Arthur Waley quotes

“Keep off your thoughts from things that are past and done; for thinking of the past wakes regret and pain.”
-- Arthur Waley

Source : The Arthur Waley Estate, Arthur Waley (2012). “Chinese Poems”, p.177, Routledge

#Pain Quotes #Regret Quotes #Past Quotes

“The cypress boat is frequently a symbol of fluctuating intention.”
-- Arthur Waley

#Cypresses Quotes #Boat Quotes #Intention Quotes

“In my opinion, everybody has the same soul from God and we are united by that. Outside, our bodies are different, our faces are different, but inside we are all the same, we share the same feelings of sadness, love, pain My music comes out of these feelings. Whether it is Japanese music, African, Qawalli, or any other form of music, if it touches your heart it becomes important for me.”

“Tender-handed stroke a nettle, And it stings you for your pains; Grasp it like a man of mettle, And it soft as silk remains. 'Tis the same with common natures: Use 'em kindly, they rebel; But be rough as nutmeg-graters, And the rogues obey you well.”

Source : 'Verses Written on a Window in Scotland'

“I understood that pain was real and sometimes things didn't last. Sometimes you just had to enjoy it while it lasts and cherish it when it's gone.”

“There is a certain kind of pain that can change you. Even the strongest sword, when placed in a raging fire, will soften and bend and change its form... Trust me on this one. I know this from personal experience. I hope that you never will, but, since you're a person, and therefore prone to making horrible, soul-splitting mistakes, you probably will one day know what this kind of guilt and shame feels like. And when that time comes, I hope you have the strength...to take advantage of the fire and reshape your own sword.”

“If there is anything worth fearing in the world, it is living in such a way that gives one cause for regret in the end.”

Source : A. C. Grayling (2003). “Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age”, p.20, Oxford University Press, USA

“Things worth having don't come easy," Woods said. "You have to fight for it until you're tired of fighting, and then you take a breather and fight some more." He squeezed my shoulder. "Don't give up. You'll regret it.”

“There is only one thing about which I shall have no regrets when my life ends. I have savored to the full all the small, daily joys. The bright sunshine on the breakfast table; the smell of the air at dusk; the sound of the clock ticking; the light rains that start gently after midnight; the hour when the family come home; Sunday-evening tea before the fire! I have never missed one moment of beauty, not even taken it for granted. Spring, summer, autumn, or winter. I wish I had failed as little in other ways.”

Source : Agnes Sligh Turnbull, “No Regrets”

“History is not another name for the past, as many people imply. It is the name for stories about the past.”

“In the past, I used to counter any such notions by asking myself: 'Would you really want President Hattersley?' I now find that possibility rather cheers me up. With his chubby, Dickensian features and his knowledge of T.H. Green and other harmless leftish political classics, Hattersley might not be such a bad thing after all.”

“How aware were photographers in the past of other visual arts? "No photographer of any distinction at all could approach his work without some awareness of what was going on in other visual media, and for that matter neither the painter nor the draughtsman could ignore photography."”