Quotes

Famous quotes — usually with minimal additional commentary.

  • Solitude

    You don’t need to leave your room.
    Remain sitting at your table and listen.
    Don’t even listen, simply wait.
    Don’t even wait.
    Be quite still and solitary.
    The world will freely offer itself to you.
    To be unmasked, it has no choice.
    It will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

    — Franz Kafka

  • Go away, I’m looking for truth

    The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away, I’m looking for truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling.

    — Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

    I actually sent this quote to an internal recruiter once. I had been through several interviews with the company and it seemed that I was progressing towards a job offer. I was excited about the company and it looked to me to be a very good fit.

    And then came that one final interview with one of the partners. Within the first fifteen seconds of our conversation I knew that an offer would not be forthcoming. It was clear that she had already made up her mind before the call even began. When the recruiter called a few days later to say that the firm had decided to not move forward I was deeply puzzled.