Discover a wealth of wisdom and insight from Amor Towles through their most impactful and thought-provoking quotes and sayings. Expand your perspective with their inspiring words and share these beautiful Amor Towles quote pictures with your friends and followers on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or your personal blog - all free of charge. We've compiled the top 236 Amor Towles quotes for you to explore and share with others.

There is is again, that slight stinging sensation of the cheeks. It's our body's light speed response to the world showing us up. And it's one of life's most unpleasant feelings, leaving one to wonder what evolutionary purpose it could possible serve. By Amor Towles Cheeks Slight Stinging Sensation Feelings

For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends. We carry them from place to place, often at considerable expense and inconvenience; we dust and polish their surfaces and reprimand children for playing too roughly in their vicinity - all the while, allowing memories to invest them with greater and greater importance. By Amor Towles Hold Eventually Friends Dearest Possessions

For his part, the Count had opted for the life of the purposefully unrushed. Not only was he disinclined to race toward some appointed hour - disdaining even to wear a watch - he took the greatest satisfaction when assuring a friend that a worldly matter could wait in favor of a leisurely lunch or stroll along the embankment. After all, did not wine improve with age? Was it not the passage of years that gave a piece of furniture its delightful patina? When all was said and done, the endeavors that most modern men saw as urgent (such as appointments with bankers and the catching of trains), probably could have waited, while those they deemed frivolous (such as cups of tea and friendly chats) had deserved their immediate attention. By Amor Towles Count Part Unrushed Opted Life

Emily Post says that talking about oneself isn't very polite.' 'I'm sure Miss Post is perfectly correct, but that doesn't seem to stop the rest of us. By Amor Towles Post Emily Polite Talking Oneself

Suddenly,I could picture Tinker on the back of a horse somewhere: at the edge of the treeline under a towering sky ... at his college roommate's ranch, perhaps ... where rhey hunted deer with antique rifles and with dogs that were better bred than me. By Amor Towles Tinker Suddenlyi Sky Picture Back

As long as there have been men on earth, reflected the Count, there have been men in exile. From primitive tribes to the most advanced societies, someone has occasionally been told by his fellow men to pack his bags, cross the border, and never set foot on his native soil again. But perhaps this was to be expected. After all, exile was the punishment that God meted out to Adam in the very first chapter of the human comedy; and that He meted out to Cain a few pages later. Yes, exile was as old as mankind. But the Russians were the first people to master the notion of sending a man into exile at home. By Amor Towles Count Men Exile Earth Reflected

I love Val. I love my job and my New York. I have no doubts that they were the right choices for me. And at the same time, I know that right choices by definition are the means by which life crystallizes loss. By Amor Towles Val Love York Choices Job

You're rather well read for a working-class girl, she said with her back to me.Really? I've found that all my well-read friends are from the working class.Oh my. Why do you think that is? The purity of poverty?No. It's just that reading is the cheapest form of entertainment.Sex is the cheapest form of entertainment.Not in this house. By Amor Towles Girl Mereally Read Workingclass Back

At its best, a cocktail should be crisp, elegant, sincere - and limited to two ingredients." "Just two?" "Yes. But they must be two ingredients that complement each other; that laugh at each other's jokes and make allowances for each other's faults; and that never shout over each other in conversation. Like gin and tonic," he said, pointing to his drink. "Or bourbon and water . . . Or whiskey and soda . . . By Amor Towles Elegant Sincere Crisp Cocktail Limited

But as the Count advanced through Essays Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, his goal seemed to recede into the distance. It was suddenly as if the book were not a dining room table at all, but a sort of Sahara. And having emptied his canteen, the Count would soon be crawling across its sentences with the peak of each hard-won page revealing but another page beyond..... By Amor Towles Twelve Eleven Thirteen Essays Count

To what end, he wondered, had the Divine created the stars in heaven to fill a man with feelings of inspiration one day and insignificance the next? By Amor Towles Divine End Wondered Created Stars

Katey's the hottest bookworm you'll ever meet. If you took all the books that she's read and piled them in a stack, you could climb to the Milky Way. By Amor Towles Katey Meet Hottest Bookworm Milky

In the 1950s, America had picked up the globe by the heels and shaken the change from its pockets. Europe had become a poor cousin - all crests and no table settings. And the indistinguishable countries of Africa, Asia, and South America had just begun skittering across our schoolroom walls like salamanders in the sun. True, By Amor Towles America Pockets Picked Globe Heels

When one turns seventeen and begins to experience that first period of real independence, one's senses are so alert, one's sentiments so finely attuned that every conversation, every look, every laugh may be writ indelibly upon one's memory. And the friends that one happens to make in those impressionable years? One will meet them forever after with a welling of affection. By Amor Towles Independence Alert Conversation Memory Turns

Like the American correspondents, jazz seemed a naturally gregarious force - one that was a little unruly and prone to say the first thing that popped into its head, but generally of good humor and friendly intent. In addition, it seemed decidedly unconcerned with where it had been or where it was going - exhibiting somehow simultaneously the confidence of the master and the inexperience of the apprentice. Was there any wonder that such an art had failed to originate in Europe? The By Amor Towles American Correspondents Jazz Force Head

Whatever setbacks he had faced in his life, he said, however daunting or dispiriting the unfolding of events, he always knew that he would make it through, as long as when he woke in the morning he was looking forward to his first cup of coffee. Only decades later would I realize that he had been giving me a piece of advice. By Amor Towles Life Events Coffee Setbacks Faced

So while dueling may have begun as a response to high crimes - to treachery, treason, and adultery - by 1900 it had tiptoed down the stairs of reason, until they were being fought over the tilt of a hat, the duration of a glance, or the placement of a comma. In By Amor Towles Treason Crimes Treachery Adultery Reason

guess the point I'm trying to make is that as a species we're just no good at writing obituaries. We don't know how a man or his achievements will be perceived three generations from now, any more than we know what his great-great-grandchildren will be having for breakfast on a Tuesday in March. Because when Fate hands something down to posterity, it does so behind its back." They By Amor Towles Guess Obituaries Point Make Species

For it is the role of the parent to express his concerns and then take three steps back. Not one, mind you, not two, but three. Or maybe four. (But by no means five.) Yes, a parent should share his hesitations and then take three or four steps back, so that the child can make a decision by herself - even when that decision may lead to disappointment. By Amor Towles Back Role Express Concerns Steps

Presumably, the bells of the Church of the Ascension had been reclaimed by the Bolsheviks for the manufacture of artillery, thus returning them to the realm from whence they came. Though for all the Count knew, the cannons that had been salvaged from Napoleon's retreat to make the Ascension's bells had been forged by the French from the bells at La Rochelle; which in turn had been forged from British blunderbusses seized in the Thirty Years War. From bells to cannons and back again, from now until the end of time. By Amor Towles Ascension Bells Church Bolsheviks Artillery

