Search quotes

Link	Quote	Tags	Author
9534ff3	In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, "Is it good, friend?" "It is bitter--bitter," he answered; "But I like it "Because it is bitter, "And because it is my heart." --	poetry heart	Stephen Crane
fd338d1	A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."	universe poetry meaning purpose	Stephen Crane
14b4a95	When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples.	mankind naturalism	Stephen Crane
6b86e69	It was not well to drive men into final corners; at those moments they could all develop teeth and claws.	war	Stephen Crane
70ff717	If I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?	meaning spirituality purpose	Stephen Crane
5154c87	When the suicide arrived at the sky, the people there asked him: "Why?" He replied: "Because no one admired me."	suicide heaven death	Stephen Crane
6dc2c28	Tell her this And more,-- That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. The bustling fates Heap his hands with corpses Until he stands like a child With surplus of toys.	king-neptune the-ocean the-sea drowning neptune poseidon sea ocean	Stephen Crane
d95373a	Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within.	christianity religion god chapel sabbath catholicism sunday church angels	Stephen Crane
d6d829e	A learned man came to me once. He said, "I know the way, -- come." And I was overjoyed at this. Together we hastened. Soon, too soon, were we Where my eyes were useless, And I knew not the ways of my feet. I clung to the hand of my friend; But at last he cried, "I am lost."		Stephen Crane
10dcafa	But I like it		- Stephen Crane
a1c9762	When the prophet, a complacent fat man, Arrived at the mountain-top He cried: "Woe to my knowledge! I intended to see good white lands And bad black lands-- But the scene is grey."	good-and-evil morality wisdom black-and-white gray grey white knowledge	Stephen Crane
dcb11a8	The man had arrived at that stage of drunkenness where affection is felt for the universe.		Stephen Crane
f2ff2b1	A MAN FEARED A man feared that he might find an assassin;		Stephen Crane
b187dcc	Perhaps an individual must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature.		Stephen Crane
b4d1815	XXIV I saw a man pursuing the horizon; Round and round they sped. I was disturbed at this; I accosted the man. "It is futile," I said, "You can never-"		Stephen Crane
34ac630	He vaguely desired to walk around and around the body and stare; the impulse of the living to try to read in dead eyes the answer to the Question.		Stephen Crane
adf9fb6	It perhaps might be said--if any one dared--that the most worthless literature of the world has been that which has been written by the men of one nation concerning the men of another.	writing value	Stephen Crane
e9d8099	XXVIII "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a rock, a mighty fortress; "Often have I been to it, "Even to its highest tower, "From whence the world looks black." "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a breath, a wind, "A shadow, a phantom; "Long have I pursued it, "But never have I touched "The hem of its garment." And I believed the second traveller; For truth was to me A breath, a wind, A shadow, a phantom,		Stephen Crane
b433bad	Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.		Stephen Crane
613eb58	But he said, in substance, to himself that if the earth and moon were about to clash, many persons would doubtless plan to get upon the roofs to witness the collision.		Stephen Crane
d934fb0	A serious prophet upon predicting a flood should be the first man to climb a tree. This would demonstrate that he was indeed a seer.	religion prophets	Stephen Crane
2909d83	The girl, Maggie, blossomed in a mud puddle.		Stephen Crane
3282968	A man with a full stomach and the respect of his fellows had no business to scold about anything that he might think to be wrong in the ways of the universe, or even with the ways of society. Let the unfortunates rail; the others may play marbles.	universe society	Stephen Crane
a20ad81	Mother, whose heart hung humble as a button the bright splendid shroud of your son,		stephen crane
31fbf37	So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed.		Stephen Crane
cb14a4d	They were going to look at war, the red animal--war, the blood-swollen god.		Stephen Crane
17cdc48	And it was as if fate had betrayed the soldier. In death it exposed to his enemies that poverty which in life he had perhaps concealed from his friends.		Stephen Crane
2e78186	Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind. Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment, Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die.		Stephen Crane
7ace28c	Every sin is the result of a collaboration		Stephen Crane
0bbf198	A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dinghy one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dinghy.		Stephen Crane
a54a78a	There were many who went in huddled procession, They knew not wither, But, at any rate, success or calamity Would attend all in equality. There was one who sought a new road, He went into direful thickets, And ultimately he died thus, alone; But they said he had courage.		Stephen Crane
f1b766c	The moon had been lighted and was hung in a treetop.		Stephen Crane
65f9214	The lieutenant, returning from a tour after a bandage, produced from a hidden receptacle of his mind new and portentous oaths suited to the emergency. Strings of expletives he swung lashlike over the backs of his men, and it was evident that his previous efforts had in nowise impaired his resources.		Stephen Crane
14ec96d	Nevertheless, he had, on a certain star-lit evening, said wonderingly and quite reverently: "Deh moon looks like hell, don't it?"	humor naturalism	Stephen Crane
4003bc9	Within him, as he hurled himself forward, was born a love, a despairing fondness for this flag which was near him. It was a creation of beauty and invulnerability. It was a goddess, radiant, that bended its form with an imperious gesture to him. It was a woman, red and white, hating and loving, that called him with the voice of his hopes. Because no harm could come to it he endowed it with power. He kept near, as if it could be a saver of l..		Stephen Crane
1b7e389	The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it was a diabolical punishment, and even a genius of mental aberrations could never conclude that it was anything but a horror to the muscles and a crime against the back.		Stephen Crane
c1626b5	He turned now with a lover's thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks-- an existence of soft and eternal peace.		Stephen Crane
aa9a457	XXVI There was set before me a mighty hill, And long days I climbed Through regions of snow. When I had before me the summit-view, It seemed my labor		Stephen Crane
ca782f5	A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."		Stephen Crane
a3da1fa	The maddened four men followed frantically, for it is better to be in the presence of the awful than only within hearing. ("The Black Dog")"	hearing horror	Stephen Crane
6835fba	To her the earth was composed of hardships and insults. She felt instant admiration for a man who openly defied it. She thought that if the grim angel of death should clutch his heart, Pete would shrug his shoulders and say, "Oh, ev'ryt'ing goes." She anticipated that he would come again shortly. She spent some of her week's pay in the purchase of flowered cretonne for a lambrequin. She made it with infinite care, and hung it to the slightl..		Stephen Crane
b62179a	There was a man with tongue of wood who essayed to sing, and in truth it was lamentable; but there was one who heard the clip-clapper of this tongue of wood,		Stephen Crane
504f64a	His feet where retarded.		Stephen Crane
40e4524	She thinks my name is Freddie, you know, but of course it ain't. I always tell these people some name like that, because if they got onto your right name they might use it sometime. Understand?		Stephen Crane

