It seemed to me then - and to be honest, sir, seems to me still - that America was engaged only in posturing. As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of yo...
Dogfish I wanted The past to go away, I wanted To leave it, like another country; I wanted My life to close, and open Like a hinge, like a wing, like the part of the song Where it falls Down over the rocks: an explosion, a discovery; I wanted To hurr...
It didn't take me long out there, in the landscapes my father had painted, to realize that as much as I loved my country [Australia], I barely knew it. I'd spent so many years studying the art of our immigrant cultures, and barely any time at all on ...
Beneath the face of anyone you ever loved for true - anyone you love, you will always love, love is not at the mercy of time and it does not recognize death, they are strangers to each other - beneath the face of the beloved, however ancient, ruined,...
Must be frustrating being a scientist. There you are, incrementally discovering how the universe works via a series of complex tests and experiments, for the benefit of all mankind - and what thanks do you get? People call you "egghead" or "boffin" o...
As the sun began to rise, the man reached out to the woman, and they clasped hands. He cradled her, and languidly they lifted themselves up to their feet, their bodies brushing, their eyes lost in each other's. Sensuously, deliberately, they danced, ...
If for a moment you are inclined to regard these taluses as mere draggled, chaotic dumps, climb to the top of one of them, and run down without any haggling, puttering hesitation, boldly jumping from boulder to boulder with even speed. You will then ...
Treebeard: [after seeing the torn-down forest around Isengard] Saruman! A wizard should know better! [loud yell] Treebeard: There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of men for this treachery. Pippin: Look, the trees! They're moving! Merry:...
Fezzik: [Westley has him in a "Sleeper" hold] I just figured why you give me so much trouble. Westley: Why is that [squashed against a rock] Westley: do you think? Fezzik: Well, I haven't fought one person for so long. I've been specialised in groups...
Mayor: Have I told you that I was acquainted with your father, Captain? Capitán Vidal: No. I had no idea. Mayor: In Morocco. I knew him only briefly, but he left a great impression. Capitán Vidal: An excellent soldier. Mayor: The men in his battali...
Lyndon Johnson: And as I was sayin', whoever controls the high ground of space controls the world. The Roman Empire controlled the world because it could build roads. Later, the British Empire was dominant because they had ships. In the Air Stage, we...
Shrek: Donkey? What are you doing? Donkey: [gathering branches] I would think YOU of all people would recognize a wall when you saw one! Shrek: Well, yeah... but the wall's supposed to go AROUND my swamp, not through it! Donkey: It is around your swa...
Little Sue: He said how you was really William Munny out of Missouri... and Bill said "Same William Munny that dynamited the Rock Island and Pacific in '69 killin' women and children an' all?" And Ned says you done a lot worse than that, said you was...
[Marty places headphones over his father's ears and wakes him up by playing Van Halen music at full blast. George wakes up screaming - Marty pauses the music. George looks up to see Marty, who is unrecognizable because he is wearing a radiation suit]...
[Harriet Johnson reads her letter to the Governor] Harriet Johnson: [quietly] To the honorable William J. LePetomaine, Governor... Townspeople: Louder! We can't hear you! Harriet Johnson: I'm not used to public speaking. [clears her throat] Harriet J...
Hedley Lamarr: Qualifications? Gum Chewer: [chewing gum] Murder... armed robbery... mayhem... Hedley Lamarr: Wait a moment. What have you got in your mouth? Gum Chewer: [stops chewing] Nuff'm. Hedley Lamarr: "Nuff'm", eh? Lyle! Lyle: [searches the ma...
There's a time in every Christian's life that can only be described as a period of walking through a thirsty and dry desert. This is where God teaches every believer the need for faith. God has to strip away every emotion, every feeling, and every ph...
My head, something happened to its insides. It was as if a storm at sea happened, but only for a moment, and only on the inside of my head. My ribcage, something definitely happened there. It was as if it unknotted itself from itself, like the hull o...
These days I live in a magical little village on Dartmoor in Devon, England, and my "special spot" is a moss-covered rock in a circle of trees in the woods behind my house. I often go into the woods, or walk through the fields and hills nearby, when ...
This the touch of my lips to yours, this the murmur of yearning, This the far-off depth and height reflecting my own face, This the thoughtful merge of myself, and the outlet again. Do you guess I have some intricate purpose? Well I have,...
You win over people just like you win over a dog. You see a dog passing down the street with an old bone in his mouth. You don't grab the bone from him and tell him it's not good for him. He'll growl at you. It's the only thing he has. But you throw ...