Humour Inspirational Quotes

We've searched our database for all the quotes and captions related to Humour Inspirational. Here they are! All 100 of them:

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I’ve been fighting to be who I am all my life. What’s the point of being who I am, if I can’t have the person who was worth all the fighting for?
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Stephanie Lennox (I Don't Remember You)
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I'd rather be a rising ape than a falling angel.
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Terry Pratchett
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Darling, when things go wrong in life, you lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail...
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Sophie Kinsella
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All worthy work is open to interpretations the author did not intend. Art isn't your pet -- it's your kid. It grows up and talks back to you.
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Joss Whedon
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Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.
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Mokokoma Mokhonoana
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May the fleas of a thousand camels invade the crotch of the person that ruins your day. And may their arms be to short too scratch
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Keisha Keenleyside
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YOU are the big drop of dew under the lotus leaf, I am the smaller one on its upper side,' said the dewdrop to the lake.
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Rabindranath Tagore
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A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for.
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W.C. Fields
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I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid I'll never get a chance to live!
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A.A. Bell (Diamond Eyes (Mira Chambers #1))
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Some battles don’t have a winner. Sometimes the best a good general can hope for is a ceasefire
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Emma Chase (Tangled (Tangled, #1))
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I've learned one thing: you can only really get to know a person after a row. Only then can you judge their true character!
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Anne Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl)
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I’m not aspiring to be someone else – If I’m me for the rest of my life then so be it
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Terry Lander (Life Through the Eyes of an Insider: 101 Poems to Help You Understand Life Better)
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Who or what inspires you?" "I must admit that I often read my own articles in scientific journals and inspire myself.
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Eoin Colfer (The Artemis Fowl Files)
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I am unable to believe in a God susceptible to prayer. I simply haven't the nerve to imagine a being, a force, a cause which keeps the planets revolving in their orbits, and then suddenly stops in order to give me a bicycle with three speeds.
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Quentin Crisp
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People throw stones at you and you convert them into milestones.
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Sachin Tendulkar
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We love being mentally strong, but we hate situations that allow us to put our mental strength to good use.
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Mokokoma Mokhonoana
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It is the most fun I’m ever going to have. I love to write. I love it. I mean, there’s nothing in the world I like better, and that includes sex, probably because I’m so very bad at it. It’s the greatest peace when I’m in a scene, and it’s just me and the character, that’s it, that’s where I want to live my life.
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Joss Whedon
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Someone once told me that we move when it becomes less painful than staying where we are".
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Anne Hines (The Spiral Garden)
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I do not at all believe in human freedom in the philosophical sense... Schopenhauer’s saying, β€˜A man can do what he wants, but not will what he wants,’ has been a very real inspiration to me since my youth; it has been a continual consolation in the face of life’s hardships, my own and others’, and an unfailing wellspring of tolerance. This realization mercifully mitigates the easily paralyzing sense of responsibility and prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it is conducive to a view of life which, in part, gives humour its due.
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Albert Einstein (The World As I See It)
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While she could hardly fathom what had just happened to her that night, she reached some conclusions before she fell asleep, certain things now made perfect sense; Moon River didn’t sound so syrupy, mistletoe wasn’t such a bad idea, and perhaps dating was not such a frivolous waste of time after all.
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E.A. Bucchianeri (Brushstrokes of a Gadfly, (Gadfly Saga, #1))
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Today I plan to smile a lot, only so people who know me will be freaked the fuck out.
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R.D. Ronald
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If a man was around when Aunt Kathy came by, she would berate him and throw him out. I even saw her toss guys out at gunpoint. She’d threaten them and say, β€œI will shoot you until I can’t see you!” I remember thinking, β€œHow is that possible? That’s a lot of damn shooting!” 
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Harold Phifer (Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar)
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Do you know what I think about crying? I think some people have to learn to do it. But once you learn, once you know how to really cry, there's nothing quite like it. I feel sorry for those who don't know the trick. It's like whistling or singing.
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Anne Rice (Memnoch the Devil (The Vampire Chronicles, #5))
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Oh, measure it all out! Acceptable levels of misery and suffering!' The cane swung down, thumped hard on the ground. 'Acceptable? Who the fuck says any level is acceptable? What sort of mind thinks that?' Karsa grinned, 'Why, a civilized one.' 'Indeed!' Shadowthrone turned to Cotillion. 'And you doubted this one!
