What's the one line that stayed with you the most, to this day?

I guess I'm starting

"You're young. You're bitter memories will turn into happy ones." Athos to D'Artagnan, The Three Musketeers

This entire passage:

Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I swear to God. All the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carrousel, so they wouldn't get soaked to the skin or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for quite a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants. My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn't care, though. I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there.

Quote from: Carsonogen on October 11, 2015, 08:52:17 PM

This entire passage:

Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I swear to God. All the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carrousel, so they wouldn't get soaked to the skin or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for quite a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants. My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn't care, though. I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there.

Have to admit, that book had its golden moments.

Easily my favorite book of all time. People who hate it because of the main character are idiots. You're not supposed to like him or see eye-to-eye with him. Even worse are the people who actually see Holden as a role model.

"Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. The strains of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below."

I never can remember specific passages, but Speaker for the Dead had a really compelling notion of funerals, where instead of having a eulogy talk about all the great things you did (or often just talk vaguely about how smart and nice and funny the deceased was), the speaking should be an honest retelling of the person's life so that they can truly be remembered for who they were, and the person giving that speech should do thorough research to be as truthful as possible.

But my favorite science author has a great idiom: "Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."

"What's one thousand minus seven?"

"Death is a feather. Duty, a mountain."
-The Wheel of Time

I remember a lot of feelings I've gotten while reading The Lord of the Rings, however I'd need to actually go and find the parts themselves. LotR for me is a big ball of emotion and probably my favourite piece of fiction.

Quote from: Epsira on October 13, 2015, 11:29:16 AM

"And I knew that it was better to live out one's own absurdity than to die for that of others"
-Invisible Man

Funny. I was just thinking of that old novel. Halloween's a fun season.

It's my favorite novel, and Halloween is my favorite Holiday! I'm thinking about rereading it, but I'm already involved with a lot of horror fiction for the season.

Beside the sea she lives,
the woman of the vine, the maker of wine;
Siduri sits in the garden at the edge of the sea,
with the golden bowl and the golden vats that the gods gave her.
She is covered with a veil;
And where she sits she sees Gilgamesh coming towards her,
wearing skins,
the flesh of the gods in his body,
but despair in his heart,
and his face like the face of one who has made a long journey.
She looked,
and as she scanned the distance she said in her own heart,
'Surely this is some felon;
where is he going now?'
And she barred her gate against him with the cross-bar
and shot home the bolt.

But Gilgamesh, hearing the sound of the bolt,
threw up his head and lodged his foot in the gate;
he called to her,
'Young woman, maker of wine,
why do you bolt your door;
what did you see that made you bar your gate?
I will break in your door
and burst into your gate,
for I am Gilgamesh
who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven,
I killed the watchman of the cedar forest,
I overthrew Humbaba who lived in the forest,
and I killed the lions in the passes of the mountain.'

Then Siduri said to him,
'If you are that Gilgamesh
who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven,
who killed the watchman of the cedar forest,
who overthrew Humbaba who lived in the forest,
and killed the lions in the passes of the mountain,
why are your cheeks so starved
and why is your face so drawn?
Why is despair in your heart
and your face like the face of one who has made a long journey?
Yes, why is your face burned from heat and cold,
and why do you come here wandering over the pastures
in search of the wind?'

Gilgamesh answered her,
'And why should not my cheeks be starved
and my face drawn?
Despair is in my heart
and my face is the face of one who has made a long journey,
it was burned with heat and with cold.
Why should I not wander over the pastures
in search of the wind?
My friend,
My younger brother,
he who hunted the wild ass of the wilderness and the panther of the plains,
my friend,
my younger brother
who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven
and overthrew Humbaba in the cedar forest,
my friend
who was very dear to me
and who endured dangers beside me,
Enkidu my brother
whom I loved,
the end of mortality has overtaken him.
I wept for him seven days and nights
till the worm fastened on him.
Because of my brother I am afraid of death,
because of my brother I stray through the wilderness
and cannot rest.
But now
young woman, maker of wine,
since I have seen your face
do not let me see the face of death
which I dread so much.'

She answered,
'Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to?
You will never find the life for which you are looking.
When the gods created man
they alloted to him death,
but life they retained in their own keeping.
As for you, Gilgamesh,
fill your belly with good things;
day and night, night and day, dance and be merry,
feast and rejoice.
Let your clothes be fresh,
bathe yourself in water,
cherish the little child that holds your hand,
and make your wife happy in your embrace;
for this too is the lot of man.'

But Gilgamesh said to Siduri, the young woman,
'How can I be silent,
how can I rest,
when Enkidu whom I love is dust,
and I too shall die
and be laid in the earth for ever.'

"He was a master of words. A master of words and a patriot."

I'll be impressed if anybody gets this.

In House of Leaves, there's a long passage listing off all the things that aren't in the house, which basically tells the reader it doesn't resemble any known kind of architecture and makes no logical sense.

Then it ends the passage with "Picture that. In your dreams."

It's surreal as fuck if you read the whole thing.