#literature

Readers are not sheep, and not every pen tempts them. ↗

— Vladimir Nabokov

#literature

You'll never be alone if you’ve got a book. ↗

— Al Pacino

#literature #reading #literature

Lord Polonius: What do you read, my lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words. Lord Polonius: What is the matter, my lord? Hamlet: Between who? Lord Polonius: I mean, the matter that you read, my lord. ↗

— William Shakespeare

#literature #shakespeare #literature

Nor shall this peace sleep with her; but as when The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix, Her ashes new-create another heir As great in admiration as herself. ↗

— William Shakespeare

#drama #english-literature #drama

Who are we, who is each one of us, if not a combinatoria of experiences, information, books we have read, things imagined? ↗

— Italo Calvino

#experience

Still more horrible was the color of the flames that licked the latticed cabin vents before shooting skyward, as though - might I say? - the sun itself had crashed to earth, spewing its heavenly fire in all directions. ↗

— Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

#japan #japanese #japanese-literature #japan

People used to say that on moonless nights Her Ladyship's broad-skirted scarlet trousers would glide eerily along the outdoor corridor, never touching the floor. ↗

— Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

#japanese #japanese-literature #japan

Directly beneath the Lotus Pond of Paradise lay the lower depths of Hell, and as He peered through the crystalline waters, He could see the River of Three Crossings and the Mountain of Needles as clearly as if He were viewing pictures in a peep-box. ↗

— Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

#japan #japanese #japanese-literature #japan

Le persone che si lasciano incantare, che seguono in massa qualcuno che non produce niente, non capisce niente, ma parla bene in maniera persuasiva. A queste persone non passa neanche per l’anticamera del cervello che potrebbero sbagliarsi. Non riescono neanche a immaginare che possono ferire qualcuno irreparabilmente, senza motivo. Non si assumono la minima responsabilità degli effetti della loro condotta. Sono loro, quelli di cui ho paura. Sono loro quelli che vedo in sogno. Nel sogno tutto tace, e mi appaiono delle persone senza volto. Il silenzio si infiltra ovunque come acqua fredda, e in quel silenzio, tutto si scioglie. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#japanese-literature #murakami #japan

Oh! And they read English novels! David! Did you ever look into an English novel? Well, do not trouble yourself. It is nothing but a lot of nonsense about girls with fanciful names getting married. ↗

— Susanna Clarke

#literature #novels #nonsense