Quotation Essay: Of Course You Should Play with Fire

The other day I decided to browse the quotations I've compiled from the books I've read and rated at Goodreads in the hopes of finding some inspiration.  Not for a blog post initially, just some general insight and amusement and connection.  While doing so, I had the idea to pull some of the quotes out and let them talk to each other.  What emerged is a bit of an essay, a semi-random, partially-contradictory collection of thoughts clustered around a vague theme of communication, particularly communication in our current social media landscape.  It's nothing researched or carefully curated or meticulously crafted, just a quick bit of fun.

Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness.

― Lemony Snicket, The Penultimate Peril

It’s a bad case o' the thinkin' he's caught, missus. When a man starts messin' wi' the readin' and the writin' then he'll come doon with a dose o' the thinkin' soon enough. I’ll fetch some o' the lads and we’ll hold his heid under water until he stops doin' it, 'tis the only cure. It can kill a man, the thinkin'.

― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

She is like me.

Silent.

I admire that in a person. The ability to keep your mouth shut is usually a sign of intelligence.

Introspection requires you to think and analyze.

It's hard to do that when you are blabbing away.

― Holly Goldberg Sloan, Counting by 7s

"I have no time for babbling foolishness."

"Don’t be so hasty," said Victor. "There’s always time for babbling."

― Eoin Colfer, Airman

How will the world change if we do not question it?

― Kate DiCamillo, The Magician's Elephant

"If things go badly for me tonight, I want you to stay with Mr. Wynter; he will pay you a decent wage."

"Will he make me bathe?"

"No, he will debate the matter with you until you decide to wash."

"Ah. One of those."

― Eoin Colfer, Airman

"In any case, fire burns; that's its nature, and you can't expect to change that. You can use it to cook your meat or to burn down your neighbor's house. And is the fire you use for cooking any different from the one you use for burning? And does that mean you should eat your supper raw?"

Maddy shook her head, still puzzled. "So what you're saying is . . . I shouldn't play with fire," she said at last.

"Of course you should," said One-Eye gently. "But don't be surprised if the fire plays back."

― Joanne Harris, Runemarks

This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people think is. It's all imaginary anyway. That's why it's important. People only fight over imaginary things.

― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

The "real stuff" is what he calls the music that is piped in through the speaker in the machine. The music that comes from inside my head is not considered real.

― Francisco X. Stork, Marcelo in the Real World

All reality is a blender where hopes and dreams are mixed with fear and despair.

― Holly Goldberg Sloan, Counting by 7s

The Criminal Element spoke often, and passionately, about the nefarious activities that every human being is capable of. Not only did it insist that the human heart was dark beyond all reckoning; it also likened the heart to a river. And further, it said, "If we are not careful, that river can carry us along in its hidden currents of want and anger and need, and transform each of us into the very criminal we fear."

― Kate DiCamillo, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Self-loathing and self-worship can easily be the same thing. You hate the small sack of fluids and resentments that you are, and you would go to any length, and betray anything and anyone, to preserve it.

― N.D. Wilson, Dandelion Fire

She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it).

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

I always tell the truth, Stella replies. Although I sometimes confuse the facts.

― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

The researchers publishing in this area are careful to attach the appropriate caveats to their findings, but the media and blogosphere have an annoying habit of ignoring caveats.

― John R. Hibbing, Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives, and the Biology of Political Differences

Nobody looks like what they really are on the inside. You don’t. I don’t. People are much more complicated than that. It's true of everybody.

― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

You know, I'm really starting to think the whole world is just a patchwork quilt of crazy little cults, all with their own secret spaces, their own records, their own rules.

― Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Maybe . . . it's easier to have enemies than not to have them. . . . If you don't hate people, you have to learn to like them. . . . And liking people? That's not easy.

― Jennifer Finney Boylan, Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror

The gargoyle wanted to send you a pressed spider as a token of his affection, but I encouraged him to send pleasant words instead. He declined, arguing that spiders are easier to catch.

― Caroline Carlson, Magic Marks the Spot

To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.

― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

"You can't be disgusting to people just because they annoy you!" she exclaimed very crossly.

"Thousands of people annoy me! Millions of people annoy millions of people all the time! . . . You have to put up with them.”

― Hilary McKay, Indigo's Star

In our travels, we have come across many equations--math for understanding the universe, for making music, for mapping stars, and also for tipping, which is important. Here is our favorite equation: Us plus Them equals All of Us. It is very simple math. Try it sometime. You probably won’t even need a pencil.

― Libba Bray, Going Bovine

As I stand behind him, it occurs to me just how much trust we put in other people. Complete strangers, friends. Everybody. Dalton's just sitting there, relaxed, trusting that I'm not going to lose my temper and stab him in the back of the neck with a fork. Every time we get into a car, we trust everybody else on the road. Every time we walk on the sidewalk, we put our lives in other people's hands. We'd never even leave the house if we actually thought about how little control we have over living and dying.

― Coert Voorhees, The Brothers Torres