#occurrence

Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable. ↗

— H. L. Mencken

#briefly #defined #faith #illogical #improbable

We know that Rangi can at least mutter because Digger Gibson says he used to talk to the bear. In his group home for orphaned Moa boys, Rangi had a pet cinnamon bear. I saw her once. She was just a wet-nosed cub, a cuff of pure white around her neck. Rangi found her on the banks of the Waitiki River and walked her around on a leash. He filed her claws and fed her tiny, smelly fishes. They shot her the day his new father, Digger, came to pick him up. "Burying that bear," I overheard Digger tell Mr. Oamaru once. "The first thing we ever did together as father and son." Rangi's given us this global silent treatment ever since, a silence he extends to people, animals, ice. ↗

— Karen Russell

#karen-russell #occurrence- #home

There's something pitiable and terrifying about the unconscious bully. His crumpled nose and hat. ... This is the first true thing that Brauser and I have ever shared, this fear, besides dog-eared songbooks and cafeteria noodles. I wonder, briefly, if I could eat Brauser if it came to that. At this point, we have been alone on the glacier for fourteen minutes. ↗

— Karen Russell

#karen-russell #occurrence- #home

Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities. ↗

— Cat Stevens

#attacks #communities #everyday #exacerbated #families

The problem I have with making an intelligent statement is that some people then think it's not an isolated occurrence. ↗

— Simon Travaglia

#intelligent #isolated #making #occurrence #people

Nevertheless, whether in occurrences lasting days, hours or mere minutes at a time, I have experienced happiness often, and have had brief encounters with it in my later years, even in old age. ↗

— Herman Hesse

#brief #days #encounters #even #experienced

In spite of certain distressing but isolated occurrences in the last battle, I certainly hoped that the Army would be in a position to continue to hold out. ↗

— Paul von Hindenburg

#battle #certain #certainly #continue #distressing

The Avalanche," peacemaker Rachel recites, "is very important. It's a privilege to sing it. It's a celebration of our past." Everybody around the table smiles at her. "Yeah? Well, I've seen how easily the past can get rewritten." I glare at Mr. Oamaru. "Lyrics change. New authors come along. ↗

— Karen Russell

#karen-russell #occurrence- #change

Music is pleasant not only because of the sound of many voices, but because of the silence that is in it. ↗

— Karen Russell

#karen-russell #occurrence- #home

Any place, then, can become a cemetery. All it takes is your body. It's not fair, I think, and I get this petulant wish for ugly flowers and mourners, my mother's old familiar grief. Somebody I love to tend my future grave. Probably this is the wrong thing to be wishing for. ↗

— Karen Russell

#karen-russell #occurrence- #home