Owen Meany Quotes:

Never confuse faith, or belief—of any kind—with something even remotely intellectual.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (2012). “A Prayer For Owen Meany”, p.537, Random House

topic: Intellectual, Belief, Kind, Owen Meany

When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time—the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes—when there's a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she's gone, forever—there comes another day, and another specifically missing part.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (1989). “A prayer for Owen Meany: a novel”, William Morrow & Co

topic: Death, Grief, Loss, When Someone Dies, Owen Meany

Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you - and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you!

- John Irving

topic: Memories, Thinking, Monsters, Owen Meany, Files

If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (2012). “The World According To Garp”, p.605, Random House

topic: Life, Courage, Love You, Owen Meany, Lucky Day

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice. Not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God. I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

- John Irving

topic: Christian, Mother, Believe, Owen Meany

Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!

- John Irving

topic: Religious, Mean, People, Owen Meany

In increments both measurable and not, our childhood is stolen from us -- not always in one momentous event but often in a series of small robberies, which add up to the same loss.

- John Irving

topic: Loss, Childhood, Events, Owen Meany

The only way you get Americans to notice anything is to tax them or draft them or kill them.

- John Irving

topic: Way, Taxes, Owen Meany

but good friends are nothing to each other if they are not supportive.

- John Irving

topic: Good Friend, Supportive, Owen Meany

Owen Meany believed that “coincidence” was a stupid, shallow refuge sought by stupid, shallow people who were unable to accept the fact that their lives were shaped by a terrifying and awesome design – more powerful and unstoppable than the Yankee Flyer. (a train)

- John Irving

topic: Powerful, Stupid, Yankees, Owen Meany, Flyers

Anyone can be sentimental about the nativity; any fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a believer." “If you don’t believe in Easter,” Owen Meany said. “Don’t kid yourself—Don’t call yourself a Christian.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (2012). “A Prayer For Owen Meany”, p.294, Random House

topic: Christian, Easter, Believe, Owen Meany, Nativity

You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed.

- John Irving

topic: Psychology, Obsession, Obsessed, Owen Meany

Imagining something is better than remembering something.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (1978). “The world according to Garp”, Pocket

topic: Philosophy, Remember, Owen Meany

It is amazing to me, now, how such wild imaginings and philosophies - inspired by a night charged with frights and calamities - made such perfectly good sense to Owen Meany and me, but good friends are nothing to each other if they are not supportive.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (2012). “A Prayer For Owen Meany”, p.269, Random House

topic: Best Friend, Philosophy, Good Friend, Owen Meany

Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me.

- Frederick Buechner

source: Frederick Buechner (1970). “The alphabet of grace”

topic: Destroying Me, Doubt, Would Be, Owen Meany

It is your responsibility to find fault with me, it is mine to hear you out. But don't expect me to change.

- John Irving

topic: Responsibility, Faults, Owen Meany

Owen meany who rarely wasted words and who had the conversation-stopping habit of dropping remarks like coins into a deep pool of water... remarks that sank, like truth, to the bottom of the pool where they would remain untouchable.

- John Irving

source: John Irving (2012). “A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel”, p.31, Harper Collins

topic: Water, Stopping, Coins, Owen Meany

I think that was when the headmaster realized he had lost; he realized then that he was finished. Because, what could he do? Was he going to tell us to stop praying? We kept our heads bowed; and we kept praying. Even as awkward as he was, the Rev. Mr. Merrill had made it clear to us that there was no end to praying for Owen Meany.

- John Irving

topic: Thinking, Awkward, Praying, Owen Meany, Headmasters

In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases

- John Irving

source: The World According to Garp ch. 19 (1978)

topic: World, Cases, Owen Meany

This was not of the nature of a Christlike lesson for Owen Meany to learn, as he lay in the manger, that someone you hate can give you a hard-on.

- John Irving

topic: Hate, Giving, Lessons, Someone You Hate, Owen Meany