Background Image

One's life is more formed, i sometimes think, by books than by human beings: it is out of books one learns about love and pain at second hand. even if we have the happy chance to fall in love, it is because we have been conditioned by what we have read, and if i had never known love at all, perhaps it was because my father's library had not contained the right books.

-Graham Greene

Please Wait....
Translating....

One's Life Is More Formed, I Sometimes

Graham Greene

One's life is more formed, i sometimes think, by books than by human beings: it is out of books one learns about love and pain at second hand. even if we have the happy chance to fall in love, it is because we have been conditioned by what we have read, and if i had never known love at all, perhaps it was because my father's library had not contained the right books.

Views: 3

Cite this Page

Prevent plagiarism by providing proper attribution.

APA FORMAT

Embed this Quote

Copy this HTML code to embed the quote on your website or blog.

HTML CODE

<blockquote style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-left: 4px solid #8b5cf6; padding-left: 15px; margin: 20px 0; background: #f9f9f9; padding: 15px; border-radius: 4px; color: #333;">
    <p style="font-size: 1.2rem; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px;">"one&#039;s life is more formed, i sometimes think, by books than by human beings: it is out of books one learns about love and pain at second hand. even if we have the happy chance to fall in love, it is because we have been conditioned by what we have read, and if i had never known love at all, perhaps it was because my father&#039;s library had not contained the right books."</p>
    <footer style="font-size: 1rem; font-weight: bold;">— Graham Greene</footer>
    <p style="margin-top: 15px; font-size: 0.85rem;"><a href="https://pjdigitalmarketing.com/quote/ones-life-is-more-formed-i-sometimes-think-by-books-than-by-y73ps" style="color: #8b5cf6; text-decoration: none;">View this quote on Pjdigitalmarketing.com</a></p>
</blockquote>

Topic

Falling In Love Pain Father

More From Graham Greene

One's life is more formed, i sometimes think, by books than by human beings: it is out of books one learns about love and pain at second hand.

Read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read...if you don't read, you will never be a filmmaker.

And people who believe in god think god has put human beings on earth because they think human beings are the best animal, but human beings are just an animal and they will evolve into another animal, and that animal will be cleverer and it will put human beings into a zoo, like we put chimpanzees and gorillas into a zoo. or human beings will all catch a disease and die out or they will make too much pollution and kill themselves, and then there will only be insects in the world and they will be the best animal.

Grief does not end and love does not die and nothing fills its graven place. with grace, pain is transmuted into the gold of wisdom and compassion and the lesser coin of muted sadness and resignation; but something leaden of it remains, to become the kernel arond which more pain accretes (a black pearl): one pain becomes every other pain ... unless one strips away, one by one, the layers of pain to get to the heart of the pain - and this causes more pain, pain so intense as to feel like evisceration.

So often, we blame other people when, really, the problem is right down in here. i'm not happy. i don't know what's wrong. if i just had another job, i could be happy. if i just get married, i would be happy. well if i just wasn't married, i would be happy. well, if i just had some kids, i'll be happy. i'll be happy when these kids finally grow up and get out of here. if i had a bigger house, i would be happy. well, i got a big house. now if i just had a maid to clean, i'd be happy. well, now if i just had a maid i could get along with better, i'd be happy.

Why? why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? why does the memory of years of happy marriage turn to gall when our partner is revealed to have had a lover all those years? because such a situation makes it impossible to be happy? but we were happy! sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily. because happiness is only real if it lasts forever? because things always end painfully if they contained pain, conscious or unconscious, all along? but what is unconscious, unrecognized pain?

Similar Quotes

I feel the most alive when i'm singing. i also get to be the mail man for some of the most beautiful lyrics ever written.

Scientific understanding is often beautiful, a profoundly aesthetic experience which gives pleasure not unlike the reading of a great poem.

Life is about change, sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful, but most of the time it's both.

The beautiful is a phenomenon which is never apparent of itself, but is reflected in a thousand different works of the creator.

Trending Author

Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman

Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer

Erwin Schrodinger

Erwin Schrodinger

Karl Von Frisch

Karl Von Frisch

Vilayanur S. Ramachandran

Vilayanur S. Ramachandran

Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni

Category

Personal Growth

Happiness & Joy

Success & Business