Quotes by James Joyce

“You made me confess the fears that I have. But I will tell you also what I do not fear. I do not fear to be alone or to be spurned for another or to leave whatever I have to leave. And I am not afraid to make a mistake, even a great mistake, a lifelong mistake and perhaps as long as eternity too.””

“I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.””

“Love loves to love love.””

“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love, but always meeting ourselves.””

“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.””

“He wanted to cry quietly but not for himself: for the words, so beautiful and sad, like music.””

“A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.””

“They lived and laughed and loved and left.””

“Life is too short to read a bad book.””

“All Moanday, Tearday, Wailsday, Thumpsday, Frightday, Shatterday.””

“Your battles inspired me - not the obvious material battles but those that were fought and won behind your forehead.””

“But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.from “Araby””

“Why is it that words like these seem dull and cold? Is it because there is no word tender enough to be your name?””