WIST Quotations

Barrie, James -- Peter and Wendy, ch. 4 “The Flight” (1911)

Dave — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 17:31:12 +0000

Certainly they did not pretend to be sleepy, they were sleepy; and that was a danger, for the moment they popped off, down they fell. The awful thing was that Peter thought this funny.
“There he goes again!” he would cry gleefully, as Michael suddenly dropped like a stone.
“Save him, save him!” cried Wendy, looking with horror at the cruel sea far below. Eventually Peter would dive through the air, and catch Michael just before he could strike the sea, and it was lovely the way he did it; but he always waited till the last moment, and you felt it was his cleverness that interested him and not the saving of human life. Also he was fond of variety, and the sport that engrossed him one moment would suddenly cease to engage him, so there was always the possibility that the next time you fell he would let you go.

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish novelist and dramatist [James Matthew Barrie]
Peter and Wendy, ch. 4 “The Flight” (1911)
(Source)

Not included in the 1928 published play, Peter Pan.

Grafton, Sue -- “T” is for Trespass, ch. 9 (2007)

Dave — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 20:47:50 +0000

You can’t save others from themselves because those who make a perpetual muddle of their lives don’t appreciate your interfering with the drama they’ve created. They want your poor-sweet-baby sympathy, but they don’t want to change. This is a truth I never seem to learn.

Sue Grafton (1940-2017) American novelist, screenwriter
“T” is for Trespass, ch. 9 (2007)
(Source)

Taylor, Barbara Brown -- Learning to Walk in the Dark, ch. 3 (2014)

Dave — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 15:52:36 +0000

I noted that it is sometimes hard to tell whether you are being killed or saved by the hands that turn your life upside down.

Barbara Brown Taylor (b. 1951) American minister, academic, author
Learning to Walk in the Dark, ch. 3 (2014)
(Source)

Bird, Brad -- The Incredibles (2004)

Dave — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 17:55:26 +0000

BOB: No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know?! For a little bit. I feel like the maid: “I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for, for 10 minutes?! Please?!”

Brad Bird (b. 1957) American director, animator and screenwriter [Phillip Bradley Bird]
The Incredibles (2004)

Nin, Anais -- Diary (1947-02)

Dave — Fri, 25 May 2018 22:34:16 +0000

Anxiety is love’s greatest killer. It creates the failures. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic.

Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) Catalan-Cuban-French author, diarist
Diary (1947-02)
(Source)

Talmud -- Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9; Yerushalmi Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a

Dave — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:39:15 +0000

Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.

The Talmud (AD 200-500) Collection of Jewish rabbinical writings
Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9; Yerushalmi Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a
(Source)

Alt. trans.: "Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world."

Brecht, Bertholt -- Life of Galileo [Leben des Galilei], sc. 13 (1939)

Dave — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:29:29 +0000

ANDREA: Unhappy the land that has no heroes! …
GALILEO: No, Unhappy the land that needs heroes.

[ANDREA: Unglücklich das Land, das keine Helden hat! …
GALILEO: Nein, Unglücklich das Land, das Helden nötig hat.]

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German poet, playwright, director, dramaturgist
Life of Galileo [Leben des Galilei], sc. 13 (1939)

Alternate translation:
ANDREA: Unhappy the land that breeds no heroes.
GALILEO: No, Andrea: Unhappy is the land that needs a hero.
[tr. Laughton (1961); cited as sc. 12]