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Steven Erikson
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I ended up sitting right next to Sexy Patty. The placement wasn’t on purpose. (I needed the hands of God, not a girlfriend.) Since I was dealing with my own issues, I failed to notice that she was clenching a napkin and sweating profusely from head to toe. Nonetheless, she looked hotter than a fever.
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Harold Phifer (Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar)
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Anger gets you into trouble, ego keeps you in trouble.
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Amit Kalantri (Wealth of Words)
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There was nothing ordinary about Ossie May. She was tall, sexy, smart, and pretty. Her looks and personality were her drawing cards. The flip side was her temperament. She was beauty and rage sandwiched together, and she must have invented cussing. She would unload swear word after swear word in rapid succession. There had to be a law against such offensive language.
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Harold Phifer (Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar)
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People look at a chair and say, β€œIt’s just a chair,” but I like to think it’s more than a chair. I like to seek deeper meaning in things, even inanimate things. I know this makes me sound like a complete nutcase, but (a) I swear I’m not, and (b) it’s just an example.
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Connor Franta (A Work in Progress)
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The universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. There is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.
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Terry Pratchett
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Z is for Zillah who drank too much gin.
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Edward Gorey
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Do you know where your breakthrough begins? Your breakthrough begins where your excuses ends.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Above everything else I've done, I've always said I've had more guts than I've got talent.
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Dolly Parton
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Many people claim coffee inspires them, but, as everybody knows, coffee only makes boring people even more boring.
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HonorΓ© de Balzac
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......
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Gordon Freeman
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Be Happy!!! Eat Bread!!!
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Be Happy!!! Eat Bread!!!
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My cats inspire me daily. They inspire me to get a dog!
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Greg Curtis
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All good writers are weird. Proudly weird.
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Margo Rabb (Kissing in America)
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It may not feel too classy, begging just to eat But you know who does that? Lassie, and she always gets a treat So you wonder what your part is Because you're homeless and depressed But home is where the heart is So your real home's in your chest Everyone's a hero in their own way Everyone's got villains they must face They're not as cool as mine But folks you know it's fine to know your place Everyone's a hero in their own way In their own not-that-heroic way So I thank my girlfriend Penny Yeah, we totally had sex She showed me there's so many different muscles I can flex There's the deltoids of compassion, There's the abs of being kind It's not enough to bash in heads You've got to bash in minds Everyone's a hero in their own way Everyone's got something they can do Get up go out and fly Especially that guy, he smells like poo Everyone's a hero in their own way You and you and mostly me and you I'm poverty's new sheriff And I'm bashing in the slums A hero doesn't care if you're a bunch of scary alcoholic bums Everybody! Everyone's a hero in their own way Everyone can blaze a hero's trail Don't worry if it's hard If you're not a friggin 'tard you will prevail Everyone's a hero in their own way Everyone's a hero in their...
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Joss Whedon (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: The Book)
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Don't Stop Believing
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Journey (Don't Stop Believin': The Steve Perry Anthology: 16 Classics from the Former Lead Vocalist of Journey (1978-1997) (Play It Like It Is, Vocal, Guitar))
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A man who tosses worms in the river isn’t 't necessarily a friend of the fish. All the fish who take him for a friend, who think the worm’s got no hook in it, usually end up in the frying pan.
