A soccer game is a Wagner opera. The narrative sets up, the tension builds, the music ebbs and flows, the strings, the horns, more tension, and suddenly a moment of pure bliss, trumpet-tongued Gabriel sings, and gods descend from Olympus to dance - this peak of ecstasy.
Rabih Alameddine
Related I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES Empathy is the new measurement of everything. It doesn't matter what religion you have, what God you... C. JOYBELL C. You must save what you can of your life; you musn't lose it all simply because you've lost a part. HENRY JAMES He’d learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly... RICK RIORDAN Did someone just call me the wine dude ?” he asked in a lazy drawl. “It’s Bacchus, pleas... RICK RIORDAN He wept because he was afraid now that he could not save Gabriel. He no longer cared about himself LOIS LOWRY She wasn't bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I love my mom so much. I don't care if that's corny to say. I think on my next birthday, I'm going t... STEPHEN CHBOSKY We Are All Infinite STEPHEN CHBOSKY (All the grief she had suffered over her lifetime had moulded her face into a mask of eternal sadnes... JEAN SASSON You can't just sit there and put everyone's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I saw other people there. Old men sitting alone. Young girls with blue eye shadow and awkward jaws. ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY That one moment when you know you are not a sad story. You are ALIVE. STEPHAN CHBOSKY Somos quienes somos por un montón de razones.Quizás nunca conozcamos la mayoría de ellas.Pero aun... STEPHEN CHBOSKY Ambos dijeron que tomara asiento y parecían hablar en serio, así que me senté. STEPHEN CHBOSKY I know these will all be stories some day, and our pictures will become old photographs. We all beco... STEPHEN CHBOSKY So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybewe'll never know most of them. STEPHEN CHBOSKY So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. STEPHEN CHBOSKY There's nothing like the deep breathes after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore st... STHEPHEN CHBOSKY no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks, when the teacher rings the bell, drop... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I don't know the significance of this, but I find it very interesting. STEPHEN CHBOSKY Maybe it’s sad that these are now memories. And maybe it’s not sad. STEPHEN CHBOSKY Absoballylutely top hole, wot. A and B the C of D I'd say. . . Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. BRIAN JACQUES I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta." Leo snorted. "What's a wine... RICK RIORDAN Percy was getting tired of water. If he said that aloud, he would probably get kicked out of Po... RICK RIORDAN I excel at pulling strings!” said Arachne. “I’m a spider! RICK RIORDAN At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stack of vampire novels, w... RICK RIORDAN His life seemed like a deck of cards, and in the midst of all those two’s and three’s someone ha... TEKOA MANNING I was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think eve... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I am often asked how it is that I am able to value people to such a deep degree. Apparently, I exhib... C. JOYBELL C. I'm fucking the grave, I thought, I'm bringing the dead back to life... CHARLES BUKOWSKI We have tears in our eyes As we wave our goodbyes, We so loved being with you, we three. ROALD DAHL I think the whole tension about romanticism is the way it builds and builds, and the moment it's... JANE CAMPION We still should have enough time to reach Rome.” Hazel scowled. “When you say should hav... RICK RIORDAN This is Buford,” Leo announced. “You name your furniture?” Frank asked. RICK RIORDAN Reyna looked at Percy without much hope. “You do have a plan?” Percy wanted to step ... RICK RIORDAN Percy blinked. “So your brother is a winged horse. But you’re also my half brother, which means ... RICK RIORDAN I can’t believe how much this place has grown,” Hazel muttered. The taxi driver grinned in... RICK RIORDAN In a world in which the common rule which binds and regulates what the general masses feel is underm... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH We begin to fight. The wind and I. Horns locked. Battling each other with elements. LAURA DOCKRILL Yay!” Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't look t... RICK RIORDAN Hazel!” he yelled. “That box! Open it!” She hesitated, then saw the box he meant. Te labe... RICK RIORDAN If not for the horses, Piper would've died. RICK RIORDAN Pluto's pauldrons,” Reyna cursed. RICK RIORDAN The scientific method gives us
information by testing and repeating observable things so that we