It is a well-known fact that of all the species on earth Homo sapiens is among the most adaptable. Settle a tribe of them in a desert and they will wrap themselves in cotton, sleep in tents, and travel on the backs of camels; settle them in the Arctic and they will wrap themselves in sealskin, sleep in igloos, and travel by dog-drawn sled. And if you settle them in a Soviet climate? They will learn to make friendly conversation with strangers while waiting in line; they will learn to neatly stack their clothing in their half of the bureau drawer; and they will learn to draw imaginary buildings in their sketchbooks. That is, they will adapt. By Amor Towles Homo Settle Learn Sleep Adaptable

You could just tell that if Rosie couldn't romance her way to the top of the Empire State Building, she was prepared to climb it like King Kong. By Amor Towles Building Kong Rosie Empire State

And under the influence of the cradle like rocking of the train, your carefully crafted persona begins to slip away. The superego dissolves as your mind begins to wander aimlessly over your cares and dreams; or better yet, it drifts into an ambient hypnosis, where even cares and dreams recede and the peaceful silence of the cosmos pervade. By Amor Towles Begins Train Influence Cradle Rocking

Anyone can buy a car or a night on the town. Most of us shell our days like peanuts. One in a thousand can look at the world with amazement. I don't mean gawking at the Chrysler Building. I'm talking about the wing of a dragonfly. The tale of the shoeshine. Walking through an unsullied hour with an unsullied heart By Amor Towles Town Buy Car Night Unsullied

Long had he believed that a gentleman should turn to a mirror with a sense of distrust. For rather than being tools of self-discovery, mirrors tended to be tools of self-deceit. By Amor Towles Long Distrust Believed Gentleman Turn

The Count took pride in wearing a well-tailored jacket; but he took greater pride in knowing that a gentleman's presence was best announced by his bearing, his remarks, and his manners. Not by the cut of his coat. Yes, By Amor Towles Pride Count Jacket Bearing Remarks

Anyone who has spent an hour drinking vodka by the glass knows that size has surprisingly little to do with a man's capacity. There are tiny men for whom the limit is seven and giants for whom it is two. For our German friend, the limit appeared to be three. For if the Tolstoy dropped him in a barrel, and the Tchaikovsky set him adrift, then the caviar sent him over the falls. So, having wagged a chastising finger at the Count, he moved to the corner of the bar, laid his head on his arms, and dreamed of the Sugar Plum Fairy. By Amor Towles Capacity Spent Hour Drinking Vodka

Yes, thought the Count, the world does spin. In fact, it spins on its axis even as it revolves around the sun. And the galaxy turns as well, a wheel within a greater wheel, producing a chime of an entirely different nature than that of a tiny hammer in a clock. And when that celestial chime sounds, perhaps a mirror will suddenly serve its truer purpose - revealing to a man not who he imagines himself to be, but who he has become. By Amor Towles Count Thought World Chime Wheel

- Bucky dear, his wife warned, you're slurring your words. - Slurring is the cursive of speech, I observed. By Amor Towles Bucky Dear Warned Words Slurring

But the events that transpired on those various dates did not throw the city of Moscow into upheaval. When the page was torn from the calendar, the bedroom windows did not suddenly shine with the light of a million electric lamps; that Fatherly gaze did not suddenly hang over every desk and appear in every dream; nor did the drivers of a hundred Black Marias turn the keys in their ignitions and fan out into the shadowy streets. For the launch of the First Five-Year Plan, Bukharin's fall from grace, and the expansion of the Criminal Code to allow the arrest of anyone even countenancing dissension, these were only tidings, omens, underpinnings. And it would be a decade before their effects were fully felt. No. By Amor Towles Moscow Upheaval Suddenly Events Transpired

coffee can energize the industrious at dawn, calm the reflective at noon, or raise the spirits of the beleagured in the middle of the night. "It's By Amor Towles Coffee Dawn Calm Noon Night

Either way, he figured a cup of coffee would hit the spot. For what is more versatile? As at home in tin as it is in Limoges, coffee can energize the industrious at dawn, calm the reflective at noon, or raise the spirits of the beleagured in the middle of the night. By Amor Towles Spot Figured Cup Hit Coffee

On those we love:"Every year that passed, it seemed a little more of her had slipped away; and I began to fear that one day I would come to foget her altogether. But the truth is: No matter how much time passes, those we have loved never slip away from us entirely. By Amor Towles Love Passed Altogether Year Slipped

True, it would not be a new venture for him. But need it be? Could one possibly accuse him of nostalgia or idleness, of wasting his time simply because he had read the story two or three times before? By Amor Towles True Venture Idleness Possibly Accuse

For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in a city famous for its idiosyncratic culture and yet, the very habits, fashions, and ideas that exalt that city in the eyes of the world may make no sense to him at all. As he proceeds through life, he looks about in a state of confusion, understanding neither the inclinations nor the aspirations of his peers. By Amor Towles Man Times Fact Profoundly Step

If Broadway was a river running from the top of Manhattan down to the Battery, undulating with traffic and commerce and lights, then the east-west streets were eddies where, leaf-like, one could turn slow circles from the beginning to the ever shall be, world without end. By Amor Towles Battery Leaflike Broadway Manhattan Undulating

Mostly, he said, I've been thinking about what I'm not going to do. When I think of the last few years, I've been hounded by regrets for what's already happened and fears for what might. By nostalgia for what I've lost and desire for what I don't have. All this wanting and not wanting. It's worn me out. For once, I'm going to try the present on for size. -Amor Towles from Rules of Civility By Amor Towles Thinking Wanting Years Amor Civility

True, duels were fought by convention at dawn in isolated locations to ensure the privacy of the gentlemen involved. But were they fought behind ash heaps or in scrapyards? Of course not! They were fought in a clearing among the birch trees with a dusting of snow. Or on the banks of a winding rivulet. Or at the edge of a family estate where the breezes shake the blossoms from the trees. . . . That is, they were fought in settings that one might have expected to see in the second act of an opera. By Amor Towles Fought True Duels Involved Convention

What was your favorite day of the year? The summer solstice. June twenty-first. The longest day of the year. By Amor Towles Year Favorite Day Solstice Summer

Dutifully, the Count put the spoon in his mouth. In an instant, there was the familiar sweetness of fresh honey---sunlit, golden, and gay. Given the time of year, the Count was expecting this first impression to be followed by a hint of lilacs from the Alexander Gardens or cherry blossoms from the Garden Ring. But as the elixir dissolved on his tongue, the Count became aware of something else entirely. Rather than the flowering trees of Central Moscow, the honey had a hint of a grassy riverbank.....the trace of a summer breeze......a suggestion of a pergola.....But most of all there was the unmistakable essence of a thousand apple trees in bloom. "Nizhny Novgorod", he said. And it was. By Amor Towles Count Dutifully Mouth Put Spoon

Yes, a ghost, thought the Count, as he moved silently down the hall. Like Hamlet's father roaming the ramparts of Elsinore after the midnight watch . . . Or like Akaky Akakievich, that forsaken spirit of Gogol's who in the wee hours haunted the Kalinkin Bridge in search of his stolen coat . . . Why By Amor Towles Count Ghost Thought Hall Moved