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Malcolm X
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I ain’t scared to lend a hand I ain’t scared to clench it either
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Mie Hansson (Where Pain Thrives)
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The wish of death had been palpably hanging over this otherwise idyllic paradise for a good many years. All business and politics is personal in the Philippines. If it wasn't for the cheap beer and lovely girls one of us would spend an hour in this dump. They [Jehovah's Witnesses] get some kind of frequent flyer points for each person who signs on. I'm not lazy. I'm just motivationally challenged. I'm not fat. I just have lots of stored energy. You don't get it do you? What people think of you matters more than the reality. Marilyn. Despite standing firm at the final hurdle Marilyn was always ready to run the race. After answering the question the woman bent down behind the stand out of sight of all, and crossed herself. It is amazing what you can learn in prison. Merely through casual conversation Rick had acquired the fundamentals of embezzlement, fraud and armed hold up. He wondered at the price of honesty in a grey world whose half tones changed faster than the weather. The banality of truth somehow always surprises the news media before they tart it up. You've ridden jeepneys in peak hour. Where else can you feel up a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl without even trying? [Ralph Winton on the Philippines finer points] Life has no bottom. No matter how bad things are or how far one has sunk things can always get worse. You could call the Oval Office an information rain shadow. In the Philippines, a whole layer of criminals exists who consider that it is their right to rob you unhindered. If you thwart their wicked desires, to their way of thinking you have stolen from them and are evil. There's honest and dishonest corruption in this country. Don't enjoy it too much for it's what we love that usually kills us. The good guys don't always win wars but the winners always make sure that they go down in history as the good guys. The Philippines is like a woman. You love her and hate her at the same time. I never believed in all my born days that ideas of truth and justice were only pretty words to brighten a much darker and more ubiquitous reality. The girl was experiencing the first flushes of love while Rick was at least feeling the methadone equivalent. Although selfishness and greed are more ephemeral than the real values of life their effects on the world often outlive their origins. Miriam's a meteor job. Somewhere out there in space there must be a meteor with her name on it. Tsismis or rumours grow in this land like tropical weeds. Surprises are so common here that nothing is surprising. A crooked leader who can lead is better than a crooked one who can't. Although I always followed the politics of Hitler I emulate the drinking habits of Churchill. It [Australia] is the country that does the least with the most. Rereading the brief lines that told the story in the manner of Fox News reporting the death of a leftist Rick's dark imagination took hold. Didn't your mother ever tell you never to trust a man who doesn't drink? She must have been around twenty years old, was tall for a Filipina and possessed long black hair framing her smooth olive face. This specter of loveliness walked with the assurance of the knowingly beautiful. Her crisp and starched white uniform dazzled in the late-afternoon light and highlighted the natural tan of her skin. Everything about her was in perfect order. In short, she was dressed up like a pox doctor’s clerk. Suddenly, she stopped, turned her head to one side and spat comprehensively into the street. The tiny putrescent puddle contrasted strongly with the studied aplomb of its all-too-recent owner, suggesting all manner of disease and decay.
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John Richard Spencer
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The difference between doing something and not doing something is doing something.
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James Corden (May I Have Your Attention, Please?)
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When life gives you lemons ask it for sugar and water too. Otherwise your final product would be some acidic lemon juice!
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priyavrat gupta
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Yes?" she asked, eyeing me guardedly. I struck out a hand and said "Shake." Arra stared at the hand, then into my unfocused eyes. "One good fight doesn't make you a warrior," she said. "Shake!" I repeated angrily. "And if I don't?" she asked. "I'll get back up on the bars and fight you till you do," I growled. Arra studied me at length, then nodded and took my hand. "Power to you, Darren Shan," she said gruffly. "Power," I repeated weakly, then fainted into her arms and knew no more till I came to in my hammock the next night.
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Darren Shan (Vampire Mountain (Cirque Du Freak, #4))
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I always reminded myself that this wasn't exactly where I was meant to be, but pit stops are okay on the road of life, aren't they?
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Lena Dunham
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Victor Vigny: A monkey glances up and sees a banana, and that's as far as he looks. A visionary looks up and sees the moon. Conor Broekhart: Which resembles a giant banana.
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Eoin Colfer
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Life is way too short, so try to enjoy every minute of it with a sense of humor!
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Christina Scalise (Are We Normal? Funny True Stories from an Everyday Family)
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We all have problems. Or rather, everyone has at least one thing that they regard as a problem.
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Mokokoma Mokhonoana
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With right fashion, every female would be a flame.
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Amit Kalantri (Wealth of Words)
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Our Euripides the human, With his droppings of warm tears, and his touchings of things common Till they rose to meet the spheres.
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Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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My father was my greatest inspiration. He was a lunatic.
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Spike Milligan
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Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do and doing it at the right time to get the desired result. It is also the correct application of knowledge.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Going down in history is a dead end pursuit
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Benny Bellamacina
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The search for a life-style involves a journey to the interior. This is not altogether a pleasant experience, because you not only have to take stock of what you consider your assets but you also have to take a long look at what your friends call β€œthe trouble with you.” Nevertheless, the journey is worth making.
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Quentin Crisp
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In real life, Snow White stays dead and Rapunzel grows old, alone in her tower. In real life, you gotta have enough sense to stay away from ugly bitches offering you shiny apples and have enough balls to cut off your own hair and use it as a ladder if needs be. In real life, you gotta save yourself and the only happy endings are the ones paid for in massage parlors.
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Amy Sumida (Godhunter)
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Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary?
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Alan Dapre
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Women strive to be the change they want to see in the mirror.
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Ljupka Cvetanova (The New Land)
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It's time to shop high heels if your fiance kisses you on the forehead.
