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Quote by Julian Barnes

“Irony - The modern mode: either the devil’s mark or the snorkel of sanity.”

Quote by Julian Barnes

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Work

Flaubert's Parrot

This book is a fictional narrative that intertwines the life of Gustave Flaubert, a prominent 19th-century French writer, with the story of his pet parrot. The novel delves into Flaubert's creative process and personal life, offering a unique perspective on his literary achievements and the influence of his surroundings on his work. more

Author

Julian Barnes, born on January 19, 1946, is a distinguished British writer. His works span across various genres including novels, essays, and criticism, known for their unique literary style and profound insights into human nature. more

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“(on grief) And you do come out of it, that’s true. After a year, after five. But you don’t come out of it like a train coming out of a tunnel, bursting through the downs into sunshine and that swift, rattling descent to the Channel; you come out of it as a gull comes out of an oil-slick. You are tarred and feathered for life.”

Years Grief Five Train Oil Sunshine Coming Out Tunnels Descent Bursting Slick Gulls

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Source: Flaubert's Parrot

“Is despair wrong? Isn’t it the natural condition of life after a certain age? … After a number of events, what is there left but repetition and diminishment? Who wants to go on living? The eccentric, the religious, the artistic (sometimes); those with a false sense of their own worth. Soft cheeses collapse; firm cheeses endurate. Both go mouldy.”

Want Sometimes Age Certain Left Natural Religious Numbers Conditions Events Goes On Despair Artistic Firm Collapse Cheese Repetition Eccentric

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Source: Flaubert's Parrot

“Life … is a bit like reading. … If all your responses to a book have already been duplicated and expanded upon by a professional critic, then what point is there to your reading? Only that it’s yours. Similarly, why live your life? Because it’s yours. But what if such an answer becomes less and less convincing?”

Ifs Book Life Is Reading Bits Answers Response Critics What If Live Your Life Convincing

Author:Julian Barnes

“When you are young, you think that the old lament the deterioration of life because this makes it easier for them to die without regret. When you are old, you become impatient with the way in which the young applaud the most insignificant improvements … while remaining heedless of the world’s barbarism. I don’t say things have got worse; I merely say the young wouldn’t notice if they had. The old times were good because then we were young, and ignorant of how ignorant the young can be.”

Ifs Thinking World Way Young Dies Regret Easier Improvement Ignorant Insignificant Impatient Barbarism Lament Old You Old Time Deterioration

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Source: Flaubert's Parrot

“I feel more helpless with you than without you.”

Feels Helpless Without You

Book:Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971-1972

Source: Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971-1972

“One magician demanded I show him an image of the love of his life. I rustled up a mirror.”

Shows Mirrors Magician Samarkand Bartimaeus Trilogy

Author:Jonathan Stroud

“According to some, heroic deaths are admirable things. I've never been convinced by this argument, mainly because, no matter how cool, stylish, composed, unflappable, manly, or defiant you are, at the end of the day you're also dead. Which is a little too permanent for my liking.”

Littles Ends Matter Argument Convinced Permanent The End Of The Day Heroic Admirable Manly Stylish Bartimaeus Trilogy Heroic Death

Book:Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book Three: Ptolemy's Gate

Source: Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book Three: Ptolemy's Gate

“The native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; and enterprises of great pitch and moment, With this regard, their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.”

“Philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds.”

Philosophy Science Bird Scientist Engineering Philosophy Of Science Science And Philosophy Ornithology

Author:Richard P. Feynman

“The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”