Quotessence
Home / Quotes / I Quotes

I Quotes

Browse famous quotes beginning with I. This page is a child index of the full Popular Quotes A-Z directory.

All I Quotes

“Isn't Jack, like, your best friend?" "No," Sam said. "You aren't in touch with him?" Nell said. "Why would I be?" Sam said. "The guy's a loser." Emmi hated that word. It was a bully's word. She took a sip of her beer and looked away. "Loser?" Nell said. "Seriously? What happened? The four of you were inseparable." Sam shifted in his chair. "Drew's such a sweet guy," Nell went on. "Rosie's brilliant, and Jack---" "Drew's got zero frizz, and Rosie's basic," Becca said. "Girl needs a makeover." Emmi had always thought her English was pretty decent, but her lack of comprehension around people her own age made her feel like a beginner. Nell ignored Becca. "I figured you were upset when Jack got expelled," she said. Sam's face had turned red. Emmi saw him swallow. "Upset?" Becca said with a laugh. "Sam's the one who showed me the list. And I showed it to Cynthia, and her mom went absolutely ballistic---" "You?" Nell said to Sam. "You're the one who got Jack in trouble?" "He thought I should know what that asshole was saying about me and all of us," Becca said. She leaned over and kissed Sam. "He's my hero." Nell rolled her eyes. "I don't buy it," she said. "Jack was my lab partner in bio all junior year, and he was always so decent to me. No one becomes an asshole overnight." Emmi was intrigued; Jack had a defender in this girl. "It's pretty simple actually," said Sam. "Jack is bitter because he's never had a girlfriend." Nell was shaking her head. "He never came across like an angry guy. He was always nice." "Maybe you should date him then," Sam said. "I'm not saying I want to date him," Nell said. "It's just confusing to hear you talk bad about him." "According to Jack's list," Becca said, "I'm worth a small Mercedes while you're worth, like, a Starbucks Frappuccino. You're the one who should be the most pissed off at him." "And yet I'm the one telling you," Nell said, her voice strong, "Jack liked me. We got along." "The only good thing about Jack Holt," Becca said, "is that he's the reason Sam and I got together." "You're wrong about him," Nell said. "Everybody is. I even went to the principal, the disciplinary committee, and my teachers, and I told them I thought Jack should get a chance to show and explain the math he did. I assumed you stood up for him too." No one at the table said anything.”

“Isn't language loss a good thing, because fewer languages mean easier communication among the world's people? Perhaps, but it's a bad thing in other respects. Languages differ in structure and vocabulary, in how they express causation and feelings and personal responsibility, hence in how they shape our thoughts. There's no single purpose "best" language; instead, different languages are better suited for different purposes. For instance, it may not have been an accident that Plato and Aristotle wrote in Greek, while Kant wrote in German. The grammatical particles of those two languages, plus their ease in forming compound words, may have helped make them the preeminent languages of western philosophy. Another example, familiar to all of us who studied Latin, is that highly inflected languages (ones in which word endings suffice to indicate sentence structure) can use variations of word order to convey nuances impossible with English. Our English word order is severely constrained by having to serve as the main clue to sentence structure. If English becomes a world language, that won't be because English was necessarily the best language for diplomacy.”

“Isn't love the emanation of desire or just a statement of emptiness in expectation? As we long for what is missing and finally hold it, could it be that we may not crave it anymore in the end? Still, if we learn to "enjoy" the precious moments of its presence, it can remain a captivating experience and a mesmerizing adventure. If it keeps on overwhelming us with "joy," love can turn into a magic prism and make it possible to discover a rainbow of twinkles and enchanting sceneries. As our imagination constantly discerns new qualities, the sparkle of love does not expire in the boredom of forgetfulness. (“Twilight of desire“)”

“Isn’t much of our great poetry just a rich description of the ‘self’ in fall? The art keeps alive the feeling of complete control. Yet it is only lyrical mastery of the destruction of the place we thought our home. Our universal lament, the unwantedness of a world where a soul must suffer to grow. The beloved song, resonating the reverberations of a breaking heart.”

