Posing Quotes

“The fraudulence paradox was that the more time and effort you put into trying to appear impressive or attractive to other people, the less impressive or attractive you felt inside — you were a fraud. And the more of a fraud you felt like, the harder you tried to convey an impressive or likable image of yourself so that other people wouldn’t find out what a hollow, fraudulent person you really were. Logically, you would think that the moment a supposedly intelligent nineteen-year-old became aware of this paradox, he’d stop being a fraud and just settle for being himself (whatever that was) because he’d figured out that being a fraud was a vicious infinite regress that ultimately resulted in being frightened, lonely, alienated, etc. But here was the other, higher-order paradox, which didn’t even have a form or name — I didn’t, I couldn’t.”
― David Foster Wallace

“Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.”
― Sara Sheridan

“If I have all of the gear but I can’t bait the hook, the fish have nothing to worry about.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Photographers have become particular about background and candid shots. Pose as though you aren't posing. It's scary.”
― Bienvenido N. Santos, Postscript to a Saintly Life

“The word "fronting" was important to Rob. A coward who acted tough was fronting. A nerd who acted dumb was fronting. A rich kid who acted poor was fronting. Rob found the instinct very offensive, and in college he saw it all around.”
― Jeff Hobbs, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League

“Jeg kalder nyttige Bøger dem, som sette Boghandlere udi Activitet, som forfremme Handel, og komme deres Gryder til at kaage, ikke saadanne, der sigte alleene til forfængelig Lærdom, som Almuen, der er Landets Styrke, ikke forstaaer, og derfore gemeenligen oplægges med Boghandlernes største Skade, og ligge skimlede paa Bogladene.”
― Ludvig Holberg, Epistler

“Du Steenbid, hvi griner så ilde din Flab
Hvi est du saa skubbet, saa fuld utav Skab?”
― Petter Dass, The Trumpet of Nordland

“How about a picture?" he said, winding on the spool of film. "A little memento of your seaside rendezvous, Miss Smitham?" She perked up, just as he'd hoped she would- Dolly loved having her photograph taken- and Jimmy glanced about for the sun's position. He walked to the far side of the small field in which they'd had their picnic.
Dolly had pushed herself up to a sitting position and was stretching like a cat. "Like this?" she said. Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, her bow lips plump and red from the strawberries he'd bought at a roadside stall.
"Perfect," he said, and she really was.”
― Kate Morton, The Secret Keeper

“I'd like the ability to see what you're really like underneath all your posing and big words and old man's overcoat or whatever the hell it is you're wearing. You might say 'ethereal' and know what's so goddamn good about kitchen cupboards with no handles, but you're not fooling anyone. You just decided what part of the shitshow you want to make public. My guess is your family is as screwed upas the rest of us.”
― Vicki Grant, 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You

“Daddy liked his books in alphabetical order, but before big events Anne Mom paid Vera ten dollars to reorganize the books in such a way that authors "of color" and women were "front and center" at eye level.”
― Gary Shteyngart, Vera, or Faith