In the doleful court behind my building a patchwork of windows was all that separated me from a hundred muted lives being led without mystery or menace or magic. By Amor Towles Magic Doleful Court Building Patchwork

But correspondents are a wily bunch. Having stashed their typewriters, crossed the border, changed their clothes, and counted to ten, they began slipping back into the country one by one. So in 1928, the Foreign Press Office was opened anew on the top floor of a six-story walk-up conveniently located halfway between the Kremlin and the offices of the secret police - a spot that just happened to be across the street from the Metropol. Thus, By Amor Towles Bunch Correspondents Wily Metropol Foreign

Now they were satisfied to express their individuality through which Rogers they preferred at the Saturday matinee: Ginger or Roy or Buck. America may be the land of opportunity, but in New York it's the shot at conformity that pulls them through the door By Amor Towles Ginger Buck Rogers Saturday Roy

Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your colleagues and acquaintances. You've carried it through the turnstile and past the sliding doors, so that your fellow passengers can tell who you are - cocky or cautious, amorous or indifferent, loaded or on the dole. But you find yourself a seat and the train gets under way; it comes to one station and then another; people get off and others get on. And under the influence of the cradlelike rocking of the train, your carefully crafted persona begins to slip away. The super-ego dissolves as your mind begins to wander aimlessly over your cares and your dreams; or better yet, it drifts into ambient hypnosis, where even cares and dreams recede and the peaceful silence of the cosmos pervades. By Amor Towles Board Acquaintances Ridden Subway Day

From the earliest age, we must learn to say good-bye to friends and family. We see our parents and siblings off at the station; we visit cousins, attend schools, join the regiment; we marry or travel abroad. It is part of the human experience that we are constantly gripping a good fellow by the shoulders and wishing him well, taking comfort from the notion that we will hear word of him soon enough. By Amor Towles Age Family Earliest Learn Goodbye

It is part of the human experience that we are constantly gripping a good fellow by the shoulders and wishing him well, taking comfort from the notion that we will hear word of him soon enough. But By Amor Towles Taking Part Human Experience Constantly

Charlotte Sykes approaching from the washrooms. She had changed into high heels and a tangerine-colored blouse that clashed with all her best intentions. By Amor Towles Sykes Charlotte Washrooms Approaching Intentions

...the book had been written with winter nights in mind. Without a doubt, it was a book for when the birds had flown south, the wood was stacked by the fireplace, and the fields were white with snow; that is, for when one had no desire to venture out and one's friends had no desire to venture in. By Amor Towles Mind Book Desire Written Winter

Whichever wine was within, it was decidedly not identical to its neighbors. On the contrary, the contents of the bottle in his hand was the product of a history as unique and complex as that of a nation, or a man. In its color, aroma, and taste, it would certainly express the idiosyncratic geology and prevailing climate of its home terrain. But in addition, it would express all the natural phenomena of its vintage. In a sip, it would evoke the timing of that winter's thaw, the extent of that summer's rain, the prevailing winds, and the frequency of clouds. Yes, a bottle of wine was the ultimate distillation of time and place; a poetic expression of individuality itself. By Amor Towles Whichever Neighbors Decidedly Identical Wine

For over two centuries (or so historians tell us), it was from the St. Petersburg salons that our country's culture advanced. From those great rooms overlooking the Fontanka Canal, new cuisines, fashions, and ideas all took their first tentative steps into Russian society. By Amor Towles Petersburg Centuries Advanced Fashions Canal

Dark, cold, and snowbound, Russia has the sort of climate in which the spirit of Christmas burns brightest. By Amor Towles Dark Cold Russia Christmas Snowbound

In moments of high emotion, whether they're triggered by anger or envy, humiliation or resentment, if the next thing you are going to say makes you feel better, than it's probably the wrong thing to say. By Amor Towles Emotion Envy Humiliation Resentment Thing

Whatever their story, Eve was breathing easy now - for the moment forgetful, vulnerable, at peace. It's a purposeful irony of life, I suppose, that we never get to see ourselves in that state. We can only pay witness to our waking reflection, which to one degree or another is always fretting or afraid. Maybe that's why young parents find it so beguiling to spy on their children when they're fast asleep. By Amor Towles Eve Vulnerable Story Forgetful Peace

In a single week, there might be committees, caucuses, colloquium, congresses, and conventions variously coming together to establish codes, set courses of action, levy complaints, and generally clamor about the world's oldest problems in its newest nomenclature. By Amor Towles Caucuses Colloquium Congresses Week Committees

Well, sometimes everybody tells you something because it is true.""Sometimes," Nina clarified, "everybody tells you something because they are everybody. But why should one listen to everybody? Did everybody write the Odyssey? Did everybody write the Aeneid? By Amor Towles Nina True Clarified Write Odyssey

Sometimes," Nina clarified, "everybody tells you something because they are everybody. But why should one listen to everybody? Did everybody write the Odyssey? Did everybody write the Aeneid?" She By Amor Towles Nina Clarified Write Odyssey Aeneid

When I awake, I suddenly understood this propensity for self-destruction was not an abomination, not something to be ashamed of or abhorred; it was our greatest strength. We turn the gun on ourselves not because we are more indifferent and less cultured...on the contrary. We are prepared to destroy that which we have created because we believe more than any of them in the power of the picture, the poem, the prayer, or the person. By Amor Towles Awake Abomination Abhorred Strength Suddenly

In fact, if Paris had not been seated next to Helen when he dined in the court of Menelaus, there never would have been a Trojan War." A By Amor Towles Menelaus War Paris Helen Trojan

the only things that came from the practice were foolhardy acts, ill-advised liaisons, and gambling debts. By Amor Towles Acts Illadvised Liaisons Debts Things

I'll tell you what is convenient," he said after a moment. "To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party, so that on a moment's notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka - and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most." Anna By Amor Towles Convenient Moment Anushka Tray Sleep

There are many reasons for ordering a particular bottle of wine. And memories of home are among the best." "Then By Amor Towles Wine Reasons Ordering Bottle Memories

word of orchestration, the head of the table was left to Bulganin, Khrushchev, Malenkov, Mikoyan, Molotov, and Voroshilov - the six most eminent members of the Party - with the two center seats reserved By Amor Towles Khrushchev Malenkov Mikoyan Molotov Bulganin

Little closer, as if I hadn't quite heard him. I leaned at an angle five degrees less acute than the waitress had. - What's that? - I was wondering if there's a melody in there. - It just went out for a smoke. It'll be back in a minute. But I take it that you don't By Amor Towles Closer Heard Leaned Angle Degrees

That's the problem with living in New York. You've got no New York to run away to. By Amor Towles York Problem Living Run

Wallace was just the sort who blends into the background of the school photo (or the greeting line at the cotillion) but who, with the passage of time, increasingly stands out against the lapses in character around him. By Amor Towles Wallace Photo Cotillion Time Increasingly