“Isn’t our goal to become increasingly like Jesus? We get to know the Master because we live with him. As apprentices you and I can’t have a relationship with Him just because we have read a book about his way of life. While I may admire the man, that is like saying I am like Winston Churchill just because I read one of his memoirs.”

“Isn't political freedom an American right? That is what always horrifies me about these righteous purges; the implicit denial of our constitutional rights. We forget sometimes that the essence of democracy is to question. In those days, people thought- some still do- that liberal meant Communist. To me a liberal is one who moves slightly left when the Fascists get too strong and slightly right when the Communists get too pushy. A real liberal has to be flexible that way.”

“Isn't that always the way adult life begins? You think you'll become something different, something new. At first, you swim violently against the tide, your body straining until your muscles give out, until you can't push any harder, until you stop fighting and float, letting the water take you back to shore, where the rest of the world is already at the office, typing on their computers beneath fluorescent lights, toiling away in the glare of permanent productive daylight.”

“Isn’t that momentous? Women! A krewe of women. Turning the tide on men! We are making history here. Yes, this moment! Making history.” The woman had barely taken a breath. She tapped Constance on the arm and picked up her fork to begin her hors d’oeuvre of boudin-stuffed mushrooms. Constance leaned toward the woman as if wishing to speak more directly. In truth, she wanted to see the name on the place card. She had time to make out only the first name: Marianne. “Ah, yes, Marianne,” she said. “It is history, isn’t it? You are so very right.” “It is time that women spoke up for themselves, did for themselves, and we are part of that wave that will surely come to shore when we get the vote. But for now, having our own ball will have to suffice.” The woman turned to her neighbor on the other side. “Indeed.” Constance finished the last bit of mushroom, speaking to the air. Her fork clanged on the plate as the uniformed server whisked it away. It was replaced immediately with a sumptuous, but unpretentious luncheon plate of shrimp and asparagus, with a decorative sprig of green grapes.”

“Isn't that the restaurant cookbook you used in Japan - the book with the infamous quinoa tambale recipe? I can't believe you remember that. Of course I do! No quinoa available in Japan so you had me smuggle a baggie of it from New Zealand. Don't talk like that [I whispered, as I saw heads turning everywhere.] Even though this is California, not everyone knows what quinoa is. Someone might think it is contraband - No, the truth is it's a biological weapon. [Hugh exploded in great honking laughter.”

“Isn't that the tie Lily bought for your birthday?" Evan looked down to examine it. It was paisley, a kaleidoscope of color. "Yes it is, as a matter of fact. Good memory. What do you think? Too much?" "It doesn't matter what I think." "But you don't like it." "I think that if you want to wear it, you should wear it." Evan seemed momentarily undecided. "Why do you do that?" "Do what?" "Refuse to answer a simple question." "Because my opinion is irrelevant. You should wear what you want." "Just tell me, okay?" "I don't like your tie." "Really? Why not?" "Because it's ugly." "It's not ugly." Colin nodded. "Okay." "You don't know what you're talking about." "Probably." "You don't even wear ties." "You're right." "So why do I care what you think?" "I don't know." Evan scowled. "Talking to you can be infuriating, you know." "I know. You've said that before." "Of course I've said it before! Because it's true! Didn't we just talk about this the other night? You don't have to say whatever pops into your head." "But you asked." "Just ... Oh, forget it." He turned and started back toward the house. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" "Where are you going?" Evan walked a couple of steps before answering without turning around. "To change my damn tie. And by the way Margolis was right. Your face still looks like it was run through a meat grinder." Colin smiled. "Hey, Evan!" Evan stopped and turned. "What?" "Thanks." "For what?" "For everything." "Yeah, yeah. You're just lucky I won't tell Lily what you said." "You can if you'd like. I already told her." Evan starred. "Of course you did.”