Quotes About Observation

I have found the world kinder than I expected, but less just.

His genius was belowThe skill of ev'ry common beau;Who, tho' he cannot spell, is wiseEnough to read a lady's eyes;And will each accidental glanceInterpret for a kind advance.Swift'sMiscell.

I could produce innumerable instances from my own memory and observation, of events imputed to the profound skill and address of a minister, which, in reality, were either mere effects of negligence, weakness, humour, passion, or pride, or, at best, but the natural course of things left to themselves.Swift'sThoughts on the present Posture of Affairs.5. Manner

To AFTEREYE  (A'FTEREYE)   v.a.[from after and eye.]To keep one in view; to follow in view. Thou shouldst have made himAs little as a crow, or less, ere leftTo aftereye him.Shakespeare'sCymbeline.

He therefore that would govern his actions by the laws of virtue, must regulate his thoughts by those of reason;  he must keep guilt from the recesses of his heart, and remember that the pleasures of fancy, and the emotions of desire, are more dangerous as they are more hidden, since they escape the awe of observation, and operate equally in every situation, without the concurrence of external opportunities.

It has been well observed, that the misery of man proceeds not from any single crush of overwhelming evil, but from small vexations continuously repeated.

I am not apt to run into grave declamations against the times:

I have often heard my grandfather observe, that men of truly great and brave spirits are most tender and merciful; and that, on the contrary, men of base and low minds are cruel, tyrannical, insolent, where-ever they have power.

It was most gracefully done: But see, Lucy, the example of a good and generous man can sometimes alter natures; and covetous men, I have heard it observed, when their hearts are open'd, often act nobly.

He affected to say some things, that, tho' trite, were sententious, and carried with them the air of observation. There is some degree of merit in having such a memory, as will help a person to repeat and apply other mens wit with some tolerable propriety. But when he attempted to walk alone, he said things that it was impossible a man of common sense could say.

Il filosofo che contemplava il teschio di un re e quello di un povero, non vi ravvisò differenza.

to discover day in an artful woman's heart. Nothing can be weaker, in the eye of an observer, who himself disdains artifice, than a woman who makes artifice her study. In such a departure from honest nature, there will be such curvings, that the eyes, the countenance, must ever betray the heart; while the lips, either breaking out into apologies, or aiming at reserve, confirm the suspicion, that all is not right in the mind.

What people aren't looking for, they rarely see.

Las historias tristes ocurren a veces en lugares tristes, como las estaciones de tren o los aeropuertos. Entonces la gente lo nota y lo comenta, y todos dicen que en verdad los aeropuertos y las estaciones de tren son sitios tristísimos, tan tristes que no dan ganas de volver a viajar pues a nadie le gusta meterse de lleno en la tristeza, y encima por esos precios.

La imaginé mirándolo todo como se mira lo que uno está a punto de abandonar, incluido su marido: ojos temerosos, con anticipada nostalgia...

after all, it is this noticing that makes things real.

If a world can be what we learn not to notice, noticing becomes a form of political labor.

The family is performed by witnessing her being wound up, spinning around.

There's nothing that isn't worth writing about. If you look closely at your life you'll find plenty to write about there, too.

I scan the room. Catherine is writing quickly, her light brown hair falling over her face. She is left-handed, and because she writes in pencil her left arm is silver from wrist to elbow.

Although, pretending not to notice is almost worse than noticing.

a gaggle of old ladies is glued to the window at the end of the hall like children or jailbirds. They're spidery and frail, their hair as fine as mist. Most of them are a good decade younger than me, and this astounds me. Even as your body betrays you, your mind denies it.---- There are five of them now, white headed old things huddled together and pointing crooked fingers at the glass.

Fragmentos de céu me espiam através das folhas, um mosaico azul e verde que se altera suavemente com o vento. Fixo a vista ali e me deixo perder o foco, olhando para além das folhas e dos galhos. Um esquilo salta pesadamente, a cauda bem empinada, cruzando meu campo de visão. Water for Elephants, p.22

ones I had watched.