can... LEWIS N. ROE Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight.” RICK RIORDAN Close your eyes and let music set you free. CHARLES HART Life is not a game. Still, in this life, we choose the games we live to play. J.R. RIM Well, you can't know it without something having been sneezed. A.A. MILNE We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet. Even longer,' Pooh answered.” ... A.A. MILNE Gods of Olympus.” Piper stared at Leo. “What happened to you ?” His hair was grease... RICK RIORDAN Down in the water, Octavian yelled, “Get me out of here! I’ll kill you!” “Tempting,” ... RICK RIORDAN I was suddenly very aware of the fact it was me standing up in that tunnel with the wind over my fac... STEPHEN CHBOSKY The only perspective is to really be there. STEPHEN CHBOSKY I didn't feel like reading that night, so I went downstairs and watched a half-hour long commercial ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY Why is England manufacturing bigger and better airplanes and bombs and at the same time churning out... ANNE FRANK Mother Superior jump the gun... -The Beatles, Happiness is a Warm Gun LAUREN MYRACLE He accepts life in all its facets, in all its climates and colors. He alone does not choose he accep... OSHO Percy looked at Coach Hedge and Frank. “A trap?” “Probably,” Frank said. “She�... RICK RIORDAN What exactly did you find in Atlanta?” Frank unzipped his backpack and started bringing out s... RICK RIORDAN Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, Percy felt a ... RICK RIORDAN She made a fence of phrases, which seemed a treachery to herself. ELIZABETH TAYLOR I wish I was home", She said miserably. She tried so hard to be brave, to be fierce as a... GEORGE R.R. MARTIN The battle is not physical, it is spiritual and your mind is the battleground. Keep your mind pure a... JEANETTE CORON Which reminded me...I still owed the gods a debt. "You're a genius," I (Percy) told Annabeth. RICK RIORDAN Each man lives in his own universe and when he dies the world is over BANGAMBIKI HABYARIMANA She was scarcely a year older than I was, dark-haired, slender, with a face that would break your he... GEORGE R.R. MARTIN This is Annabeth,” Jason said. “Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people. RICK RIORDAN The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to hav... RICK RIORDAN [Iris] squeezed his hand. "Don't lose hope, Frank. Rainbows always stand for hope. RICK RIORDAN Forget the chicken-nugget smoke screen. Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dream hat. RICK RIORDAN Hope," Frank grumbled. "I'd rather have a few good weasels. RICK RIORDAN Love is a growing, or full constant light, And his first minute, after noon, is night. JOHN DONNE Annabeth realized that if six of them went on these two quests, it would leave Percy alone on the sh... RICK RIORDAN Annabeth,” he said hesitantly, “in New Rome, demigods can live their whole lives in peace.” RICK RIORDAN Piper and Hazel were ready to go, but first Annabeth turned to Percy, who was leaning on the starboa... RICK RIORDAN Now is the only time we have, and the only time we have any control over. RICHARD CARLSON Oh, I should probably set a few ground rules before we do this.” “Oh?” I turn at the wais... J.A. REDMERSKI You're still lovely," Mor said a bit gently. Elain offered a half smile. "I suppose that war m... SARAH J. MAAS He (Leo) forced his fists to unclench. "Look, lady, we're not going all Hunger Games on each other. ... RICK RIORDAN His face spreads into a warm smile. “As a matter of fact, no, I have never slept under the stars �... J.A. REDMERSKI I frowned at the eye in my palm. "What, literally shout at the tattoo?" "You could try rubbing ... SARAH J. MAAS I'm always highly irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It i... FLANNERY O'CONNOR Hard to restrain, unstable is this mind; it flits wherever it lists. Good it is to control the mind.... GAUTAMA BUDDHA We pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth ha... L.M. MONTGOMERY So, a crash course for the amnesiac,” Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was n... RICK RIORDAN This is not Winterfell', he told him as he cut his meat with fork and dagger. 'On the Wall, a man ge... GEORGE R.R. MARTIN Cupid," Jason called, "where are you?" 'Where you least expect me,' Cupid answered. 'As love al... RICK RIORDAN A great future starts with what you can see SOTONYE ANGA It is pointless to believe what you see, if you only see what you believe. MARIE LU You must expect to make enemies." "I never expect to make anything else," he said. SUSAN KAY Is the mask magic?" he demanded with sudden, passionate interest. "Yes." I bowed my head, so th... SUSAN KAY I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason I’m telling you is that ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I thought I would write a love letter. But then, I wrote a book." - Suzy Davies, on "Johari's Window SUZY DAVIES The Dream of a Queer Fellow I write the words again and they appear doubly pregnant with meaning. It... JOHN MIDDLETON MURRY If you have read this far in the chronicle of the Baudelaire orphans - and I certainly hope you have... LEMONY SNICKET Aphros nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. “We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a fa... RICK RIORDAN Kinzie smiled smugly. “You admire our base of operations? Yes, our distribution system is worldwid... RICK RIORDAN
