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Quote by Vladimir Nabokov

Work

Invitation to a Beheading

In this thought-provoking work, the protagonist is a nameless individual who is destined for death. The narrative delves into his thoughts and reflections as he awaits his fate, questioning the nature of reality and the meaning of life. The novel is known for its surreal and dreamlike quality, with a narrative structure that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined. more

Author

Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov

Russian-born American novelist, best known for his novel 'Lolita'. Nabokov is renowned for his unique literary style and profound use of language and symbolism. more

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“I want to create a place for us, like a room. And I want to store everything that I come across as a memory of us, in there. Years after, someday I will take you there in the middle of the night. I want to see you at that moment. I want to watch you drowning in the memories helplessly, losing the bounds of time, getting weaker every second. And then I want to hold you in these arms in those moments of never-ending the silence. Where only our eyes speak, while we look at each other, like the dreams that we never want to stop seeing.”

“She nods in relief and gives me an awkward hug. It's so rare that I just keep my arms at my side. The important thing is she believes me. If she knew what I was really thinking, it would just make her worry. Saying the right thing is a new skill I'm starting to develop because, growing up, we were told to always tell the truth. It's only recently that I've come to realize that is a lie. People don't want the truth. They want to hear what they want to hear. And sometimes the truth can be dangerous.”

“Truth cannot be conveyed through words. Truth can only be known through silence. When knowing truth, it becomes a responsibility to share it. Through sharing truth, our truth will become deeper. If people are spiritually ripe to listen to truth, it is good. If people are not ripe to listen to truth, it is also good. If people are ready to understand truth, it is good. If they are not ready to understand truth, it is also good. If people are reday to understand silence, it is good. If people are not ready to understand silence, it is also good.”

“God has no name. All organized religions have given names to God to be able to have a personal relationship to God, but God is not a person. God is the underlying force, the energy and the consciousness of existence. If you cannot feel God, the divine, within, you cannot feel him without. The first step is to feel God within. Then prayer to a personal god becomes meaningless, and meditation becomes meaningful. The second step is to realize God without, to realize that God is not the creator, he is creation. He is not separate from creation. He is the force and consciousness of creation. The world is God's dance; the world is God's play.”

“It is difficult to receive and accept oneness because human speculation doesn’t catch it. But if you practice with full devotion, finally you will come to the final goal—silence. When you touch the core of existence and see the fundamental truth, there is nothing to say; you are just present in silence. This silence really makes your life alive. Then, even though you don’t say anything, your silence has lots of words, demonstrating the truth in a physical and mental way, which can be seen by others. This is Buddha’s teaching appearing through the form of a person who sees into the pure and clear depth of human existence.”