Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Quotes I Love from Books I Love

I'm currently reading The Guernsey Liteary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and it's already become one of my favorite books. I began writing down some quotes from the book that I really like, and I would put them on here except that I'm in Utah and the piece of paper I've been writing the quotes on is in Idaho. So I decided to look up one of my favorite passages from a book titled Eat Cake. Don't you just love a book entilted Eat Cake? You don't even have to read it to know that you will like it. The author is Jeanne Ray, and she crafted this fabulous quote in it:

"Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn’t she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person has discipline. But that isn’t a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life. This is a story of how my life was saved by cake, so, of course, if sides are to be taken, I will always take the side of cake."

She also wrote a great passage about kissing in Step Ball Change, but I haven't been able to find it on the world wide web so I could post about it tonight. But that's another fun novel by Jeanne Ray, who manages to write about the ordinary and somehow make it so entertaining.

Here's a lovely quote from the classic, The Great Gatsby:
"I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."

And another thought-provoking quote from The Awakening:
"The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels."

And this funny one from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

What are some of your favorite quotes/books?

3 comments:

Angela said...

I just put a hold on the Potato Peel book at our little Rexburg library, unfortunately I am the fourth in line to get it:( I just finished a great book called The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel, it was very good.

Katie Lee said...

I love "The mysterious benedict society." also, "The Little Prince" (and of course twilight... I am unfortunately obsessed.) I love hearing quotes from a fellow reader- If i had my way I would devote 18 hours a day to books, and the remaining 6 to the rest of the days labors! :) heehee. If you scrapbook you should check out my blog. there is a fantastic retreat in April my sister is throwing. All are invited!

Shawn said...

I love F. Scott Fitzgerald! I read many of his books, but my favorite was The Great Gatsby---so beautiful. I need to add you on my Good Reads! Wanna be my friend? I have WAY too many books I love to mention just a few here.

Glad you stopped by my blog, by the by!