift”
― Kate Bromley, Ciao For Now

“There are books which one should not attempt before having passed the age of forty.”
― Marguerite Yourcenar, Memoirs of Hadrian: And, Reflections on the Composition of Memoirs of Hadrian