Quotes from Selma Lagerlöf

Shouldn't we fear life? Who steers a safe boat? Around us sorrow swells like a heaving ocean; we can see how the hungry waves lick the ship's sides, how they climb to board her. No safe anchorage, no solid ground, no steady ship, as far as the eye can see; only an unknown sky over an ocean full of trouble!

Hon kunde aldrig hänge sig helt åt något. Om hon älskade, ja, vad hon än gjorde, stod liksom ena hälften av hennes jag och såg på med ett kallt hånlöje.

Dagegen fühlten jetzt alle, die Beflügelten und die Flügellosen, einen Drang in sich, ungeheuer hoch hinaufzusteigen, ja bis über die Wolken hinauf, um zu sehen, was sich darüber befinde, einen Drang, den schweren Körper zu verlassen, der sie auf die Erde hinabzog, und nach dem Überirdischen hinzuschweben.

She does not see that he is old. She only sees his eyes, his eyes.

Wie begrijpt, die haat niet.

Må andra lyssna till tal om blommor och solsken, men för mig väljer jag de mörka nätterna, fulla av syner och äventyr, för mig de hårda ödena, för mig förvildade hjärtans sorguppfyllda lidelser.

Sabes, David, é um prazer ser ceifeiro quando os campos ondulam carregados de trigo maduro. Mas se obrigassem alguém a ir ceifar umas pobres espigas ainda não amadurecidas, seria uma tarefa repugnante.

Whole world was nothing but a big rattrap. It set baits for people by offering riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork. As soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, the rattrap closed in on him, and then everything came to an end.

Inte stort dugde han till: han hade mest av allt lust att sova och äta, och därnäst tyckte han om att ställa till odygd.

Ouvira muitas vezes falar do fim do mundo, mas sempre imaginara que este se manifestaria por uma tempestade terrível e um abalo de terra que precipitaria as montanhas nos mares e faria transbordar a água dos lagos, inundando vales e planícies, exterminando todos os seres vivos. Nunca pensara que o fim do mundo pudesse dar-se deste modo, com o céu a cobrir, a esmagar a terra, matando as pessoas por asfixia.

Todos tivemos pais, e nem sempre fomos bons filhos, muitos de nós.

Pois quem não sente bater o coração, nem de tristeza nem de alegria, não pode ser considerado um verdadeiro ser humano.

What would have become of me if no one had wanted to read my books? And don't forget all those who have written of me.

Anyone who has ever sat in a train as it rushes through a dark night will know that sometimes there are long minutes when the coaches slide smoothly along without so much as a shudder.

I had become shy of life's bustle in my solitary retreat and was apprehensive at the thought of facing the world.

More die in flight than in battle.

I thought of my father and felt a deep sorrow that he should no longer be alive, and that I could not go to him and tell him that I had been awarded the Nobel Prize. I knew that no one would have been happier than he to hear this.

There isn't much that tastes better than praise from those who are wise and capable.

A man may be outlawed for the sake of a fish net he has never seen.

Here, no mercy is shown. One hates one's fellow man to the glory of God.

It is a strange thing to come home. While yet on the journey, you cannot at all realize how strange it will be.

Women can do nothing that has permanence.

For what is man's soul but a flame? It flickers in and around the body of a man as does the flame around the rough log.

Nothing on earth can make up for the loss of one who has loved you.