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Garth Stein

Garth Stein Quotes

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Famous Garth Stein Quotes

“Did he understand, as those interminable minutes ticked by, that being alone is not the same as being lonely? That being alone is a neutral state; [...]. Is it possible? That which is around me does not affect my mood; my mood affects that which is around me. Is it true? Could Denny have possibly appreciated the subjective nature of loneliness, which is something that exists only in the mind, not in the world, and, like a virus, is unable to survive without a willing host?”

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Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“Did he understand, as those interminable minutes ticked by, that being alone is not the same as being lonely? That being alone is neutral state; [...]. Is it possible? That which is around me does not affect my mood; my mood affects that which is around me. Is it true? Could Denny have possibly appreciated the subjective nature of loneliness, which is something that exists only in the mind, not in the world, and, like a virus, is unable to survive without a willing host?”

InspirationalLonelinessLonelyAloneAlonenessAlone But Not Lonely
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog’s master whispers in the dog’s ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat of fat is cut off and placed in his mouth to sustain his soul for its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog’s soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like. I learned that from a program on the National Geographic Channel, so I believe it is true. Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready. I am ready.”

Death
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“I know the truth, and I will tell you now: He was admired, loved, cheered, honored, respected. In life as well as in death. A great man, he is. A great man, he was. A great man he will be. He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave. And I knew, as Denny sped me toward the doctor who would fix me, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to accomplish here on earth, if I had already learned what I was meant to learn, I would have left the curb one second later than I had, and I would have been killed instantly by that car. But I was not killed. Because I was not finished. I still had work to do.”

LifeSoulDeath
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“In the emptiness that was all around me, I noticed an old tennis ball in the plantings; I picked it up and dropped it at Zoë’s feet. I didn’t know what I was doing, if I had a specific intention. Was I trying to lighten the mood? I don’t know, but I felt I had to do something. So there the ball bounced to a stop at her bare feet. She looked down at the ball but did nothing with it. Maxwell noticed what I had done, and he noticed Zoë’s lack of reaction. He picked up the ball and, with a mighty heave, threw it so far into the woods behind the house that I lost sight of it and could only barely hear it crash through the leaves of bushes on its way back to earth. It was quite an impressive toss, the pale tennis ball sailing through the air against the clear blue sky. What amount of psychic pain was expended on that ball, I had no idea.”

PainDeathFuneral
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“What can I do but force myself to remember? Try to imprint what I know on my soul, a thing that has no surface, no sides, no pages, no form of any kind. Carry it so deeply in the pockets of my existence that when I open my eyes and look down at my new hands with their thumbs that are able to close tightly around their fingers, I will already know. I will already see.”

EnzoThe Art Of Racing In The RainGarth Stein
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“Se suele decir que los pilotos son egoístas, ególatras. Yo mismo he dicho que son egoístas. Me equivoqué. Para ser campeón no debes tener ego alguno. No debes existir como entidad independiente. Debes entregarte a la carrera. No serías nada sin tu equipo, tu coche, tu calzado, tus neumáticos. No hay que confundir confianza y conciencia de uno mismo con egoísmo.”

RaceEgoísmoCarreraPilotoRace Pilot
Book:Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog
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“Sé una cosa sobre las carreras bajo la lluvia. Sé que se trata de mantener el equilibrio. Sé que se trata de anticipar lo que va a ocurrir y tener paciencia, Sé que para tener éxito cuando llueve se requieren habilidades especiales en el manejo del coche, ¡Pero correr bajo la lluvia también tiene que ver con la mente! Con ser dueño del propio cuerpo. Con sentir que el coche no es más que una extensión del cuerpo. Sentir que la pista es una extensión del vehículo, y la lluvia una extensión de la pista y el cielo una extensión de la lluvia. Sentir que tú no eres tú; tú eres todo. Y todo eres tú.”

RaceéXitoSucessCarrera
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“Here's why I will be a good person. Because I listen. I cannot speak, so I listen very well. I never interrupt, I never deflect the course of the conversation with a comment of my own. People, if you pay attention to them, change the direction of one another's conversations constantly. It's like having a passenger in your car who suddenly grabs the steering wheel and turns you down a side street. For instance, if we met a party and I wanted to tell you a story about the time I needed to get a soccer ball in my neighbor's yard but his dog chased me and I had to jump into a swimming pool to escape, and I began telling the story , you, upon hearing the words 'soccer' and 'neighbor' in the same sentence, might interrupt and mention that your childhood neighbor was Pele, the famous soccer player, and I might be courteous and say, Didn't he play for the Cosmos of New York? Did you grow up in New York? And you might reply that no, you grew up in Brazil on the streets of Tres Coracoes with Pele and I might say, I thought you were from Tennessee, and you might say, not originally, and then go on to outline your genealogy at length. So my initial conversational gambit - that I had a funny story about being chased by my neighbor's dog - would be totally lost, and only because you had to tell me all about Pele. Learn to listen! I beg of you. Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories.”

The Art Of Racing In The Rain
Author:Garth Stein
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“However, I don’t understand why people insist on pitting the concepts of evolution and creation against each other. Why can’t they see that spiritualism and science are one? That bodies evolve and souls evolve and the universe is a fluid place that marries them both in a wonderful package called a human being. What’s wrong with that idea?”

LifeScienceCreationEvolutionIdeaSoulsHuman BeingBodiesSpiritualism
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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“I don't understand why people insist on pitting concepts of evolution and creation against each other. Why can't they see that spiritualism and science are one? That bodies evolve and souls evolve and the universe is a fluid package that marries them both in a wonderful package called a human being. What's wrong with that idea?”

PeopleHumansIdeasSoulBodySpiritualSpiritualityUniverseHuman BeingsWonderfulCreationEvolutionConceptsEvolvePackagesFluidSpiritualism
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel
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“I had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but I never had because I was afraid. She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear. But a racer should not be afraid of the rain; a racer should embrace the rain. I, alone, could manifest a change around me. By changing my mood, my energy, I allowed Eve to regard me differently. And while I cannot say that I am a master of my own destiny, I can say that I have experienced a glimpse of mastery, and I know what I have to work toward.”

KnowsShouldI CanWantedEnergyMy OwnDestinyMastersElementsRainRegardEmbraceMoodManifestMasteryUnpredictableGlimpseRacers
Author:Garth Stein
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“When I return to the world, I will be a man. I will walk among you. I will lick my lips with my small, dexterous tongue. I will shake hands with other men, grasping firmly with my opposable thumbs. And I will teach all people that I know. And when I see a man or a woman or a child in trouble, I will extend my hand, both metaphorically and physically. I will offer my hand. To him. To her. To you. To the world. I will be a good citizen, a good partner in the endeaver of life that we all share.”

PeopleKnowsMenWorldChildrenHandsWalksTeachTroubleShareReturnCitizensOffersLipsTonguePartnersShakesBe A ManThumbsGraspingGood Citizen
Author:Garth Stein
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“To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to.”

IfsLifeFeelsJoyFeltAliveWonderfulOneselfBurdenEncountersAspireAnguishStolenAngstJoy Of LifeI Am AliveLive Every Day
Book:The Art of Racing in the Rain
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