It was a marriage of two minds, of two ... spirits tilting as gently and inescapably toward the future as paper whites tilt toward the sun. By Amor Towles Minds Marriage Spirits Sun Tilting

It was a marriage of two minds, of two metropolitan spirits tilting as gently and inescapably toward the future as paper whites tilt toward the sun. And By Amor Towles Minds Sun Marriage Metropolitan Spirits

For all the varied concerns attendant to the raising of a child - over schoolwork, dress, and manners - in the end, a parent's responsibility could not be more simple: To bring a child safely into adulthood so that she could have a chance to experience a life of purpose and, God willing, contentment. By Amor Towles Child God Dress Contentment Schoolwork

As the sign over the cash register made clear, the three ways you could get your coffee at Chester's were sweetened, unsweetened, and somewhere else. By Amor Towles Unsweetened Chester Clear Sweetened Sign

The times do, in fact change. They change relentlessly. Inevitably. Inventively. And as they change, they set into bright relief not only outmoded honorifics and hunting jorns, but silver summoners and mother-of-pearl opera glasses and all manner of carefully crafted things that have outlived their usefulness. Carefully crafted things that have outlived their usefulness, thought the Count. I wonder... By Amor Towles Change Usefulness Times Fact Crafted

He looked like he was back outside the emergency room. When I stepped off the elevator he was visibly relieved, as if he had begun to worry that I wasn't going to show. He took both my hands in his. The features of his face had softened, as if he had put on the ten pounds that Eve had lost in the hospital. - Katey! Thanks for coming. It's good to see you. He was talking a little under his breath. It raised my antennae. By Amor Towles Room Looked Back Emergency Katey

To be seduced? Why, that was a matter of leaning back in one's chair, sipping one's wine, and responding to a query with the very first thought that has popped into one's head. And By Amor Towles Seduced Chair Sipping Wine Head

In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions - we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and discard the next, or discard the first card and keep the second. And before we know it, the deck has been played out and the decisions we have just made will shape our lives for decades to come. By Amor Towles Card Hundred Discard Time Twenties

But experience is less likely to teach us how to bid our dearest possessions adieu. And By Amor Towles Adieu Experience Teach Bid Dearest

She could have made a favourable impression on someone if she hadn't acted as though at any moment the city was going to step on her By Amor Towles Made Favourable Impression Acted Moment

If you could relive one year in your life, which one would it be? [ ... ] The upcoming one. By Amor Towles Life Relive Year Upcoming

But the objection being raised was not due to the phrase's overall lack of verve; rather it was due to the word facilitate. Specifically, the verb had been accused of being so tepid and prim that it failed to do justice to the labors of the men in the room. By Amor Towles Due Verve Facilitate Objection Raised

Alexander Rostov was neither scientist nor sage; but at the age of sixty-four he was wise enough to know that life does not proceed by leaps and bounds. It unfolds. At any given moment, it is the manifestation of a thousand transitions. Our faculties wax and wane, our experiences accumulate and our opinions evolve--if not glacially, then at least gradually. Such that the events of an average day are as likely to transform who we are as a pinch of pepper is to transform a stew. By Amor Towles Rostov Alexander Sage Bounds Scientist

But for me, dinner at a fine restaurant was the ultimate luxury. It was the very height of civilization. For what was civilization but the intellect's ascendancy out of the doldrums of necessity (shelter, sustenance and survival) into the ether of the finely superfluous (poetry, handbags and haute cuisine)? So removed from daily life was the whole experience that when all was rotten to the core, a fine dinner could revive the spirits. If and when I had twenty dollars left to my name, I was going to invest it right here in an elegant hour that couldn't be hocked. By Amor Towles Luxury Restaurant Ultimate Fine Dinner

Yes, the burning of Moscow was especially Russian, my friend. Of that there can be no doubt. Because it was not a discrete event; it was the form of an event. One example plucked from a history of thousands. For as a people, we Russians have proven unusually adept at destroying that which we have created." Perhaps By Amor Towles Moscow Friend Burning Event Russian

By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them By Amor Towles Nature Human Capricious Complex Contradictory

Such is the magic of Christmas in childhood, thought the Count a little wistfully, that a single gift can provide one with endless hours of adventure while not even requiring one to leave one's house. By Amor Towles Christmas Count Childhood Thought Wistfully

History is the business of identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair. With the benefit of time, the historian looks back and points to a date in the manner of a gray-haired field marshal pointing to a bend in a river on a map: There it was, he says. The turning point. The decisive factor. The fateful day that fundamentally altered all that was to follow. There By Amor Towles History Chair Business Identifying Momentous

For pomp is a tenacious force. And a wily one too. How By Amor Towles Force Pomp Tenacious Wily

You have always been fond of little Nina." "Of course I have." "And in part, that is because she is such an independent spirit." "Precisely." "Then you must trust in her. And even if she is single-minded to a fault, you must trust that life will find her in time. For eventually, it finds us all." The Count nodded for a moment, reflecting on Marina's By Amor Towles Nina Fond Precisely Trust Marina

There is an of-quoted passage in Walden, in which Thoreau exhorts us to find our pole star and to follow it unwaveringly as would a sailor or a fugitive slave. It's a thrilling sentiment - one so obviously worthy of our aspirations. But even if you had the discipline to maintain the true course, the real problem, it has always seemed to me, is how to know in which part of the heavens your star resides By Amor Towles Walden Thoreau Slave Ofquoted Passage

She is no more than thirty pounds; no more than three feet tall; her entire bag of belongings could fit in a single drawer; she rarely peaks unless spoken to; and her heart beats no louder than a bird's. So how is it possible that she takes up so much space?! By Amor Towles Pounds Tall Drawer Bird Thirty

For the next few minutes, there was a thorough rehashing of the courses (That meat was delicious. The sauce was perfect. And ooh that chocolate mousse.) This was a social nicety that seemed more prevalent the higher you climbed the social ladder and the less your hostess cooked. By Amor Towles Minutes Delicious Rehashing Meat Social

the Confederacy of the Humbled is a close-knit brotherhood whose members travel with no outward markings, but who know each other at a glance. For having fallen suddenly from grace, those in the Confederacy share a certain perspective. Knowing beauty, influence, fame, and privilege to be borrowed rather than bestowed, they are not easily impressed. They are not quick to envy or take offense. They certainly do not scour the papers in search of their own names. They remain committed to living among their peers, but they greet adulation with caution, ambition with sympathy, and condescension with an inward smile. As By Amor Towles Confederacy Humbled Markings Glance Closeknit

Like the Freemasons, the Confederacy of the Humbled is a close-knit brotherhood whose members travel with no outward markings, but who know each other at a glance. For having fallen suddenly from grace, those in the Confederacy share a certain perspective. Knowing beauty, influence, fame, and privilege to be borrowed rather than bestowed, they are not easily impressed. They are not quick to envy or take offense. They certainly do not scour the papers in search of their own names. They remain committed to living among their peers, but they greet adulation with caution, ambition with sympathy, and condescension with an inward smile. By Amor Towles Freemasons Confederacy Humbled Markings Glance

