Inspiration From The Distant Past

Inspiration From The Distant Past
Found note in an old book... warms the cockles of my bookish heart...

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Top Ten Picks: Lesa's Favorite Quotes


Jillian's topic this week is favorite quotes from books, authors and writers. I do have a quote fetish but unlike some of the other memers this week, I've never marked quotes in books or jotted down a quote while reading. Do most of you do that?

Running across a favorite quote or passage in my beloved rereads feels like meeting a long lost friend. Some pop into my head at odd times as little nuggets of wisdom; some just make me laugh. In new reads, I do pause over particularly clever, profound or amusing turns of phrase but, honestly, it never occurred to me to write them down. It might be rewarding to give it a try though...

Book Quotes:

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. Thorin Oakenshield to Bilbo in The Hobbit

Courage is found in unlikely places. Gildor to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring

I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. Bilbo to birthday party guests in The Fellowship of the Ring


'I see', laughed Strider, 'I look foul and feel fair. Is that it? All that is gold does not glitter, not all those that wander are lost.' Strider/Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring

All of my quotes could easily come from The Hobbit and LoTR but I will save them for a post during my next reread.


These next two from Pride and Prejudice tickle me to no end:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

I take no leave of you, Miss Bennett. I send no compliments to your mother. Lady Catherine de Bourgh

I actually say this one for giggles when in a pretend huff. Of course, no one else gets it which only serves to escalate my amusement. But it is also therapeutic to think it when truly incensed-- makes me feel better anyway.

A couple from Gone With The Wind:

All wars are sacred... To those who have to fight them. If the people who started wars didn't make them sacred, who would be foolish enough to fight? But, no matter what rallying cries the orators give to the idiots who fight, no matter what noble purposes they assign to wars, there is never but one reason for a war. And that is money. All wars are in reality money squabbles. But so few people ever realize it. Their ears are too full of bugles and drums and fine words from stay-at-home orators. Sometimes the rallying cry is 'Save the Tomb of Christ from the Heathen!' Sometimes it's 'Down with Popery!' and sometimes 'Liberty!' and sometimes 'Cotton, Slavery and States' Rights!' Rhett Butler in GWTW

Hunger gnawed at her empty stomach again and she said aloud: 'As God is my witness, and God is my witness, the Yankees aren't going to lick me. I'm going to live through this, and when it's over, I'm never going to be hungry again. No, nor any of my folks. If I have to steal or kill - as God is my witness, I'm never going to be hungry again. Scarlett in GWTW

Author Quotes:
That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much. Robert Louis Stevenson

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain

And a few favorite pearls from a sassy gal:

Between two evils, I always picked the one I never tried before.

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.

It is better to be looked over than overlooked.

Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.
;o)

10 comments:

  1. Your P&P quote about "no compliments to your mother" sounds like a slightly more subtle variation of "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

    Do you think my kids are old enough for Monty Python? It's been too long since I've seen their Holy Grail!!

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  2. +JMJ+

    I'm not a quote marker or jotter, either--although I used to be! These are great, though. I recognise most of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings ones and had a good chuckle or knowing smile over them. But I don't know if I'd be able to come up with a Top Ten of my own for Jillian's meme. =(

    I recognise quotes the way some people recognise faces--and I'm totally with you, Lesa, on running into them being like running into an old friend. But I don't carry a "little black book" around at all times. I let the quotes "happen"--whether I'm meeting them for the first time or finding them again.

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  3. Kathy: Funny--and maybe Jane started all the 'your mama is so...' insults.

    Been years since I watched the Holy Grail too-- maybe your oldest might like it. T saw his first Stooges today and I'm thinking ahead to the Marx Bros. And I'm wondering if Jurassic Park is too scary-- Chris's post got me hankering to read and watch it again.

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  4. E: Thanks! That is exactly the way I am with quotes! Glad to know I'm not the only one. You said you used to write quotes-- Why did you stop?

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  5. I keep meaning to write down my favorite quotes and I did start to do this but I never carry on with it. This would be easier to do with a kindle.

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  6. There are so many wonderful quotes in GWTW but had to choose the one I posted up, just because it really stood out to me! We missed you over at Top Ten Picks.. and you too, E! ;)

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  7. +JMJ+

    I stopped because I lost my quote notebook and didn't really want to start over. =P

    And after that, I started thinking that as long as I have the book on my shelf, I can always look up the quote and don't really need to write it down elsewhere.

    Well, that obviously wasn't true this week, as I couldn't join Jillian's meme (again!) because I could come up with only three from memory. =(

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  8. Lesa--I would suggest you wait a few years on Jurassic Park. We already tried that (can't remember exactly when, but I bet H was older than T) and it didn't work. Just think back to how intense the scenes are with the T-rex, or when the children are hiding in the kitchen, or when the guy gets eaten off the toilet, or when the dinosaur spits poison in the guy's face . . .

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  9. I have found one more reason to love r. butler...

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  10. E: Mine were from memory but I had to research to make sure I quoted accurately! I'd like to know which three you recall-- Bet Jillian wouldn't have minded a top three. ;o)

    Tracy: Rhett is the man! Why Scarlett wasted time mooning over Ashley, I'll never know! You must read Rhett Butler's People-- you'll love him even more! Check out my review of it. the search box should pull it right up.

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