Quotessence
Home / Authors / Yann Martel
Yann Martel

Yann Martel Quotes

Author

Filter quotes by topic

AllIfsLife Of Pi BookLifePeopleWayStoriesAnimalHardThinkingBookWantKnowsLife IsMindArtBeautifulBelieveHeartReligionDeath

Famous Yann Martel Quotes

“The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don't, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.”

LifeFear
Book:Life of Pi
Create image

“In terms of life, the great lesson is letting go. Life is an exercise, ultimately, in letting go. You don’t notice that when you’re young but at some point things are slowly taken away from you. We’re not good at letting go. People want to look as if they’re 30 when they’re 70. Pop stars are still trying to churn out three-minute pop songs when they’re 78 years old. Writers churn out worse and worse books when most people don’t read them any more.”

LifeLetting GoReflectionSelf AwarenessAgingImpermanence
Author:Yann Martel
Create image

“Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud.”

LifeTwoBeautifulLife IsLosingShadowImportanceCloudsPassingPassingsFallenLeapJealousOblivionGloomPossessivePossessive LoveLife Is So Beautiful
Book:Life of Pi (Illustrated): Deluxe Illustrated Edition
Create image

“Life on a lifeboat isn't much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with a few pieces. The elements couldn't be more simple, nor the stakes higher. Physically it is extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing...You get your happiness where you can. You reach a point where you're at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and you feel you're the luckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish”

LifeFeelsPersonsEndsEarthFacesGamesSimpleHellPiecesFeetArmsHigherElementsKillingBottomFishesTinyChessYour FaceStakesSmile On Your FaceLifeboats
Book:Life of Pi
Create image