10+ quotes from Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov (2024)

Vladimir Nabokov·105pages

Rating:(2.7K votes)

“Perhaps if the future existed, concretely and individually, as something that could be discerned by a better brain, the past would not be so seductive: its demands would be balanced by those of the future.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“This is, I believe, it: not the crude anguish of physical death but the incomparable pangs of the mysterious mental maneuver needed to pass from one state of being to another.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“Easy, you know, does it, son.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“ 'I shall vomit,' said Hugh, 'if you persist in pestering me with all that odious rot.' ”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“Mas o amor, dizia ele, era tudo menos credível, a vida real era ridícula, os labregos riam-se do amor.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“According to my almond-eyed little spy, the great surgeon, may his own liver rot, lied to me when he declared yesterday with a deathhead's grin that the operazione had been perfetta. Well, it had been so in the sense Euler called zero the perfect number. Actually, they ripped me open, cast one horrified look at my decayed fegato, and without touching it sewed me up again.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“Direct interference in a person's life does not enter our scope of activity, nor, on the other, tralatitiously speaking, hand, is his destiny a chain of predeterminate links: some "future" events may be likelier than others, O.K., but all are chimeric, and every cause-and-effect sequence is always a hit-and-miss affair, even if the lunette has actually closed around your neck, and the cretinous crowd holds its breath.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“He loved her in spite of her unlovableness. Armande had many trying, though not necessarily rare, traits, all of which he accepted as absurd clues in a clever puzzle.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“and he, Hugh Person....began to undress her in the motels of his mind”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

“Eis a pessoa que eu quero. Olá, pessoa! Não me ouve.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, quote from Transparent Things

About the author

Popular quotes

“We carry around in our heads these pictures of what our lives are supposed to look like, painted by the brush of out intentions. It's the great, deep secret of humanity that in the end none of our lives look the way we thought they would. As much as we wish to believe otherwise, most of life is a reaction to circ*mstances.”
― Richard Paul Evans, quote from The Sunflower

“We always know which is the best road to follow, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to.”
― Paulo Coelho, quote from The Pilgrimage

“This was a holiday and killing Grentz was preferable to skiing. The”
― Thomas Harris, quote from Hannibal Rising

“Quick as a flash, Sawney Rath's eyes hardened. "Then I'm ordering you to skin Felch alive!" He took the otter's paw, closing it over the knife handle. "Obey me!"
The crowded clearing became as silent as a tomb. All eyes were upon the Taggerung, awaiting his reaction to the order.
Tagg turned his back on Sawney and strode to the side of the fox strung up to the beech bough. He raised the blade. Felch shut his eyes tight, his head shaking back and forth as his nerves quivered uncontrollably. With a sudden slash Tagg severed the thongs that bound him. Felch slumped to the ground in a shaking heap. Tagg's voice was flat and hard as he turned to face Sawney.
"I'm sorry to disobey your order. The fox is a sorry thief, but I will not take the life of a helpless beast.”
― Brian Jacques, quote from Taggerung

“But I think we often settle for sex when we want love. And we often want love when we need something else, like a good job or a chance to go back to school.”
― Marge Piercy, quote from Woman on the Edge of Time

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful,memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more andmore via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have becomemore relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or aphilosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a bookand to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, andchoose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that isinteresting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also acceptsubmissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing tothe BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of peoplewho share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previousworld; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary istypical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feelthat we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover butoffer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.