For the most part, in the course of our daily lives we abide the abundant evidence that no such universal justice exists. Like a cart horse, we plod along the cobblestones dragging our masters' wares with our heads down and our blinders in place, waiting patiently for the next cube of sugar. But there are certain times when chance suddenly provides the justice that Agatha Christies promise. We look around at the characters cast in our own lives - our heiresses and gardeners, our vicars and nannies, our late-arriving guests who are not exactly what they seem - and discover that before the end of the weekend all assembled will get there just desserts. But when we do so, we rarely remember to count ourselves among their company. By Amor Towles Part Exists Daily Abide Abundant

Stalin himself declared: Life has improved, comrades. Life is more joyous. . . . By Amor Towles Comrades Life Stalin Declared Improved

in the ballroom of the Metropol Hotel on the twenty-first of June 1926, was the heretic, Galileo of Galilei, vindicated by a ping, a splat, a smash, a thunk, a thump, and a thud. Of By Amor Towles June Galileo Galilei Metropol Hotel

And what does he have to say to the impressionable young student at his side? That all poets must eventually bow before the haiku. Bow before the haiku! Can you imagine." "For my part," contributed the Count, "I am glad that Homer wasn't born in Japan." Mishka By Amor Towles Haiku Side Impressionable Young Student

All little girls outgrow their interest in princesses," she said. "In fact, they outgrow their interest in princesses faster than little boys outgrow their interest in clambering about. By Amor Towles Interest Outgrow Princesses Girls Fact

That's how quickly New York City comes about - like a weather wane - or the head of a cobra. Time tells which. By Amor Towles York City Wane Cobra Quickly

If they (ghosts) wander the halls of night, it is not from a grievance with or envy of the living. Rather, it is because they have no desire to see the living at all. Any more than snakes hope to see gardeners, or foxes the hounds. They wander about at midnight because at that hour they can generally do so without being harried by the sound and fury of earthly emotions. After all those years of striving and struggling, of hoping and praying, of shouldering expectations, stomaching opinions, navigating decorum, and making conversation, what they seek, quite simply, is a little peace and quiet. By Amor Towles Ghosts Living Night Halls Grievance

If only someone had told me about the confidence-boosting nature of guns, I'd have been shooting them all my life. By Amor Towles Guns Life Told Confidenceboosting Nature

When a mother loses a daughter, she grieves over the future that her daughter will never have, but she can take solace in memories of close-knit days. But when your daughter runs away, it is the fond memories that have been laid to rest; and your daughter's future, alive and well, recedes from you like a wave drawing out to sea. By Amor Towles Daughter Days Future Memories Mother

the best-bred dogs belong in the surest hands. By Amor Towles Hands Bestbred Dogs Belong Surest

I knew too well the nature of life's distractions and enticements-how the piecemeal progress of our hopes and ambitions commands our undivided attention, reshaping the ethereal into the tangible, and commitments into compromises. By Amor Towles Attention Reshaping Tangible Compromises Knew

He had that certain confidence in his bearing, that democratic interest in his surroundings, and that understated presumption of friendliness that are only found in young men who have been raised in the company of money and manners. It didn't occur to people liek this that they might be unwelcome in a new environment - and as a result they rarely were. By Amor Towles Bearing Surroundings Manners Confidence Democratic

That's the problem with being born in New York, the old newsman observed a little sadly. You've got no New York to run away to. By Amor Towles York Sadly Problem Born Newsman

Just a few weeks before, no detail of my life had been big enough to merit my attention. By Amor Towles Attention Weeks Detail Life Big

To him, restaurants were the ultimate expression of ungodly waste. For of all the luxuries that your money could buy, a restaurant left you the least to show for it. A fur coat could at least be worn in winter to fend off the cold, and a silver spoon could be melted down and sold to a jeweler. But a porterhouse steak? You chopped it, chewed it, swallowed it, wiped your lips and dropped your napkin on your plate. That was that. And asparagus? My father would sooner have carried a twenty-dollar bill to his grave than spend it on some glamorous weed coated in cheese. By Amor Towles Waste Ultimate Expression Ungodly Restaurants

It is a sad but unavoidable fact of life," he began, "that as we age our social circles grow smaller. Whether from increased habit or diminished vigor, we suddenly find ourselves in the company of just a few familiar faces. By Amor Towles Life Began Smaller Sad Unavoidable

-You've got a ... Lot of books, he said at last.-it's a sickness.-Are you ... Seeing anyone for it?-I'm afraid it's untreatable. -is this the ... Dewey decimal system?-No. But it's based on similar principles. Those are the British novelists. The French are in the kitchen. Homer, Virgil, and the other epics are by the tub.-I take it the ... Transcendental its do better in the sunlight.-Exactly.-Do they need much water?-Not as much as you think. But lots of pruning.He pointed the volume toward a pile of books under my bed.-And the ... Mushrooms?-The Russians.-Ah.-Who's winning?-Not me. By Amor Towles Books Virgil Last Sickness Exactly

But of course, the Count also wept for himself. For despite his friendships with Marina and Andrey and Emile, despite his love for Anna, despite Sofia - that extraordinary blessing that had struck him from the blue - when Mikhail Fyodorovich Mindich died, there went the last of those who had known him as a younger man. By Amor Towles Count Wept Emile Anna Sofia

Well, if getting to the bottom is what is called for, I am sure there is no man better for the job. By Amor Towles Job Bottom Called Man

Well," replied the Count, rising from his chair, "if getting to the bottom is what is called for, I am sure there is no man better suited for the job. By Amor Towles Count Replied Rising Chair Job

It was a sweet display of self-confidence, as he no longer felt the need to entertain me or to advertise his claim on my attentions. It goes to show that even a man who craves constant approval can attain self-assurance through a little hanky-panky. By Amor Towles Selfconfidence Attentions Sweet Display Longer

And this must be especially so, when those with newfound power are men who distrust any form of hesitation or nuance, and who prize self-assurance above all. For By Amor Towles Nuance Newfound Power Men Distrust

Popular upheaval, political turmoil, industrial progress - any combination of these can cause the evolution of a society to leapfrog generations, sweeping aside aspects of the past that might otherwise have lingered for decades. And this must be especially so, when those with newfound power are men who distrust any form of hesitation or nuance, and who prize self-assurance above all. By Amor Towles Popular Upheaval Political Turmoil Industrial

To have even one year when you're presented with choices that can alter your circumstances, your character, your course- that's by the grace of God alone. And it shouldn't come without a price. By Amor Towles God Circumstances Character Year Presented

Like the wheeling of stars,' muttered the Count as he paced."That is how time passes when one is left waiting unaccountably. The hours become interminable. The minutes relentless. And the seconds? Why, not only does every last one of them demand its moment on the stage, it insists upon making a soliloquy full of weighty pauses and artful hesitations and then leaps into an encore at the slightest hint of applause. By Amor Towles Count Stars Muttered Paced Unaccountably

