Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Trent Dalton

Quote by Trent Dalton

“In all these years, he said, he was yet to come across a single gold nugget that brought any real happiness to the person who held it. Long coat bob said his family had found one large nugget long ago, centuries back, that resembled a human hand. And it became so coveted by members of his family that out caused fights between brother and sister, sister and mother, father and son. During one dispute an old woman struck her nephew with the gold hand. The nephew was struck dumb and his mental capacity was like a water hole that could never be more than half full after that. And the old woman was so ashamed by her actions that she begged Long Coat Bob's grandfather, the oldest living member of the family, to hide the gold away in a place where no one else could find it. And any other gold nuggets that were found from that moment on Long Coat Bob's grandfather reasoned, were best hidden away with it too.”

Quote by Trent Dalton

Book:All Our Shimmering Skies
Create image

Work

All Our Shimmering Skies

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Trent Dalton

Browse famous quotes and profile details for Trent Dalton. more

You May Also Like

“And you wouldn't believe what he said then, Tom Berry whispered to his enraptured audience. He said, he and his family saw no value whatsoever in all that gold. He said real treasure was a fresh water spring. He said that the real jewels of the earth were gooseberries that grow on trees. He said a good dig in his world is when you stick a fist down a bubble in the mud and find a long-necked turtle to grab hold of. He said true wealth isn't having your pockets filled with coin but your belly filled with white turtle flesh cooked in its juices, shelled down on a bed of coals. He said that the only use for gold was to glitter, and he said glitter of gold was like the glittering smiles of us white men he'd seen in town, dressed in expensive clothes. He said that gold can't be trusted. He said we've all got the gold disease and it rots our hearts. It poisons us. He said it changes who we are, how we behave. [...] He said the long-neck turtle didn't do that, Tom Berry said. He said that the turtle was a gift from the earth that kept on giving. He said he'd rubbed turtle fat on the chests of sick infants to make them strong again. He said the oil and meat from a single turtle can keep a dying elder alive to see an extra month of sunrises. And then he asked me if I thought a month of sunrises was worth more or less than the box of gold that rested in the hole below us. I said, "It depended on how you spent the gold and how you spent the month of sunrises." And Longcoat Bob smiled at that. And he pointed again at Tom Berry's chest and said, "Good heart, Tom Berry. You speak of good things that can come from gold.”

GoldAustraliaGold RushGreetOutbackMining Town
Book:All Our Shimmering Skies
Create image

“I saw one funny thing happen here. Of course it took a good many relays to get our outfits down to the lakes. On one of these trips I saw a team of black Newfoundland dogs coming down loaded. Our friend the one-horned bull was going up with two empty sleds hitched to him. They happened to meet in one of the narrowest places on the trail, where the mountain rose sheer on the dogs’ side, and dropped down almost perpendicularly on the bull’s side. As luck would have it, the only horn the bull had was on the dogs’ side. When about midway of the team, the bull made a lunge at the dogs, caught the traces under his horn, and lurched back, stubbing his toe. Both outfits rolled down the hillside together. The drivers, of course, were walking behind their animals, and, having everything suddenly cleared between them, jumped together and struck a few blows. They then sad down and slid after their teams. Of course the line couldn’t stop for a little thing like this and went on, but afterwards I saw both teams on the trail again.”

DogsGold RushNewfoundland Retiriever
Book:A Dog
Create image

“I suffer deep pain that erodes my being. Despair, the quiet inner bully, causes this anguish. Hopelessness crushes my spirit, burying joy and purpose. It is a persistent force like a dark chasm that devours light and creates a void. My physical disabilities rob me of autonomy. Once a vessel of possibility, my body is now a prison, a constant reminder of my limits. The simplest things become punishing undertakings, with each attempt failing and fueled by fury and shame. The suffering permeates my soul and covers every aspect of my being. My continual emotional tiredness saps my drive to fight futility. The universe conspires to keep me from meaningful interaction. My hopes are now dashed in every endeavor. The cycle of boredom and insignificance repeats daily without substance or reprieve. Every time I see promise, overwhelming roadblocks block it, causing irritation and despair. An overwhelming sense of deficiency replaces any sense of contribution or worth. My once-proud goods are now worthless. Thus, I fight an unavoidable darkness in a never-ending combat that leaves me wounded, broken, and hopeless. Once a canvas of possibilities, the future is a dreary, uninspired continuation of existing suffering. In this terrifying terrain, sadness rules cruelly over my lifeless existence. I am experiencing deep emotional and physical pain, and I feel hopeless and stuck. My disabilities limit my autonomy, and everyday tasks are a constant struggle. I feel emotionally drained, and my efforts seem futile. I encounter roadblocks at every turn and struggle to find purpose. Overall, I feel trapped in a cycle of suffering and despair with no end in sight.”

SufferingLife QuotesLonelinessDepressionAnguishDissociative Identity DisorderSchizophreniaSuicidal ThoughtsHell On EarthAkathisia
Book:Sex, Drugs, and Schizophrenia
Create image

“Danke für diese diplomatische Nachricht, sie hat mich zum Lachen gebracht – das ist im Augenblick sonst ziemlich schwierig. Du fehlst mir sehr. Oder vielmehr, alles fehlt mir sehr. Ich habe das Gefühl, aus der Welt zu sein, ich schwimme in der Trauer. Ich brauche nur dem Blick meiner Mutter zu begegnen, und schon beginnen wir beide zu weinen. Wir weinen über die Traurigkeit des anderen, über die Leere, die wir auf dem erschöpften Gesicht des anderen sehen. Paris ist ein Grab, nur Erinnerungsfetzen. Ich setze meine Streifzüge durch die literarischen Gefilde des Opiums fort. Ich weiß nicht mehr genau, wie es um mich steht.”

LossGriefTrauerLeere
Book:Compass
Create image

“[...] er kann sich nicht entscheiden und er muss. Am Ende lässt er seine Kinder mit ihr ziehen, er bleibt zurück [...]. Die Tür hat sich hinter den dreien längst geschlossen, da steht er noch und möchte weinen weinen weinen, und wir, wir stehen in der fernen Zeit und stehen und finden keinen Satz und keinen Vers und keine Zeile, die etwas andres möchte als zu stehen mit ihm und zu weinen.”

TrauerTrennungWeinenVater
Book:Annette, ein Heldinnenepos
Create image