One Great Moment

"He was followed by 30 seconds of silence, during which every sigh toured the walls of the church."

“He was followed by 30 seconds of silence, during which every sigh toured the walls of the church.”

—From "The Last Daughter," a personal essay by Ioana Burtea
"She stares at me, but it feels like she's looking at who I used to be, her little girl with ponytails and a snaggletooth who swore she was a Powerpuff Girl."

“She stares at me, but it feels like she’s looking at who I used to be, her little girl with ponytails and a snaggletooth who swore she was a Powerpuff Girl.”

—From the young adult novel "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'"

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'”

—Jack Kerouac from his autobiographical novel "On The Road"
"I’m thinking longer term, in geologic time, doing just what I can each day and not putting it off because it won’t be brilliant."

“I’m thinking longer term, in geologic time, doing just what I can each day and not putting it off because it won’t be brilliant.”

—From Amy Liptrot, in her memoir "The Outrun"

“I work like a watchmaker or an old-fashioned silversmith: one eye screwed up… ”

—From the memoir "A Tale of Love and Darkness" by Amos Oz
"There's a story he's waiting for, long before he comes across it."

“There’s a story he’s waiting for, long before he comes across it.”

—From "The Overstory," by novelist Richard Powers
“Everyone likes to reminisce, but no one wants to listen, and everyone feels annoyed when someone else tells a story.”

“Everyone likes to reminisce, but no one wants to listen, and everyone feels annoyed when someone else tells a story.”

—From "The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu
"We don't carry that brand, but I think Gimbel's does."

“We don’t carry that brand, but I think Gimbel’s does.”

—Macy's sales clerk in "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original)
"...readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author."

“…readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author.”

—Novelist John Sandford (aka Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Camp)
“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come – great responsibility!”

“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come – great responsibility!”

—Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider Man