More Rabih Alameddine
When I was younger, I used to find stories about divas charming. Not much anymore. RABIH ALAMEDDINE I jokingly say if there was one great thing about, you know, the Lebanese Civil War was that it forc... RABIH ALAMEDDINE We seem, particularly over here in the West and in America in particular, to have forgotten that we ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I can easily hold two opposing beliefs at the same time without any problem, which I find - well, mi... RABIH ALAMEDDINE Before prognostication, a disclaimer: I have never been able to pick a winner. Not that it has ever ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990, spanned four World Cups. It would have been a more symmetrical fi... RABIH ALAMEDDINE If you want to know whether soccer is big in America, pick a weekend, go to any park in the land, an... RABIH ALAMEDDINE All living languages are promiscuous. We promiscuous speakers shamelessly shoplift words, plucking b... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I read Shakespeare when I was 14 because it's what we were taught. RABIH ALAMEDDINE A player should be disparaged if he gives less than his all, if he doesn't give 100%, no matter ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I loved problems on paper, and I was good at math, but I was a mechanical engineer, and I never unde... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I oscillate between being cynical and being naive on a regular basis. I always think that not much s... RABIH ALAMEDDINE There are over 1 million refugees in Lebanon, a country of 4 million people. How do we solve that? I... RABIH ALAMEDDINE My father and I rarely saw eye to eye when I was growing up. We saw the world differently. It was on... RABIH ALAMEDDINE Now I love hoops. I'm a diehard UCLA fan, have been since my freshman year. But basketball is th... RABIH ALAMEDDINE In Lebanon, there are completely different opinions and values in one country in terms of religion, ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE Close friends consider me a literary snob. RABIH ALAMEDDINE No one needs to be reminded of racism in soccer: the xenophobia, the nativism and, yes, nationalism. RABIH ALAMEDDINE 'Harat' is actually - it's a Lebanese dialect word. It comes from 'the mapmaker,'... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I wonder if being sane means disregarding the chaos that is life, pretending only an infinitesimal s... RABIH ALAMEDDINE In 1982, Algeria made their first appearance at the World Cup. I believe it was the first Arab count... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I allegedly am an outsider writer, so I write from the perspective of somebody who doesn't compl... RABIH ALAMEDDINE If I were to pray in Arabic, I'd pray to Allah. If I were to pray in English, I'd pray to Go... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I always say show me a storyteller who doesn't embellish, and I'll show you a bad one. RABIH ALAMEDDINE In 1975, I left the burning city of Beirut for the quiet insanity of England. To say that short, fra... RABIH ALAMEDDINE A phoenix, Beirut seems to always pull itself out its ashes, reinvents itself, has been conquered nu... RABIH ALAMEDDINE My father loved Brazilian football, a diehard follower, so of course, he hated Germany and always ro... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I get upset about what is taken as great literature and what is cute and exotic. RABIH ALAMEDDINE Whenever I come across an Arabic word mired in English text, I am momentarily shocked out of the nar... RABIH ALAMEDDINE Me? I was lost for long time. I didn’t make any friends for few years. You can say I made friends ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE ...What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what hap... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I also understand that you have to lie to yourself to survive in a bad marriage, you have to delude ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I wonder whether there is such a thing as a sense of individuality. Is it all a facade, covering a d... RABIH ALAMEDDINE When the Lebanese Civil War started in 1975, I was 15. I was shipped to boarding school in England a... RABIH ALAMEDDINE ...I wondered at times whether I would wake up and this would be just a bad dream, a nightmare that ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE I believe one has to escape oneself to discover oneself. RABIH ALAMEDDINE By nature, a storyteller is a plagiarist. Everything one comes across—each incident, book, novel, ... RABIH ALAMEDDINE In order to live, I have to blind myself to my infinitesimal dimensions in this infinite universe. RABIH ALAMEDDINE