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Amit Kalantri (Wealth of Words)
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one blow in anger [would] kill, probably, a child from aged two to eight. Those over eight would take two blows to kill.
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Patricia Highsmith
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I'm not stupid... I'm just too lazy to show you the extend of my knowledge!
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Oreki Houtarou
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The executioner's argument was that you couldn't cut of something's head unless there was a trunk to sever it from. He'd never done anything like that in his time of life, and wasn't going to start now. The King's argument was that anything that had a head, could be beheaded, and you weren't to talk nonsense. The Queen's argument was that if something wasn't done about it in less than no time, she'd have everyone beheaded all round. It was this last argument that had everyone looking so nervous and uncomfortable.
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Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
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Let me put it more artistically, with greater sophistication: They left us in the toilet. In the deepest pile of shit. And we're coated in the crappy residue of their desicions. But that does not mean we are the one who pooped, Moritz. And neither are we the poop. Never think that. We're not the poop.
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Leah Thomas (Because You'll Never Meet Me (Because You'll Never Meet Me, #1))
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The public thinks big, sensible, measured thoughts while people run around doing silly things
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Terry Pratchett (The Truth: Stage Adaptation)
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The champagne had been donated by one of Gus's doctors - Gus being the kind of person who inspires doctors to give their best bottles of champagne to children.
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John Green (The Fault in Our Stars)
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A man with wisdom will always have a solution no matter how big his challenges may be. Wisdom makes you a problem solver.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Fashion doesn't make you perfect, but it makes you pretty.
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Amit Kalantri (Wealth of Words)
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You’re a lot braver than most of the people outside,” said Enrique. β€œNone of them could build a bomb with their eyes closed and wander into a metal monster and still want to name it β€˜David.’ Trust in yourself, Phoenix.
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Roshani Chokshi (The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves, #2))
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We choose our favourite author as we do our friend, from a conformity of humour and disposition. Mirth or passion, sentiment or reflection; whichever of these most predominates in our temper, it gives us a peculiar sympathy with the writer who resembles us.
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David Hume (Of the Standard of Taste)
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There is a miracle in your mess, don't let the mess make you miss the miracle.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Twelve dead?” I said. β€œJesus.
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Dennis Lehane (A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro, #1))
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You go to church to respect God, not the priest. By not going to church, you disrespect God, not the priest. - Don Camillo
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Giovannino Guareschi
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As simple as that, Conrad had finally done it. For the first time in his life he had the right answer. It wasn't the best decision and certainly wasn't a logical one, but it was the right one.
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Victoria Forester (The Girl Who Could Fly (Piper McCloud, #1))
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There is nothing we can now call our own, for what we call so is the effect of art; crimes are made by decrees of the senate, or by the votes of the people; and as here-to-fore we are burdened by vices, so now we are oppressed by laws.
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Blaise Pascal
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We took a bus to the nearby monastery of one of the last great Tang dynasty Chan masters, Yun-men. Yun-men was known for his pithy β€œone word” Zen. When asked β€œWhat is the highest teaching of the Buddha?” he replied: β€œAn appropriate statement.” On another occasion, he answered: β€œCake.” I admired his directness.
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Stephen Batchelor (Confession of a Buddhist Atheist)
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People in blind love throw away common sense, conscience and comedy from the life.
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Amit Kalantri
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Always remember rule #6... don't take yourself so damn seriously
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Ben Zander
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The more thou search, the more thou shall marvel.
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COMPTON GAGE
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Write - because you will explode if you don't, your brain will expand with words like a balloon filling with air....
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Sarah Colliver
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Commander Vimes always says that when life hands you a mess of spaghetti, you just keep pulling until you find a meatball.
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Terry Pratchett (Making Money (Discworld, #36; Moist Von Lipwig, #2))
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I was coming down off the last painkiller left in my dresser drawer after Autumn tossed my stash. In that moment I was so groggy and happy I would have accepted a date with Oscar the Grouch - and planned to do some serious feeling up on the green furry beast too. Yeah, stooping to pharmaceutical-inspired sex fantasies about garbage can Sesame Street characters - that had to be the best Just Say No drug lecture a girl in a leg cast could ever receive to make her go cold turkey off the meds.
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Rachel Cohn (Cupcake (Cyd Charisse, #3))
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School does not make people, it is learning that makes people great, that is why you see first class students fail and poor. The world is not ruled by those who went to school, it is ruled by those who learn everyday.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Without desire, one is a walking cadaver.
