Mississippi River Quotes

“The morning sun in New Orleans felt like it was trying to make a point, convincing the old world to believe something new.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“The only way he could truly stick out in New Orleans was if he were walking down the street on fire.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“One who knows the Mississippi will promptly aver—not aloud, but to himself—that ten thousand River Commissions, with the mines of the world at their back, cannot tame that lawless stream, cannot curb it or confine it, cannot say to it, Go here, or Go there, and make it obey; cannot save a shore which it has sentenced; cannot bar its path with an obstruction which it will not tear down, dance over, and laugh at.”
― Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

“My own life would make a pretty dull story, I think, and I envy him as I drive to work on a cold Minnesota morning across the Mississippi River with its coal barges still struggling upstream like so many of us nowadays.”
― Garrison Keillor

“Toulouse Street ran one way toward the Mississippi River. Jackson looked over [Imogene's] head into one of those famous New Orleans courtyards, full of lush foliage, mossy brick, secrets, and wonder.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“Enormous oak trees towered over the boulevard, which boasted homes with fine woodwork, wraparound porches, and moss on the sidewalks. 'There’s nothing like a house in New Orleans. Would you look at those balconies and columns?' He rolled his window down to take in the sounds of life in New Orleans.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“Just as the Mediterranean separated France from the country Algiers, so did the Mississippi separate New Orleans proper from Algiers Point. The neighborhood had a strange mix. It looked seedier and more laid-back all at the same time. Many artists lived on the peninsula, with greenery everywhere and the most beautiful and exotic plants. The French influence was heavy in Algiers, as if the air above the water had carried as much ambience as it could across to the little neighborhood. There were more dilapidated buildings in the community, but Jackson and Buddy passed homes with completely manicured properties, too, and wild ferns growing out of baskets on the porches, as if they were a part of the architecture. Many of the buildings had rich, ornamental detail, wood trim hand-carved by craftsmen and artisans years ago. The community almost had the look of an ailing beach town on some forgotten coast.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“The river breeze washed over him. He saw the magnificent views of the city and the bridge connecting Algiers Point to New Orleans. He marveled at the crescent shape of New Orleans as the ferry traveled nearly parallel to the curve in the Mississippi River.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“And in the stillness of the room you heard the roar and howl and crash of the great river whose flood had caught them land shaken them and brought Magnolia Ravenal to bed ahead of her time.”
― Edna Ferber, Show Boat

“As the Mississippi snaked and their old home slipped further away, perhaps Samuel had finally left the curse behind.”
― Andrew Galasetti, These Colors Don't Run

“This river is so old. When the Nephilim walked the land and men were like grasshoppers at their feet, it was flashing as thin and quick as a minnow.”
― Kristopher Reisz, The Drowned Forest

“A beauty beyond words,” whispered Rini, mesmerized by the view.”
― Jason Medina, A Ghost In New Orleans

“The only way he could truly stick out in New Orleans was if he were walking down the street on fire. A businessman in suit and tie would stick out more than the characters Jackson passed on those old streets.”
― Hunter Murphy, Imogene in New Orleans

“The pirogue Jean sat in was so close to the water he could hear it splash against the sides as it glided through the night. He reached out and let the cool and soft liquid brush along his hand, then let the drops that trembled at his fingertips drip into the Mississippi. He enjoyed this intimacy with the river, and it reminded him on his childhood where he and his brother Pierre spent days building boats and racing on the Garonne river near Bordeaux, sometimes even on the Bay of Biscay.”
― Mirà Kanehl, The Adventuress

“The problem with being lost on the river was that things appeared different facing south from the way they did looking north. It was as if there were two different bodies of water. The Mississippi, in fact, seemed like many different rivers. The level was always rising or falling. Sediment got pushed around, changing the locations of bars and shelves. Islands changed shape, sometimes becoming completely submerged, and old outcroppings disappeared while new ones materialized overnight.”
― Percival Everett, James