Quotes by Jostein Gaarder

About Jostein Gaarder:

Jostein Gaarder is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often utilizes metafiction in his works and constructs stories within stories. His best known work is the novel Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy. It has been translated into 60 languages; there are over 40 million copies in print.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part:...

Jostein Gaarder

And although I have seen nothing but black crows in my life, it doesn't mean that there's no such thing as a white crow. Both for a philosopher and for a scientist it can be important not to reject the possibility of finding a white crow. You might a...

Jostein Gaarder

A lot of people experience the world with the same incredulity as when a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat.…We know that the world is not all sleight of hand and deception because we are in it, we are part of it. Actually we are the white rabbit...

Jostein Gaarder

Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of them fall off, but others cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep in the snug softness, stuffing themselves with delici...

Jostein Gaarder

Socrates himself said, 'One thing only I know, and this is that I know nothing.' Remember this statement, because it is an admission that is rare, even among philosophers. Moreover, it can be so dangerous to say in public that it can cost you your li...

Jostein Gaarder

He could very likely have appealed for leniency. At least he could have saved his life by agreeing to leave Athens. But had he done this he would not have been Socrates. He valued his conscience--and the truth-- higher than life.

Jostein Gaarder

When we sense something, it is due to the movement of atoms in space. When I see the moon it is because "moon atoms" penetrate my eye.

Jostein Gaarder

Wisest is she who knows she does not know.

Jostein Gaarder

The faculty of vision can vary from person to person. On the other hand, we can rely on what our reason tells us because that is the same for everyone

Jostein Gaarder

We don't learn anything there [school]. The difference between schoolteachers and philosophers us that school-teachers think they know a lot of stuff that they try to force down our throats. Philosophers try to figure things out together with the pup...

Jostein Gaarder

People are, generally speaking, either dead certain or totally indifferent.

Jostein Gaarder

All a man can see while looking at the sky are cosmic fossils of thousands and millions of years ago. The only thing an astrologer can predict, is the past.

Jostein Gaarder

Don't you think it's a small mystery that birds can twitter so loudly that they can hear each other's song from several miles away? Those tiny bundles are like living flutes, playing non-stop on themselves.

Jostein Gaarder

I wonder whether the Christmas feeling has anything to do with the sixth sense. Perhaps we're a little more the angels at Christmas than we are during the rest of the year. And Christmas is about all the other senses. I can smell Christmas, I can tas...

Jostein Gaarder

Fire and water, logic and reason—those footholds of reality that you mortals hold so near and dear become like so much mist on the plains of the dreamscape.

Jostein Gaarder

Solus walked over to the young brown-haired man and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, ignoring the look of panic he received in return. "You can call me Solus." His golden eyes trailed meaningfully down the mortal's body before he added, softly,...

Jostein Gaarder

Kamu menulis: "Kita sudah mengatakan A, maka kita harus menyebutkan seluruh huruf." Namun masalah itu sekarang sudah sedemikian luar biasa hingga aku menjadi ragu. Maka, kukutipkan puisi singkat dari Jan Erik Vold mengenai hal itu: "Siapa yang mengat...

Jostein Gaarder

It was all too easy to make things up, it was like skating on thin ice, it was like doing dainty pirouettes on a brittle crust over water thousands of fathoms deep.

Jostein Gaarder

I didn't feel lonely until there was something to yearn for. Loneliness and longing are two sides of the same coin.

Jostein Gaarder

The truth is that I feel totally helpless, or totally inconsolable, to be more honest. I’m not trying to hide it, but it’s something you’re not to worry about.

Jostein Gaarder

Aber der Traum vom Unwahrscheinlichen hat einen eigenen Namen. Wir nennen ihn »Hoffnung«.

Jostein Gaarder

Author Bio

  • NameJostein Gaarder
  • DescriptionNorwegian author
  • BornAugust 8, 1952
  • CountryNorway
  • ProfessionWriter; Teacher; Novelist; Philosopher; Children's Writer
  • WorksThe Solitaire Mystery; Sophie's World
  • AwardsCommander Of The Order Of St. Olav?; Norwegian Booksellers' Prize; Peer Gynt Literary Award; ; Order Of St. Olav