Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by William H. Gass

Quote by William H. Gass

“There are few poets today who can equal, in their esthetic exploitation of language, in their depth of commitment to their medium, in their range of conceptual understanding, in the purity of their closed forms, the work of Nabokov, Borges, Beckett, Barth, Broch, Gaddis, or Calvino, or any of half-a-dozen extraordinarily gifted South Americans.”

Quote by William H. Gass

Book:The World Within the Word
Create image

Work

The World Within the Word

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

William H. Gass
William H. Gass

William H. Gass, born on July 30, 1924, is an accomplished American novelist. His works are renowned for their unique style and profound philosophical insights, making him a significant figure in 20th-century American literature. more

You May Also Like

“Always warm up to exercising. You can't suddenly jolt a stiff body into a rigorous workout. My doctor has told me that the best time to exercise is at the end of the day, before dinner, when the body is limber and a little fatigued. Begin slowly by swinging arms around in a circle. Do a little jogging in place. Get your circulation going to fuel your muscles. Do your exercises to music. […] As your body gets used to all this unexpected activity you can do each exercise just about as often and as long as you like. But start gently.”

SportsExerciseSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWarming UpWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“1. Whenever you walk through a doorway at home, stop, press the palms of your hands flat against the top of the door frame, get up on your toes, then push up with your arms and try to get your heels back on the floor. But don't let them budge - you're pushing against the calf muscles and recontouring them. Hold it for few seconds and then go on about you chores. 2. Sit on a straight chair, point your toes out straight, and kick up as high as you can with each leg. You'll feel a healthy pull in the calf muscles. 3. After a few kicks, stand up on your toes and lower yourself very slowly to a squatting position, still keeping your weight on the balls of your feet. Then pull slowly up again. It’s fair to balance yourself lightly with your hands on the back of a chair if you have to. 4. Put a book on the floor and place the balls of your feet on the book and your heels on the floor. Raise yourself slowly until you’re on tiptoe on the book. Then lower yourself just as slowly. The thicker the book, the better the results/ These four exercises will slim down fat calves and build up thin ones. The point is that the muscles are being firmed, and no matter what your problem the result is lovelier legs.”

SportsExerciseSportSlimCalvesExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“Whenever I have to pick something off the floor I bend down, keeping my legs straight. Dutifully touching your toes fifty times every day is a crashing bore. But there are almost as many times when something has to be picked up anyhow — or a lower drawer has to be opened — so I automatically do it in a manner that keeps me fit. I try to make a graceful gesture out of reaching for things on high shelves, too. I don’t make it easier by dragging out a little step stool.”

SportsExerciseSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“Whenever I have to pick something off the floor I bend down, keeping my legs straight. Dutifully touching your toes fifty times every day is a crashing bore. But there are almost as many times when something has to be picked up anyhow — or a lower drawer has to be opened — so I automatically do it in a manner that keeps me fit. I try to make a graceful gesture out of reaching for things on high shelves, too. I don’t make it easier by dragging out a little step stool. While I’m on the phone I take a small bottle — a Pepsi bottle, of course — and roll it back and forth under my instep. I touch first the heel to the floor, then the toe, ten times for each foot. [...] These exercises strengthen the foot, stretch the calf muscles, and result in lovely feet and legs. When I’m standing — scraping carrots, or just waiting somewhere — I dig my heels into the ground, draw myself up to my best posture, and pull my stomach muscles in hard. [...] When I’m dictating to my secretary I may raise my elbows level with my shoulders and press the heels of my hands hard against each other. (The whole idea behind isometrics is to make the muscles work against each other.) This exercise, lasting for just six to ten seconds, is wonderful for the inside of the upper arms — the place that can go flabby almost overnight and make it impossible to wear sleeveless dresses. For the backs of the upper arms, do the same exercise with the hands raised just above the level of the forehead.”

SportsExerciseSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“You're on your feet. Maybe you're phoning, or combing your hair, or taking off your makeup. Plant your bare feet about twelve inches apart and grip the floor with them, keeping your knees rigid. Then try to push your feet together - but without letting them budge. Try as hard as you can. This is a wonderful example of getting muscles to work against each other and it's a tremendous thing for the inner thighs - they are another terribly flab-prone area.”

SportsExerciseSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“One of my favorite routines for keeping my rear in good form is to sit down on the floor and 'walk' across it on my buttocks, holding my arms out straight in front for balance, and then 'walk' back again, backwards. [...] For more hip improvement - and the waist, too - I lie on my back with my elbows on the floor at my sides. With my legs straight out I make my knees touch the floor on either side, keeping my shoulders and elbows firmly on the floor. Then I stretch my arms out to the sides, I raise my knees as far as I can and bring them over my left shoulder to my left elbow, and then back and over to touch my right elbow. [...] When you succeeded in touching your elbows with your knees, then try to touch the floor.”

SportsExerciseHipsSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image

“If you like wearing slim skirts, there’s nothing uglier than having two additional bulges just below where the hips naturally curve. And of course if you have them you can’t possibly wear pants. The first three exercises, all done from the same starting position, are good for the buttocks as well as the outside of the thighs. They should be done as often as possible, on both sides, and as long as possible for the quickest results. 1. Lie on your side with one arm stretched out under your head. Bring the knee of the upper leg slowly up to your chest, and slowly back into position again. Do this a few times (to dreamy music) and then roll over and do it with the other leg. 2. In the same position on your side, raise the upper leg and move it forward and back as far as you comfortably can. Roll over and do this with the other leg. 3. Raise the top leg and raise the bottom leg up to meet it. Slowly lower the bottom leg, and then the top one. 4. For the inside of the thighs, lie on your back with your knees up, feet flat on the floor, and a small rubber ball between your knees. Squeeze the ball, and hold it with all the muscle pressure you can. 5. Kneel, with your knees apart, and try to bring the knees together. But don’t let them move. Pull until you feel the tug on the inside thigh muscles and hold it as long as you comfortably can – or a little longer. 6. Now sit on the floor, and press the soles of your feet together. Press your knees down, to either side, as far as you can. Keep pressing till it hurts. 7. The simple old ballet warm-up of kicking will wake up the thigh muscles all around. Put one hand on a sturdy chair or railing and, HOLDING YOURSELF ABSOLUTELY ERECT and keeping both legs straight, kick forward as high as you can, several times. Then kick out to the side, making sure your body is straight as a ramrod. Then kick straight back. Do the same thing with the other leg. You may not get very high kicks the first day or two, but you’ll be surprised at the way you can gain an inch in altitude each time until you’re making a pretty good showing.”

SportsExerciseThighsSportSlimExercise MotivationWorking OutExercisingWork Out Tips
Book:My Way of Life
Create image