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Karldon Okruta (Kaz)
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Writing is like a lump of coal. Put it under enough pressure and polish it enough and you might just end up with a diamond. Otherwise, you can burn it to keep warm.
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A.J. Dalton
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It's not that I want to work for Williams-Sonoma, per se, it's just that you guys have the money and I don't.
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FAXBoy
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Innovation Big pain, no shame being same-to-same
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Praveen Kumar
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Be careful because God's gifts alone are not able to give you joy; God's gift can only bring you joy when they are joined with your gratitude.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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All the failures in my life freed me from all my fears so that I can succeed.
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Patience Johnson (Why Does an Orderly God Allow Disorder)
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Let's try and pay more attention to what's around us. Look up. Look down - if only so you don't trip. Ask questions. You know how kids always ask "why?" Ask why. Then ask why again. And then ask why again. And then ask why again. And then ask why again. And then ask why again. And then ask why again. And then ask why again. Don't stop asking why until you get the answer you're looking for. Or until you're escorted away by security, whichever comes first.
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Ellen DeGeneres (Seriously... I'm Kidding)
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The place had enormous possibilities. He realized that at once. The stream, of course, was perfect for sailing toy boats, for skipping stones, and, in the event of failing inspiration, for falling into. Several of the trees appeared to have been specifically designed for climbing, and one huge, white old birch overhanging the stream promised the exhilarating combination of climbing a tree and falling into the water, all at one time.
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David Eddings (Guardians of the West (The Malloreon, #1))
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The wind was against them now, and Piglet's ears streamed behind him like banners as he fought his way along, and it seemed hours before he got them into the shelter of the Hundred Acre Wood and they stood up straight again, to listen, a little nervously, to the roaring of the gale among the treetops. 'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?' 'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought.
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A.A. Milne
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God is funny. He had a funny day when he made me. A funny, thoughtful, crazy day. He gave me a physique by which I would be so easily and so quickly judged, then gave me a mind by which I would so deeply magnetize, He put within me a heart with small, fast wings that I can hardly, barely handle, and then gave me a voice that hides behind everything in whispers. Oh, and also put a pen in my hand which writes me into madness! How can anyone possibly understand me? But I don't think God cared about that thought, when He made me! How ridiculously unfair!
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C. JoyBell C.
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Men and boys are constantly portrayed as predatory, sexist, their sense of humour is vilified and their behaviour is regarded as unacceptable. Factor in the constant diet we are fed of men as perpetrators of rape, murder and domestic violence. Boys must wonder whether they will ever be able to do anything right. This must make it painfully difficult for young men and women to build up relations based on honesty, love and trust.
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Belinda Brown
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Inspirations sleet through the universe continuously. Their destination, as if they cared, is the right mind in the right place at the right time. They hit the right neuron, there's a chain reaction, and a little while later someone is blinking furiously in the TV lights and wondering how the hell he came up with the idea of pre-sliced bread in the first place. Leonard of Quirm knew about inspirations. One of his earliest inventions was an earthed metal nightcap, worn in the hope that the damned things would stop leaving their white-hot trails across his tortured imagination. It seldom worked. He knew the shame of waking up to find the sheets covered with nocturnal sketches of seige engines for apple-peeling machines.
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Terry Pratchett (Men at Arms (Discworld, #15; City Watch, #2))
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Losing your parent at a tender age is like losing everything thing. The love, care, support and what have you. It only takes determination, strong will and the love, care and support from others to make a difference in the lives of these ones as they grow to face their future. You and I can impact in their lives...Just a little love, a little care, a little support can make a huge difference in a child's life. Support an orphan today!
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Oziohu Sanni
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As for 'too much description,' well, opinions differ. We write the books we want to read. And I want to read books that are richly textured and full of sensory detail, books that make me feel as if I am experiencing a story, not just reading it. Plot is only one aspect of telling a tale, and not the most important one. It is the journey that matters, not how fast you arrrive at the destination. That's my view, anyway. Others writers differ, of course. There are hundreds of books where everything is subordinate to advancing the plot, some of them quite fine, but my work has never been about that, and never will be.
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George R.R. Martin
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Why, there's the air, the sky, the morning, the evening, moonlight, my friends, women, the beautiful architecture of Paris to study, three big books to write and all sorts of other things. Anaxagoras used to say that he was in the world in order to admire the sun. And then I have the good fortune to be able to spend my days from morning to night in the company of a man of genius - myself - and it's very pleasant.