The principle here is that a new generation owes a measure of thanks to every member of the previous generation. Our By Amor Towles Generation Principle Owes Measure Member

I suppose Anne was right when she observed that at any given moment we're all seeking someone's forgiveness. By Amor Towles Anne Forgiveness Suppose Observed Moment

Suddenly - I shone in all my might, and morning rang its round. Always to shine, to shine everywhere, to the very depths of the last days, to shine - and to hell with everything else! That is my motto - and the sun's! By Amor Towles Suddenly Shine Round Shone Morning

our lives are steered by uncertainties, many of which are disruptive or even daunting; but that if we persevere and remain generous of heart, we may be granted a moment of supreme lucidity - a moment in which all that has happened to us suddenly comes into focus as a necessary course of events, even as we find ourselves on the threshold of a bold new life that we had been meant to lead all along. By Amor Towles Moment Uncertainties Daunting Heart Lucidity

He had said that our lives are steered by uncertainties, many of which are disruptive or even daunting; but that if we persevere and remain generous of heart, we may be granted a moment of lucidity - a moment in which all that has happened to us suddenly comes into focus as a necessary course of events, even as we find ourselves on the threshold of the life we had been meant to lead all along. By Amor Towles Moment Uncertainties Daunting Heart Lucidity

From bells to cannons and back again, from now until the end of time. Such is the fate of iron ore. By Amor Towles Time Bells Cannons Back End

If patience wasn't so easily tested, then it would hardly be a virtue. . . . "Yes, By Amor Towles Tested Virtue Patience Easily

For better or worse, there are few things so disarming as one who laughs well at her own expense. By Amor Towles Worse Expense Things Disarming Laughs

(Lest you have forgotten, it is quite excruciating to hammer the back of your thumb. It inevitably prompts a hopping up and down and the taking of the Lord's name in vain.) But By Amor Towles Forgotten Thumb Excruciating Hammer Back

What's more, Fatima was fluent in the floral codes that had governed polite society since the Age of Chivalry. Not only did she know the flower that should be sent as an apology, she knew which flower to send when one has been late; when one has spoken out of turn; and when, having taking notice of the young lady at the door, one has carelessly overtrumped one's partner. In short, Fatima knew a flower's fragrance, color, and purpose better than a bee. By Amor Towles Chivalry Age Fatima Flower Fluent

For standing at the edge of his table was the young girl with the penchant for yellow - studying him with that unapologetic interest peculiar to children and dogs. Adding By Amor Towles Yellow Studying Dogs Standing Edge

For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim. By Amor Towles Matters Applause Acclaim Life Receive

I've come to realize that however blue my circumstances, if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort of compulsion to read on, then everything is probably going to be just fine. By Amor Towles Dickens Circumstances Sort Fine Realize

But events can unfold in such a manner that overnight the man out of step finds himself in the right place at the right time. The fashions and attitudes that had seemed so alien to him are suddenly swept aside and supplanted by fashions and attitudes in perfect sympathy with his deepest sentiments. Then, like a lone sailor adrift for years on alien seas, he wakes one night to discover familiar constellations overhead. And By Amor Towles Time Events Unfold Manner Overnight

You can always tell a rich New York girl from a poor one. And you can tell a rich Boston girl from a poor one. After all, that's what accents and manners are there for. But to the native New Yorker, the midwestern girls all looked and sounded the same. Sure, the By Amor Towles York Poor Rich Girl Boston

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that as a species we're just no good at writing obituaries. We don't know how a man or his achievements will be perceived three generations from now, any more than we know what his great-great-grandchildren will be having for breakfast on a Tuesday in March. Because when Fate hands something down to posterity, it does so behind its back. By Amor Towles Obituaries Guess Point Make Species

Surely, the span of time between the placing of an order and the arrival of appetizers is one of the most perilous in all human interaction. What young lovers have not found themselves at this juncture in a silence so sudden, so seemingly insurmountable that it threatens to cast doubt upon their chemistry as a couple? What husband and wife have not found themselves suddenly unnerved by the fear that they might not ever have something urgent, impassioned, or surprising to say to each other again? By Amor Towles Surely Interaction Found Span Time

After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we've just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour. By Amor Towles Impression Hotel Met Minute Lobby

Silence can be a form of protest. It can be a means of survival. But it can also be a school of poetry - one with its own meter, tropes, and conventions. One that needn't be written with pencils or pens; but that can be written in the soul with a revolver to the chest." With By Amor Towles Silence Protest Form Written Survival

Here they resided, two worldviews separated only by Fifth Avenue, facing off until the end of time or the end of Manhattan, whichever came first. By Amor Towles Avenue Manhattan End Resided Facing

Most New Yorkers spent their lives somewhere between the fruit cart and the fifth floor. To see the city from a few hundred feet above the riffraff was pretty celestial. We gave the moment its due. By Amor Towles Yorkers Floor Spent Lives Fruit

As a quick aside, let me observe that in moments of high emotion ... if the next thing you're going to say makes you feel better, then it's probably the wrong thing to say. This is one of the finer maxims that I've discovered in life. And you can have it, since it's been of no use to me. By Amor Towles Emotion Quick Observe Moments High

A slouching posture tends to suggest a certain laziness of character as well as a lack of interest in others. Whereas an upright position can confirm a sense of self-possession and a quality of engagement. By Amor Towles Slouching Posture Suggest Laziness Character

I suppose we don't rely on comparison enough to tell us whom it is that we are talking to. We give people the liberty of fashioning themselves in the moment-a span of time that is so much more manageable, stageable, controllable than is a lifetime. By Amor Towles Suppose Rely Comparison Talking Stageable

A king fortifies himself with a castle," observed the Count, "a gentleman with a desk." As By Amor Towles Count Castle Observed Desk King

the Count bounced twice on his new mattress to identify the key of the bedsprings (G-sharp), By Amor Towles Gsharp Count Bedsprings Bounced Mattress

For as it turns out, one can revisit the past quite pleasantly, as long as one does so expecting nearly every aspect of it to have changed. By Amor Towles Pleasantly Changed Turns Revisit Past

Before one travels abroad, it is best to have a simple, heartwarming soup from home, so that one can recall it fondly should one ever happen to feel a little By Amor Towles Abroad Simple Heartwarming Home Travels

Slurring is the cursive of speech... By Amor Towles Slurring Speech Cursive

- You see this apple? Sweet. Crisp. Ruby red. It wasn't always like that, you know. The first apples in America were mottled and too bitter to eat. But after generations of grafting, now they're all like this one. Most people think this is man's victory over nature. But it's not. In evolutionary terms, it's the apple's victory. By Amor Towles Sweet Apple Victory Crisp America

After meeting someone by chance and throwing off a few sparks, can there be any substance to the feeling that you've known each other your whole lives? After those first few hours of conversation, can you really be sure that your connection is so uncommon that it belongs outside the bounds of time and convention? By Amor Towles Sparks Lives Meeting Chance Throwing

The lights flickered. The bands laid down their instruments and the crowds made quiety for the door. By Amor Towles Flickered Lights Door Bands Laid

