"Literature is not an instruction manual."

--

Source : Charles Baxter (1997). “Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction”

Charles Baxter

#Literature Quotes #Instruction Quotes

“She was wearing a purple T-shirt, with a skinny black dress over it that made you remember how much of a girl she was, and trashed black boots that made you forget.”
“If it can be verified, we don't need faith... Faith is for that which lies on the other side of reason. Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”
“Last forever!' Who hasn't prayed that prayer? You were lucky to get it in the first place. The present is a freely given canvas. That it is constantly being ripped apart and washed downstream goes without saying.”
“As you approach the presidency, no one seems worthy of it, since it wasn't designed for a human in the first place.”
“Forgiveness is the noblest vengeance.”
“This world is gradually becoming a place Where I do not care to be any more.”

Source : John Berryman (2014). “The Dream Songs: Poems”, p.168, Macmillan
“Communism, like any other revealed religion, is largely made up of prophecies.”
“And you're a bad boy?" I asked. Ollie's grin was contagious. "Oh, I'm a bad, bad boy." Cam shot his friend a look. "Yeah, as in bad at spelling, math, english, cleaning up after yourself, talking to people, and I could go on.”

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