9534ff3

In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, "Is it good, friend?" "It is bitter--bitter," he answered; "But I like it "Because it is bitter, "And because it is my heart." --

poetry heart

Stephen Crane

fd338d1

A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."

universe poetry meaning purpose

Stephen Crane

14b4a95

When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples.

mankind naturalism

Stephen Crane

6b86e69

It was not well to drive men into final corners; at those moments they could all develop teeth and claws.

war

Stephen Crane

70ff717

If I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?

meaning spirituality purpose

Stephen Crane

5154c87

When the suicide arrived at the sky, the people there asked him: "Why?" He replied: "Because no one admired me."

suicide heaven death

Stephen Crane

6dc2c28

Tell her this And more,-- That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. The bustling fates Heap his hands with corpses Until he stands like a child With surplus of toys.

king-neptune the-ocean the-sea drowning neptune poseidon sea ocean

Stephen Crane

d95373a

Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within.

christianity religion god chapel sabbath catholicism sunday church angels

Stephen Crane

d6d829e

A learned man came to me once. He said, "I know the way, -- come." And I was overjoyed at this. Together we hastened. Soon, too soon, were we Where my eyes were useless, And I knew not the ways of my feet. I clung to the hand of my friend; But at last he cried, "I am lost."

Stephen Crane

10dcafa

But I like it

- Stephen Crane

a1c9762

When the prophet, a complacent fat man, Arrived at the mountain-top He cried: "Woe to my knowledge! I intended to see good white lands And bad black lands-- But the scene is grey."

good-and-evil morality wisdom black-and-white gray grey white knowledge

Stephen Crane

dcb11a8

The man had arrived at that stage of drunkenness where affection is felt for the universe.

Stephen Crane

f2ff2b1

A MAN FEARED A man feared that he might find an assassin;

Stephen Crane

b187dcc

Perhaps an individual must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature.

Stephen Crane

b4d1815

XXIV I saw a man pursuing the horizon; Round and round they sped. I was disturbed at this; I accosted the man. "It is futile," I said, "You can never-"

Stephen Crane

34ac630

He vaguely desired to walk around and around the body and stare; the impulse of the living to try to read in dead eyes the answer to the Question.

