Quotes By Author: Jostein Gaarder

“The truth is that I feel totally helpless, or totally inconsolable, to be more honest. I’m not trying to hide it, but it’s something you’re not to worry about.”

“Life is both sad and solemn. We are led into a wonderful world, we meet one another here, greet each other – and wander together for a brief moment. Then we lose each other and disappear as suddenly and unreasonably as we arrived.”

“Wir werden alt und grau. Wir werden eines Tages verschlissen sein und aus der Welt verschwinden. Mit unseren Träumen ist das anders. Sie können in anderen Menschen weiterleben, wenn es uns schon längst, längst nicht mehr gibt.”

“Man is the measure of all things’, said the Sophist Protagora (c. 485-410 B.C.). By that he meant that the question of whether a thing is right or wrong, good or bad, must always be considered in relation to a person’s needs.”

“When we sense something, it is due to the movement of atoms in space. When I see the moon it is because “moon atoms” penetrate my eye.”

“He could very likely have appealed for leniency. At least he could have saved his life by agreeing to leave Athens. But had he done this he would not have been Socrates. He valued his conscience–and the truth– higher than life.”

“Health is the natural condition. When sickness occurs, it is a sign that Nature has gone off course because of a physical or mental imbalance. The road to health for everyone is through moderation, harmony, and a ‘sound mind in a sound body’.”

“If you believed in Christianity or Islam it was called ‘faith’, but if you believed in astrology or friday the thirteenth it was Superstition!”

“A true philosopher must never give up.”

“ويبدوا أنه مع العمر لا يطل هناك ما يدهشان . لكننا بذلك نفقد شيئا أساسيا هو ما يحاول الفلاسفة إيقاظه فيه داخلنا. ذاك ‘ن صوتا في عمق أعماقنا يقول لنا ان الحياة لغز كبير. وهذا ما جربناه قبل أن يعلموننا اياه بكثير”

“People are, generally speaking, either dead certain or totally indifferent (Both types are crawling around deep down in the rabbit’s fur!)”

“Socrates himself said, ‘One thing only I know, and this is that I know nothing.’ Remember this statement, because it is an admission that is rare, even among philosophers. Moreover, it can be so dangerous to say in public that it can cost you your life. The most subversive people are those who ask questions. Giving answers is not nearly as threatening. Any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”

“A hydrogen atom in a cell at the end of my nose was once part of an elephant’s trunk. A carbon atom in my cardiac muscle was once in the tail of a dinosaur.”

“But understanding will always require some effort. You probably wouldn’t admire a friend who was good at everything if it cost her no effort.”

“It’s not him who’s disturbed. But he likes to disturb others–to shake them out of their rut.”