Sara Gruen Quotes
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They grew fat and happy--the horses, not the children, or Marlena for that matter.
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So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why the hell shouldn't I run away with the circus?
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I look after those who look after me." He smacks his lips, stares at me, and adds, "I also look after those who don't." - Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants)
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We traveled for two weeks with a pickled hippo.
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I'm truly grateful for my microwave, which allows me to easily clarify butter, steam vegetables, and - when I am really lazy - feed my three kids in less than five minutes.
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After sixty-one years together, she simply clutched my hand and exhaled.
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When will people learn that just because you can make something doesn’t mean you should?
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You do right by me, I'll show you a life most suckers can't even dream of.
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Being the survivor stinks.
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My platitudes don't hold their interest and I can hardly blame them for that. My real stories are all out of date. So what if I can speak firsthand about the Spanish flu, the advent of the automobile, world wars, cold wars, guerrilla wars, and Sputnik — that's all ancient history now. But what else do I have to offer? Nothing happens to me anymore. That's the reality of getting old, and I guess that's really the crux of the matter. I'm not ready to be old yet.
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When I first submerged my feet into frigid water, they hurt so badly I yanked them out again. I persisted, dunking them for longer and longer periods, until the cold finally blistered.
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Sometimes when you get older — and I’m not talking about you, I’m talking generally, because everyone ages differently — things you think on and wish on start to seem real. And then you believe them, and before you know it they’re part of your history, and if someone challenges you on them and says they’re not true — why, then you get offended because you can’t remember the first part. All you know is that you’ve been called a liar.
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Even when I look straight into the milky blue eyes I can't find myself any more. When did I stop being me?
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Don't want to get tipsy and break a hip.
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I stroke her lightly, memorizing her body. I want her to melt into me, like butter on toast. I want to absorb her and walk around for the rest of my days with her encased in my skin. I lie motionless, savoring the feeling of her body against mine. I'm afraid to breathe in case I break the spell.
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I had my whole life planned.. I knew exactly where it was taking me.
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Honey, I plan to marry you the moment the ink is dry on that death certificate.
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I just can't. I'm married. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it.
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I roll onto my side and stare out the venetian blinds at the blue sky beyond. After a few minutes I'm lulled into a sort of peace. The sky, the sky--same as it always was.
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You work hard on a book and throw it out there and then it's beyond your control.
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Although there are times I'd give anything to have her back, I'm glad she went first. Losing her was like being cleft down the middle. It was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn't have wanted her to go through that.
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The whole thing's illusion, [Jacob], and there's nothing wrong with that. It's what people want from us. It's what they expect.
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Gorillas are in danger of being wiped out by the Ebola virus. I feel like we have limited time to get to know them and understand them and they're going to disappear - that's terrifically sad. Wouldn't it be great if we could stop that?
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He stares at me, and then leans back in his chair. "He's ill, Jacob." I say nothing. "He's a paragon schnitzophonic." "He's what?!" "Paragon schnitzophonic," repeats Uncle Al. "You mean paranoid schizophrenic?" "Sure. Whatever. But the bottom line is he's mad as a hatter.
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The thought has cheered me, and I'd like to hang onto that. Must protect my little pockets of happiness.
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Life is the most spectacular show on earth.
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...if you expect people to try to do things your way, you're going to have to give some hints as to what that way is.
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I hate this bizarre policy of protective exclusion, because it effectively writes me off the page.
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Life goes on with fragile normalcy.
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I was always searching, always seeking the next big thing, because that was the thing that was going to make everything all right again. And while I was working toward it, it gave me something to think about other than that thing I couldn't put my finger on. But it always came back.
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