But, Audrius, I have never taken the lift in my life! By Amor Towles Audrius Life Lift

the manner of Prince Tetrakov, was now touring the room, shaking By Amor Towles Shaking Tetrakov Prince Room Manner

always was and would be a serious soul in search of serious ideas to be serious about. Nina By Amor Towles Soul Search Ideas Nina

ennui - that dreaded mire of the human emotions. By Amor Towles Ennui Emotions Dreaded Mire Human

on a map: There it By Amor Towles Map

The romantic interplay that we were having wasn't the real gameit was a modified version of the game. It was a version invented for two friends so that they can get some practice and pass the time divertingly while they eat in the station for their train to arrive By Amor Towles Game Version Romantic Interplay Real

But every period has its virtues, even a time of turmoil. . . . When By Amor Towles Virtues Turmoil Period Time

The designs of men are notoriously subservient to happenstance, hesitation, and haste; but By Amor Towles Hesitation Happenstance Haste Designs Men

If only I were there and she were here," she sighed. And there, thought the Count, was a suitable plaint for all mankind. By Amor Towles Sighed Count Thought Mankind Suitable

In a state of self-pity, one may retreat from the world in which one has been blessed to live. By Amor Towles Selfpity Live State Retreat World

By Diverse Means We Arrive at the Same End The By Amor Towles Diverse Arrive End

Having acknowledged that a man must master his circumstances or otherwise be mastered by them, the By Amor Towles Acknowledged Man Master Circumstances Mastered

The Count commenced to cough into his napkin, as he had determined long ago that this was the most effective means of removing wine from his windpipe. By Amor Towles Count Napkin Windpipe Commenced Cough

The stamps on the envelope were English. One was the head of a statesman engraved in purple and the others were motorcars engraved in blue. It seemed like every country in the world had stamps of statesmen and motorcars. Where were the stamps of the elevator boys and hapless housewives? Of the six-story walk-ups and soured wine? By Amor Towles English Stamps Engraved Envelope Motorcars

It is a lovely oddity of human nature that a person is more inclined to interrupt two people in conversation than one person alone with a book. By Amor Towles Person Book Lovely Oddity Human

So before responding, he signaled the Bishop for another glass of champagne. For centuries champagne has been used to launch marriages and ships. Most assume this is because the drink is so intrinsically celebratory; but, in fact, it is used at the onset of these dangerous enterprises because it so capably boosts one's resolve. When By Amor Towles Bishop Responding Champagne Signaled Glass

For centuries champagne has been used to launch marriages and ships. Most assume this is because the drink is so intrinsically celebratory; but, in fact, it is used at the onset of these dangerous enterprises because it so capably boosts one's resolve. When the glass was placed on the table, the Count took a swig large enough to tickle his sinuses. By Amor Towles Ships Centuries Champagne Launch Marriages

While the splendors that elude us in youth are likely to receive our casual contempt in adolescence and our measured consideration in adulthood, they forever hold us in their thrall. By Amor Towles Adulthood Thrall Splendors Elude Youth

Some, no doubt, would simply dismiss it as a by-product of barbarism. Given Russia's long, heartless winters, its familiarity with famine, its rough sense of justice, and so on, and so on, it was perfectly natural for its gentry to adopt an act of definitive violence as the means of resolving disputes. By Amor Towles Doubt Barbarism Simply Dismiss Byproduct

As best as the Count could determine, the Bolsheviks assembled whenever possible in whichever form for whatever reason. In a single week, there might be committees, caucuses, colloquiums, congresses, and conventions variously coming together to establish codes, set courses of action, levy complaints, and generally clamor about the world's oldest problems in its newest nomenclature. If By Amor Towles Count Bolsheviks Determine Reason Assembled

..the Zimmers sharpening their sarcasm. Over an early dinner, they chipped away at each other like little Michelangelos, placing every stroke of the mallet with care and devotion. By Amor Towles Zimmers Sarcasm Michelangelos Sharpening Dinner

Does a banquet really need an asparagus server?" "Does an orchestra need a bassoon? By Amor Towles Server Banquet Asparagus Bassoon Orchestra

he had decided after careful consideration to join a monastery and take an eternal vow of silence. Immediately. Without a moment's delay. Or, as soon as they'd had lunch. "Do By Amor Towles Silence Immediately Decided Careful Consideration

Vyshinsky: And your occupation? By Amor Towles Vyshinsky Occupation

The Countess was of a mind that dinner should provide one with respite from life's trials and tribulations. Thus, she could not countenance discussions of religion, politics, or personal sorrows at her table. By Amor Towles Countess Tribulations Politics Mind Dinner

I sutured split infinitives and hoisted dangling modifiers and wore out the seam of my best flannel skirt. By Amor Towles Skirt Sutured Split Infinitives Hoisted

Returning to his quarters, he opened the window (though it was only the size of a postage stamp), By Amor Towles Returning Quarters Window Stamp Opened

I'm willing to be under anything, she said, as long as it isn't somebody's thumb. By Amor Towles Thumb Long

As I've said to you before, we and the Americans will lead the rest of this century because we are the only nations who have learned to brush the past aside instead of bowing before it. But where they have done so in service of their beloved individualism, we are attempting to do so in service of the common good. By Amor Towles Americans Service Lead Rest Century

It wasn't about who had dibs now or who was sitting next to whom in the cinema. The game had changed; or rather, it wasn't a game at all anymore. It was a matter of making it through the night, which is often harder than it sounds, and always a very individual business. By Amor Towles Cinema Dibs Sitting Game Changed

Alas, Tis true that words are queerAnd yet my son, you need not fear.For in this volume can be seenAll English words and what they mean.(about a Websters dictionary wrapped in a pink bow) By Amor Towles Alas Tis English Websters Son

I'm willing to be under anything...as long as it isn't somebody's thumb. By Amor Towles Thumb Long

Right from the first, I could see a calmness in you - that sort of inner tranquility that they write about in books, but that almost no one seems to possess. I was wondering to myself: How does she do that? And I figured it could only come from having no regrets - from having made choices with ... such poise and purpose. By Amor Towles Books Possess Calmness Sort Tranquility

Life is every bit as devious as Death. It too can wear a hooded coat. It too can slip into town, lurk in an alley, or wait in the back of a tavern. By Amor Towles Death Life Bit Devious Coat

Fate does not take sides. It is fair-minded and generally prefers to maintain some balance between the likelihood of success and failure in all our endeavors. By Amor Towles Fate Sides Endeavors Fairminded Generally

For however inhospitable the wind, from this vantage point Manhattan was simply so improbable, so wonderful, so obviously full of promise - that you wanted to approach it for the rest of your life without ever quite arriving. By Amor Towles Manhattan Wind Improbable Wonderful Promise

Uncompromising purpose and the search for eternal truth have an unquestionable sex appeal for the young and high-minded; but when a person loses the ability to take pleasure in the mundaneint he cigarette on the stoop or the gingersnap i the bathshe has probably put herself in unnecessary danger. By Amor Towles Uncompromising Highminded Danger Purpose Search

