Going Through The Motions Quotes

“I am two people. One goes through the motions, rolling from one thing to the next; the other is withdrawn, watching a complete stranger.”
― Doug Cooper, Outside In

“At any other time it's better. You can do the things you feel you should; you're an expert at going through the motions. Your handshakes with strangers are firm and your gaze never wavers; you think of steel and diamonds when you stare. In monotone you repeat the legendary words of long-dead lovers to those you claim to love; you take them into bed with you, and you mimic the rhythmic motions you've read of in manuals. When protocol demands it you dutifully drop to your knees and pray to a god who no longer exists. But in this hour you must admit to yourself that this is not enough, that you are not good enough. And when you knock your fist against your chest you hear a hollow ringing echo, and all your thoughts are accompanied by the ticks of clockwork spinning behind your eyes, and everything you eat and drink has the aftertaste of rust.”
― Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion

“I went on seeing him, but it was like acting in some nightmarish play.”
― Iris Murdoch, The Nice and the Good

“No, life has no soundtrack, just the daily grind occasionally alleviated by short-lived bursts of happiness—a vacation, the birth of a child, retirement. This is my life and the life of everyone I know—all my friends, all my family members, everyone with whom I have more than a passing acquaintance. I’ve spent nearly forty-five years on this planet, and the majority of those years—my adult years, my reality-based years—have shown me that the adventure Molly and John had no longer exists. This is why I so want Molly to wake up and tell me that I’m wrong.”
― Ray Smith, The Magnolia That Bloomed Unseen

“Perhaps tomorrow I'll wake up to myself and resume the course of my own existence. I don't know if that will make me more happy or less. I don't know anything.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet