Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by George Saunders

Quote by George Saunders

“Friend: We are here. Already here. Within. A train approaches a wall at a fatal rate of speed. You hold a switch in your hand, that accomplishes you know not what: do you throw it? Disaster is otherwise assured. It costs you nothing. Why not try?”

Quote by George Saunders

Book:Lincoln in the Bardo
Create image

Work

Lincoln in the Bardo

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

George Saunders
George Saunders

George Saunders, born on December 2, 1958, is an American writer known for his unique humor and profound insights. His works, primarily short stories, have gained widespread recognition and have been honored with numerous literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. more

You May Also Like

“At that moment an immense wave lifted Jonathan, rode past him, and broke along the beach with a joyful sound. What a beauty! And now there came another. That was the way to live—carelessly, recklessly, spending oneself. He got on to his feet and began to wade towards the shore, pressing his toes into the firm, wrinkled sand. To take things easy, not to fight against the ebb and flow of life, but to give way to it—that was what was needed. It was this tension that was all wrong. To live—to live! And the perfect morning, so fresh and fair, basking in the light, as though laughing at its own beauty, seemed to whisper, “Why not?”

Why NotMansfieldAt The Bay
Book:At the Bay
Create image

“Such an increase in supply price [i.e. raw materials from the Global South], however, creates serious problems for capitalism. These arise not because of a diminishing rate of profit or a slide towards a stationary state as Ricardo had feared. Such fears relate in any case to long-run prospects. Increasing supply price, in so far as it gets translated to an increase in price, undermines the value of money, and that is a very serious and immediate issue for capitalism. If wealth-holders believe that the value of money in terms of commodities is going to fall over time, then nobody will hold wealth in its money-form.”

CapitalismColonialismImperialismRaw MaterialsValue Of Money
Book:The Veins of the South Are Still Open: Debates Around the Imperialism of Our Time
Create image

“The question of the position of man, as an animal, has given rise to much disputation, with the result of proving that there is no anatomical or developmental character by which he is more widely distinguished from the group of animals most nearly allied to him, than they are from one another.”

ScienceAnimalDevelopmentEvolutionBiologyAnatomyResultHuman EvolutionDistinguishDisputation
Book:Advance of Science in the Last Half-Century, The
Create image

“Gawk? What is gawk?" he asked. "You tell me. You're the one that does it." I said... "My definition of gawking would be..." He paused as if to hold back what he was going to say. But he couldn't any longer. "...when you look at her, your heart starts slamming uncontrollably in your chest. So much that it scares you. And every other noise that surrounds you slowly fades away into absolute silence. You only hear the sounds she makes. And when she looks back at you, when her eyes meet yours, it's as if she is looking deep inside your soul. And she can see all of the hatred you're consumed in. Her eyes quench the thirst of your soul, gently soothing your damaged heart in the most alluring way... a way you could only dream of.”

CaptivatedGawk
Book:Captivated
Create image

“Hot, bright heat filled him like some ecstatic poison, and Hartan's pony shied in terror as a wordless howl burst from his throat. His dripping ears were flat to his skull, fire crackled in his brown eyes, his huge sword blurred in a whirring figure eight before him, and the brigand running at him gawked in sudden panic. The raider's feet skidded in mud as he tried to brake, but it was far too late. He was face-to-face with the worst nightmare of any Norfressan, a Horse Stealer hradani in the grip of the Rage, and a thunderbolt of steel split him from crown to navel.”

FearFireBattleTerrorHeatPoisonNightmareEcstasyFightPanicSteelEcstaticHowlSwordThiefGawkHradaniSkirmishBrigand
Book:Oath of Swords
Create image

“Doğayı idrak insana özgüdür. Elinizdeki metin günümüz “post-truth” tartışma rüzgarlarının sığlığında, bilimin ve bilimselciliğin birbirine karıştırıldığı, bilim kurumlarının bilimsellikten bile isteye uzaklaştırıldığı, entelektüel kesimin sessizlik yemini ettiği boğucu çoraklığa adeta meydan okumadır. Her meydan okuma rasyonel duyarlılıkla başlar ve duygusal motiflerle ilerler. “Bilim doğası gereği anarşisttir” ancak bir o kadar da insanın doğaya kendi aklını giydirmesi sanatıdır. Bilimi salt nedenselliğin kuru betimlemesi olarak bir listeleme ve tanımlama faaliyeti değil, ayrıca açıklama ve anlama sanatı olarak okumak gerekir. İşte bu nedenle hem doğa üzerine düşünmek hem de yönteme her adımında karşı olmak da gerekir. Felsefi refleksiyonu olmayan biliminsanı bilim dogmasında körleşirse gerçekliği göremez hale gelebilir. Kanımca okuyucusu, Burak Cem Coşkun’un fragmanlarını birkaç farklı yaklaşımla ele alabilecektir. Coşkun’un dinamik akıl yürütme etkinliği metnin her yerinde size eşlik ederken diğer yandan bilimsel yöntemler tarihine de zaman zaman üstü kapalı bazen de doğrudan atıflarla sesleniliyor. Bu cesur yolculukta kuşkusuz yazarın felsefi sağduyusu sizi rahat bırakmayacaktır. Metinde bilim adına öfke, acıma, kıvanç duyabilirsiniz. Bunu okuyucuda sağlamak yazarın açık başarısıdır. Bilimi “bilimci” değil “bilimsel” tavırla ele alan meta-metin olma özelliğiyle elinizdeki bu manifesto çıkarımları ve önermeleriyle, iki dilde ifade olanağıyla, bilim-denilen ile bilimsel yöntemin dehlizlerinde gerçeklikle savaşıyor. Manifesto’yu metodolojik değil aynı anda “logic”, “logos”un manifestosu olarak da yaz sıcağında keyifle okudum. Hepimizin temennisi Burak Cem Coşkun’un özlü ifadesiyle kozmik örüntünün mitosunu logos ile birleştirebilecek bir tahayyüle sahip olmak değil mi? Okuyucusuna açacağı ufuklarda aydınlık günler ve düşler yaratması dileğiyle. Güncel Önkal Felsefe Profesörü Datça, 2025.”

Introductory
Book:Doğa Üzerine ve Yönteme Karşı - On Nature & Against Method, Reflections & Propositions
Create image