Stephen Crane

adf9fb6

It perhaps might be said--if any one dared--that the most worthless literature of the world has been that which has been written by the men of one nation concerning the men of another.

writing value

Stephen Crane

e9d8099

XXVIII "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a rock, a mighty fortress; "Often have I been to it, "Even to its highest tower, "From whence the world looks black." "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a breath, a wind, "A shadow, a phantom; "Long have I pursued it, "But never have I touched "The hem of its garment." And I believed the second traveller; For truth was to me A breath, a wind, A shadow, a phantom,

Stephen Crane

b433bad

Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.

Stephen Crane

613eb58

But he said, in substance, to himself that if the earth and moon were about to clash, many persons would doubtless plan to get upon the roofs to witness the collision.

Stephen Crane

d934fb0

A serious prophet upon predicting a flood should be the first man to climb a tree. This would demonstrate that he was indeed a seer.

religion prophets

Stephen Crane

2909d83

The girl, Maggie, blossomed in a mud puddle.

Stephen Crane

3282968

A man with a full stomach and the respect of his fellows had no business to scold about anything that he might think to be wrong in the ways of the universe, or even with the ways of society. Let the unfortunates rail; the others may play marbles.

universe society

Stephen Crane

a20ad81

Mother, whose heart hung humble as a button the bright splendid shroud of your son,

stephen crane

31fbf37

So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed.

Stephen Crane

cb14a4d

They were going to look at war, the red animal--war, the blood-swollen god.

Stephen Crane

17cdc48

And it was as if fate had betrayed the soldier. In death it exposed to his enemies that poverty which in life he had perhaps concealed from his friends.

Stephen Crane

2e78186

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind. Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment, Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die.

Stephen Crane

7ace28c

Every sin is the result of a collaboration

Stephen Crane

0bbf198

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dinghy one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dinghy.

Stephen Crane

a54a78a

There were many who went in huddled procession, They knew not wither, But, at any rate, success or calamity Would attend all in equality. There was one who sought a new road, He went into direful thickets, And ultimately he died thus, alone; But they said he had courage.

Stephen Crane

f1b766c

The moon had been lighted and was hung in a treetop.

Stephen Crane

65f9214

The lieutenant, returning from a tour after a bandage, produced from a hidden receptacle of his mind new and portentous oaths suited to the emergency. Strings of expletives he swung lashlike over the backs of his men, and it was evident that his previous efforts had in nowise impaired his resources.

Stephen Crane

14ec96d

Nevertheless, he had, on a certain star-lit evening, said wonderingly and quite reverently: "Deh moon looks like hell, don't it?"

humor naturalism

Stephen Crane

4003bc9

Within him, as he hurled himself forward, was born a love, a despairing fondness for this flag which was near him. It was a creation of beauty and invulnerability. It was a goddess, radiant, that bended its form with an imperious gesture to him. It was a woman, red and white, hating and loving, that called him with the voice of his hopes. Because no harm could come to it he endowed it with power. He kept near, as if it could be a saver of l..

Stephen Crane

1b7e389

The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it was a diabolical punishment, and even a genius of mental aberrations could never conclude that it was anything but a horror to the muscles and a crime against the back.

Stephen Crane

c1626b5

He turned now with a lover's thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks-- an existence of soft and eternal peace.

Stephen Crane

aa9a457

XXVI There was set before me a mighty hill, And long days I climbed Through regions of snow. When I had before me the summit-view, It seemed my labor

Stephen Crane

ca782f5

A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."

Stephen Crane

a3da1fa

The maddened four men followed frantically, for it is better to be in the presence of the awful than only within hearing. ("The Black Dog")"

hearing horror

Stephen Crane

6835fba

To her the earth was composed of hardships and insults. She felt instant admiration for a man who openly defied it. She thought that if the grim angel of death should clutch his heart, Pete would shrug his shoulders and say, "Oh, ev'ryt'ing goes." She anticipated that he would come again shortly. She spent some of her week's pay in the purchase of flowered cretonne for a lambrequin. She made it with infinite care, and hung it to the slightl..

Stephen Crane

b62179a

There was a man with tongue of wood who essayed to sing, and in truth it was lamentable; but there was one who heard the clip-clapper of this tongue of wood,

Stephen Crane

504f64a

His feet where retarded.

Stephen Crane

40e4524

She thinks my name is Freddie, you know, but of course it ain't. I always tell these people some name like that, because if they got onto your right name they might use it sometime. Understand?

Stephen Crane