General Chat / Literature Quotes

We're reading Hamlet in English class, and I found my absolute favorite quote from Shakespeare:

"You cannot, sir, take from me anything I will more willingly part withal - except my life, except my life."
~Hamlet~

Also, from Michael Crichton's Travels:

"It is not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksaw."
~Michael Crichton~

Post your favorite quotes from literature!

"This was the geography around which my reality revolved: it did not occur to me, ever, that people were good or that a man was capable of change or that the world could be a better place through one's taking pleasure in a feeling or a look or a gesture, of receiving another person's love or kindness. Nothing was affirmative, the term "generosity of spirit" applied to nothing, was a cliche, was some kind of bad joke. Sex is mathematics. Individuality no longer an issue. What does intelligence signify? Define reason. Desire--meaningless. Intellect is not a cure. Justice is dead. Fear, recrimination, innocence, sympathy, guilt, waste, failure, grief, were things, emotions, that no one really felt anymore. Reflection is useless, the world is senseless. Evil is its only permanence. God is not alive. Love cannot be trusted. Surface, surface, surface was all that anyone found meaning in...this was civilization as I saw it, colossal and jagged..."

Wow, that's powerful, and true! Wherever did you find it?

I dunno...I never really got into Shakespeare. He was sexist and pretty much aimed to entertain average Elizabethan citizens with unrealistic stories rather than writing thought provoking and useful material.

Pretty much anything from the book Fahrenheit 451 could be quoted, I read it this year and is one of my favorites. Although written well over 50 years ago (not quite sure), it has quite an insightful and accurate depiction of our future as much of it has already come true.

"'This is a people-shooting hat,' I said. 'I shoot people in this hat.'"

Well done, you've created the most boring topic ever invented.

A+ for effort.

"He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour."

and

"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Wow, that's powerful, and true! Wherever did you find it?

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Regarding a troll police officer

"Detritus was particularly good when it came to asking questions. He had three basic ones. There was the direct ('Did you do it?'), the persistent ('Are you sure it wasn't you, what done it?') and the subtle ('It was you what done it, wasn't it?'). Although they were not the most cunning set of questions ever devised, Detritus's talent was to go on patiently asking them for hours on end, until he got the right answer, which was generally something like: 'Yes! Yes! I did it! I did it! Now please tell me what it was I did!"

Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay

``Revenge should know no bounds``
-King Claudis in Hamlet

``Oh, you would be surprised how many problems a pair of pistols can solve!``
-Lascelles in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, p. 718

I can probably think of more deeper ones.

Well, at least he doesn't bump important topics. =\

Like Safety in Alarms

More deeper? i hope you're going to be an English major
so i can continue to laugh at you.

I was waiting for the troll to pop up.

in response all I can do is this-

"Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."

Terry Pratchett -

"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

I was waiting for the troll to pop up.

in response all I can do is this-

"Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."

I'm not a troll.