Knowing beauty, influence, fame, and privilege to be borrowed rather than bestowed, they are not easily impressed. They are not quick to envy or take offense. By Amor Towles Influence Fame Knowing Beauty Bestowed

Manners are not like bonbons, Nina. You may not choose the ones that suit you best; and you certainly cannot put the half-bitten ones back in the box. . . ." Nina By Amor Towles Nina Manners Bonbons Box Choose

For when life makes it impossible for a man to pursue his dreams, he will connive to pursue them anyway. By Amor Towles Pursue Dreams Life Makes Impossible

He looked like a man who had gained confidence through exposure to a hostile environment; like one who no longer owed anything to anyone. By Amor Towles Environment Looked Man Gained Confidence

Arriving late, thought the Count with a sigh. What a delicacy of youth. Then By Amor Towles Count Arriving Late Thought Sigh

Because the Bolsheviks, who were so intent upon recasting the future from a mold of their own making, would not rest until every last vestige of his Russia had been uprooted, shattered, or erased. Returning By Amor Towles Shattered Bolsheviks Russia Making Uprooted

Invariably dressed in black, the Countess was one of those dowagers whose natural natural independence of mind, authority of age, and impatience with the petty made her the ally of all irreverent youth. By Amor Towles Countess Natural Invariably Black Mind

...but the tenure of friendships has never been governed by the passage of time. By Amor Towles Time Tenure Friendships Governed Passage

History has shown charm to be the final ambition of the leisure class. By Amor Towles History Class Shown Charm Final

If a number's individual digits sum to a number that is divisible by three, then it too is divisible by three. By Amor Towles Divisible Number Individual Digits Sum

what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim." "If By Amor Towles Matters Applause Acclaim Life Receive

Who would have imagined," he said, "when you were sentenced to life in the Metropol all those years ago, that you had just become the luckiest man in all of Russia. By Amor Towles Russia Metropol Imagined Ago Sentenced

Ever since [that day], a small uncertainty had buzzed between us.It was a sense of chemistry that had been a little elusive, a little imprecise, until now. By Amor Towles Day Elusive Imprecise Small Uncertainty

- Did Eve know? About you and Anne, I mean.He shook his head wanly. The very definition of wanly. The apotheosis of wanly. By Amor Towles Eve Wanly Anne Meanhe Shook

It seemed to give shape to the open air, or rather to reveal the hidden architecture that was there all along - the invisible cathedral that vaulted over the surface of the pond - known only to sparrows and dragonflies but invisible to the human eye. By Amor Towles Invisible Air Pond Eye Give

Old times, as my father used to say: If you're not careful, they'll gut you like a fish. By Amor Towles Times Careful Fish Father Gut

One must be prepared to fight for one's simple pleasures and to defend them against elegance and erudition and all manner of glamorous enticements. By Amor Towles Enticements Prepared Fight Simple Pleasures

It was time enough for whole lives to have been led and misled... time enough, as the poet said, to murder and create -- or at least, to have warranted the dropping of a question on one's plate. By Amor Towles Misled Time Lives Led Create

And as she talked, the Count had to acknowledge once again the virtues of withholding judgment. By Amor Towles Count Talked Judgment Acknowledge Virtues

will-o'-the-wisp By Amor Towles Willo Thewisp

I found myself intent on keeping the memories of the year to myself.[ ... ]I didn't want to share them. Because I didn't want to dilute them By Amor Towles Myself Found Intent Keeping Memories

Really. Is there anything nice to be said about other people's vacations? By Amor Towles Vacations Nice People

It is of interest of times to change, Mr. Helecki. And it is the business of gentlemen to change with them. By Amor Towles Helecki Change Interest Times Business

It is the business of the times to change, Mr. Halecki. And it is the business of gentlemen to change with them." The By Amor Towles Halecki Business Change Times Gentlemen

For if a room that exists under the governance, authority, and intent of others seems smaller than it is, then a room that exists in secret can, regardless of its dimensions, seem as vast as one cares to imagine. Rising By Amor Towles Authority Room Exists Governance Dimensions

An act of generosity rarely ends a man's responsibilities toward another; it tends instead to begin them. By Amor Towles Act Generosity Rarely Ends Man

that if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them. The By Amor Towles Man Master Circumstances Bound Mastered

end of every question. By Amor Towles End Question

That sense of loss is exactly what we must anticipate, prepare for, and cherish to the last of our days; for it is only our heartbreak that finally refutes all that is ephemeral in love. The By Amor Towles Anticipate Prepare Days Love Sense

The only difference between everybody and nobody is all the shoes. By Amor Towles Shoes Difference

as we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. By Amor Towles Age Fade Bound Find Comfort

FRONTA NULLA FIDES. Place no trust in appearances. By Amor Towles Fronta Fides Nulla Place Appearances

Learning dance steps was the sorry Saturday night pursuit of every boardinghouse girl in America By Amor Towles America Saturday Learning Dance Steps

If we only fell in love with people who were perfect for us ... then there wouldn't be so much fuss about love in the first place. By Amor Towles Love Fell People Perfect Place

I assure you, my dear, were you to play the piano on the moon, I would hear every chord. By Amor Towles Dear Moon Chord Assure Play

Hollywood is the single most dangerous force in the history of class struggle." Or By Amor Towles Hollywood Struggle Single Dangerous Force

- I probably shouldn't tell you this, I said. - Kay-Kay, those are my six favorite words in the English language. By Amor Towles Kaykay English Language Favorite Words

Here, indeed, was a formidable sentence--one that was on intimate terms with a comma, and that held the period in healthy disregard. By Amor Towles Sentence Comma Disregard Formidable Intimate

the wise man celebrates what he can. By Amor Towles Wise Man Celebrates

sometimes everybody tells you something because it is true." "sometimes," nina clarified, "everybody tells you something because they are everybody... By Amor Towles True Nina Clarified

Stuart Davises he By Amor Towles Davises Stuart

if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them. By Amor Towles Man Master Circumstances Bound Mastered

How little imagination and courage we show in our hatreds. By Amor Towles Hatreds Imagination Courage Show

I told him I'd always found the description a little too long on adjectives and a little too short on specifics. By Amor Towles Specifics Told Found Description Long

But Fate would not have the reputation it has if it simply did what it seemed it would do. By Amor Towles Fate Reputation Simply

6th Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop. 7th By Amor Towles Speak Sleep Sit Peace Stop

There are no more sympathetic souls than strangers. So, By Amor Towles Strangers Sympathetic Souls

end of a page. "Surely, by now, By Amor Towles Surely End Page

Be careful when choosing what you're proud ofbecause the world has every intention of using it against you. By Amor Towles Careful Choosing Proud Ofbecause World

was ten and eleven By Amor Towles Eleven Ten

But imagining what might happen if one's circumstances were different was the only sure route to madness. Sitting By Amor Towles Sitting Madness Imagining Happen Circumstances