Early 20th Century Quotes

“I suppose I thought your mind would be full of dresses and dances."
"Well, it's not. It's full of Socrates and Euclid.”
― Leila Rasheed, Cinders & Sapphires

“Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

(It's not the main point of the poem, but I am the third generation of my family who's never been able to eat a peach without wondering, do I dare and do I dare)”
― T.S. Eliot, Let Us Go Then, You and I

“Can't you clerk in a store?'
'No.'
'Can't you be a waitress?'
'Would you be anything like you're suggesting to me? Then why, if you're too good, is it all right for me?'
'It's not a question of superiority, Dora. Come on, be a telephone operator and get paid while you work. Or how about ushering in a theater? I have it. You'll get a job in a flower shop. They always do.'
He looked at her so sharply that she knew she must make some answer, and she began to speak as if her words came from another mind, another mouth. 'I am beyond this plane of animal existence. I'm made of different stuff. I lived all this ages ago and I'm through with it for good.”
― Margery Latimer

“Soon after the birth, Maria was shown her son. He was no longer crying.
The baby was tiny, frail, his skin wrinkled — yet his bright, restless eyes darted stubbornly in every direction, as if he were trying to take in this vast, unfamiliar, and beautiful world as quickly as possible.
“You did well, Maria! You have a son! You did well!” Irina kissed her daughter’s hand joyfully. “Everything will be all right now.”
Seeing her child, Maria felt relief wash over her. She longed to take him into her arms, to press him to her chest — but the baby was taken away.
After the necessary procedures, the midwife quietly pulled Irina aside.
“Breastfeeding is dangerous,” she whispered. “The baby could contract typhus. But he is premature, weak — and if he does not receive colostrum now, I fear he will not survive. The previous woman gave birth a week ago and has no colostrum left. I believe we must take the risk: newborns contract infection from sick mothers in only about a third of cases.”
Irina looked at her grandson lying in her arms. He jerked his tiny hands and feet at random — then smiled clumsily.
“God’s will be done,” she said firmly. “A child must drink his mother’s milk.”
When the alcohol-sterilized breast was offered to the baby, it turned out his mouth was too small to take the nipple. Fortunately, the other breast was smaller — and the boy latched on with determined urgency.
Holding the flesh of her flesh to her chest, feeling her son’s gentle sucking, Maria experienced a moment of pure euphoria. The terrible illness receded, making way for the overwhelming joy of motherhood.
Neither Maria nor the newborn knew of the danger of infection. They were simply following the ancient law of nature.
And Irina spent the rest of the day in prayer, asking God to spare two souls — her daughter and her grandson.
— Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One


Context note:
During the Ukrainian Civil War of 1920, amid epidemics, hunger, and collapsing authority, a premature child is born into a world where survival depends on instinct, faith, and impossible choices. This moment captures motherhood and mercy standing against historical catastrophe.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камінь. Біографічний роман. Книга перша. Перші кроки до світла та назад: Дитинство та занурення в ГУЛАГ.

“I’ve already learned the poem! I have! Listen!”
And five-year-old Peter recited it boldly, without a single pause.
His parents were stunned. Danylo considered himself a well-educated man. He had once completed a parish school, later pursued self-education diligently, and through natural intelligence and perseverance had become a skilled accountant. Yet to memorize such a poem casually, in play, having heard only fragments of it? No — such heights had always been beyond him.
With a mingled feeling of joy, pride, and astonishment, the father studied his son. For the first time, he saw in this mischievous boy an heir — one who had inherited the best traits of his ancestors and might one day surpass even his boldest expectations.
“Maria,” Danylo said to his wife, “let’s send Peter to school, even if it’s still early — let him study alongside his older brother Nick. He’s capable, he’s bright, he’ll manage. After all, no one knows what the future may bring.”
— Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One


Context note:
In a fragile post-war society where education was uncertain and the future unpredictable, a father recognizes early brilliance in his son — a moment when hope quietly overcomes fear, and destiny begins to take shape.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камінь. Біографічний роман. Книга перша. Перші кроки до світла та назад: Дитинство та занурення в ГУЛАГ.

“The boys lived in their own simple, carefree world, unconcerned with hygiene and unaware of the theory of evolution. Yet ruthless natural selection—further intensified by human disregard for its principles and the laws of biology—allowed only the strongest and most enduring to survive.
— Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book Three


Context note:
This quote reflects childhood lived under harsh social neglect, where survival depended not on care or knowledge, but on physical resilience. Set against the backdrop of Soviet Ukraine, it uses the metaphor of natural selection to expose how indifference to basic human and biological needs shaped who endured—and who did not.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камінь. Біографічний роман. Книга третя. Несправджені сподівання.: Все буде Голодомор.