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Victor Hugo (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)
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A rabbi had a conversation with the Lord about Heaven and Hell. β€œI will show you Hell,” said the Lord, and he led the rabbi into a room containing a large round table. The people sitting around the table were famished and desperate. In the middle of the table was an enormous pot of stew that smelled so delicious that the rabbi’s mouth watered. Each person around the table held a spoon with a very long handle. Although the long spoons just reached the pot, their handles were longer than the would-be diners’ arms: thus, unable to bring food to their lips, no one could eat. The rabbi saw that their suffering was terrible indeed. β€œNow I will show you Heaven,” said the Lord, and they went into another room, exactly the same as the first. There was the same large round table, the same pot of stew. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoonsβ€”but here everyone was well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The rabbi could not understand. β€œIt is simple, but it requires a certain skill,” said the Lord. β€œIn this room, you see, they have learned to feed each other.
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Irvin D. Yalom
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I suddenly remembered that Murray Gell-Mann and I were supposed to give talks at that conference on the present situation of high-energy physics. My talk was set for the plenary session, so I asked the guide, "Sir, where would the talks for the plenary session of the conference be?" "Back in that room that we just came through." "Oh!" I said in delight. "Then I'm gonna give a speech in that room!" The guide looked down at my dirty pants and my sloppy shirt. I realized how dumb that remark must have sounded to him, but it was genuine surprise and delight on my part. We went along a little bit farther, and the guide said, "This is a lounge for the various delegates, where they often hold informal discussions." They were some small, square windows in the doors to the lounge that you could look through, so people looked in. There were a few men sitting there talking. I looked through the windows and saw Igor Tamm, a physicist from Russia that I know. "Oh!" I said. "I know that guy!" and I started through the door. The guide screamed, "No, no! Don't go in there!" By this time he was sure he had a maniac on his hands, but he couldn't chase me because he wasn't allowed to go through the door himself!
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Richard P. Feynman
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Halt glared at his friend as the whistling continued. 'I had hoped that your new sense of responsibly would put an end to that painful shrieking noise you make between your lips' he said. Crowley smiled. It was a beautiful day and he was feeling at peace with the world. And that meant he was more than ready to tease Halt 'It's a jaunty song' 'What's jaunty about it?' Halt asked, grim faced. Crowley made an uncertain gesture as he sought for an answer to that question. 'I suppose it's the subject matter' he said eventually. 'It's a very cheerful song. Would you like me to sing it for you?' 'N-' Halt began but he was too late, as Crowley began to sing. He had a pleasant tenor voice, in fact, and his rendering of the song was quite good. But to Halt it was as attractive as a rusty barn door squeaking. 'A blacksmith from Palladio, he met a lovely lady-o' 'Whoa! Whoa!' Halt said 'He met a lovely lady-o?' Halt repeated sarcastically 'What in the name of all that's holy is a lady-o?' 'It's a lady' Crowley told him patiently. 'Then why not sing 'he met a lovely lady'?' Halt wanted to know. Crowley frowned as if the answer was blatantly obvious. "Because he's from Palladio, as the song says. It's a city on the continent, in the southern part of Toscana.' 'And people there have lady-o's, instead of ladies?' Asked Halt 'No. They have ladies, like everyone else. But 'lady' doesn't rhyme with Palladio, does it? I could hardly sing, 'A blacksmith from Palladio, he met his lovely lady', could I?' 'It would make more sense if you did' Halt insisted 'But it wouldn't rhyme' Crowley told him. 'Would that be so bad?' 'Yes! A song has to rhyme or it isn't a proper song. It has to be lady-o. It's called poetic license.' 'It's poetic license to make up a word that doesn't exist and which, by the way, sound extremely silly?' Halt asked. Crowley shook his head 'No. It's poetic license to make sure that the two lines rhyme with each other' Halt thought for a few seconds, his eyes knitted close together. Then inspiration struck him. 'Well then couldn't you sing 'A blacksmith from Palladio, he met a lovely lady, so...'?' 'So what?' Crowley challenged Halt made and uncertain gesture with his hands as he sought more inspiration. Then he replied. 'He met a lovely lady, so...he asked her for her hand and gave her a leg of lamb.' 'A leg of lamb? Why would she want a leg of lamb?' Crowley demanded Halt shrugged 'Maybe she was hungry
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John Flanagan (The Tournament at Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice: The Early Years, #1))