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John Burnside Quotes

You can’t sit down and decide what you want to write about Picture Quote #1

Sadly, bird illustration has always been an under-appreciated art Picture Quote #1

The woods were a boon; all too often, the forest offered danger and mystery. Yet it could be liberating. If you entered that wild place on its own terms, you might be accorded wisdom Picture Quote #1

My first book was a car crash. I tried to find all the copies and destroy them Picture Quote #1

I remember when I first encountered anthropocentrism. I was in primary school and, in preparation for our confirmation, the class was learning about the afterlife Picture Quote #1

This is a truth that should be repeated like a mantra: to have any chance of a ful - filling life, we require not only clean air and a steady climate, but also an abundance of meadows and woodlands, rivers and oceans, teeming with life and the mass existence of other living creatures Picture Quote #1

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It is common knowledge now that we depend on insects for our continued existence; that, without key pollinators, the human population would collapse in less than a decade Picture Quote #1

As attractive as it is, the idea that nature can exist beyond our dangerous ‘instinct for happiness’ is never the whole story Picture Quote #1

I really like to try my hand at everything, and I think it’s probably dangerous to let oneself be pigeon-holed, not necessarily by other people, but in one’s own mind Picture Quote #1

My poems tend to be more celebratory and lyrical, and the novels so far pretty dark. Poetry doesn’t seem to me to be an appropriate tool for exploring that Picture Quote #1

Thatcherite economic policy was most acutely felt in the coal industry, where tens of thousands of jobs were lost as pits were shut down Picture Quote #1

Every time I write a book, I think how I could be doing it better to please people - a nicer book with nicer characters - but I just can’t Picture Quote #1

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I remember a nightfall from childhood, far from home and off the known track: I’d been walking with some older boys, but they ran off and left me, and as darkness hurried in, I suddenly realised how far from home I was Picture Quote #1

My father was this big, tough guy, almost heroic in proportion to me as a child. It was only later that I saw how fearful he was Picture Quote #1

He lied all the time even when there was no need to lie [...] He needed a _history_, a sense of self. [Burnside on his father, p. 22] Picture Quote #1

I remember playing the Mad Hatter in a school play and feeling very comfortable in the character Picture Quote #1

I love long sentences. My big heroes of fiction writing are Henry James and Proust - people who recognise that life doesn’t consist of declarative statements, but rather modifications, qualifications and feelings Picture Quote #1

One day I was talking about what I was going to do next, and just found myself announcing it: ‘I’m going to write a book about my father.’ Picture Quote #1

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High Alpine meadows, like their near relatives prairie, desert and certain varieties of wetland, teach us to consider the world from a fresh perspective, to open our eyes and take account of what we have missed, reminding us that, in spite of our emphasis on the visual in everyday speech, we see so very little of the world Picture Quote #1

I have never understood why so many gardeners favour straight lines and narrow, regulated borders; perhaps they think wildness could work only in a larger space Picture Quote #1

That’s the wonderful thing with nerds: they’re enthusiasts. Not having a life means you get to love things with a passion and nobody bothers you about it Picture Quote #1

Given the right information to help them decide, people will opt for conditions that benefit our creaturely neighbours, even where they have no particular interest in larks or cuckoo wasps - because those conditions benefit us Picture Quote #1

Growing up, I learnt to think, ‘Let’s make it a big night tonight, as you never know what’s going to happen next.’ So now I have enough, I take too much; when I get the chance to have a fine dinner, I will. And it’s had an effect on my health Picture Quote #1

Andy Brown is one of our most interesting and exciting younger poets. With its love of ideas and language, his work demonstrates that there need be no barriers in poetry; that the philosophical, the lyrical and the playful can be combined in work of assured and generous vision Picture Quote #1

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Clearly, any well-kept garden will be a source of pleasure in the summer months; in the bleak urban midwinter, however, there are few activities more likely to energise the spirit than a botanical walk Picture Quote #1

With each passing decade, history becomes less real for us, less immediate and essential to our way of life, and so, like ‘green’ nature, more of a commodity or an advertising gimmick Picture Quote #1

It takes a true encounter to realise that real animals, wild animals, have all but passed from our lives Picture Quote #1

I know that the only reason American landscapes sometimes disappoint me is that, just a century before I was born, the great rivers and prairies and wild forests still existed. And they were sublime Picture Quote #1

In many traditions, hawks are sacred: Apollo’s messengers for the Greeks, sun symbols for the ancient Egyptians and, in the case of the Lakota Sioux, embodiments of clear vision, speed and single-minded dedication Picture Quote #1

I think humans have to learn a new way of dwelling on this earth. A way of living with their companions: animals, plants and fish Picture Quote #1

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Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

You can’t sit down and decide what you want to write about (John Burnside Quotes) Sadly, bird illustration has always been an under-appreciated art (John Burnside Quotes) The woods were a boon; all too often, the forest offered danger and mystery. Yet it could be liberating. If you entered that wild place on its own terms, you might be accorded wisdom. (John Burnside Quotes) My first book was a car crash. I tried to find all the copies and destroy them. (John Burnside Quotes) I remember when I first encountered anthropocentrism. I was in primary school and, in preparation for our confirmation, the class was learning about the afterlife. (John Burnside Quotes) This is a truth that should be repeated like a mantra: to have any chance of a ful - filling life, we require not only clean air and a steady climate, but also an abundance of meadows and woodlands, rivers and oceans, teeming with life and the mass existence of other living creatures. (John Burnside Quotes) It is common knowledge now that we depend on insects for our continued existence; that, without key pollinators, the human population would collapse in less than a decade. (John Burnside Quotes) As attractive as it is, the idea that nature can exist beyond our dangerous ‘instinct for happiness’ is never the whole story. (John Burnside Quotes) I really like to try my hand at everything, and I think it’s probably dangerous to let oneself be pigeon-holed, not necessarily by other people, but in one’s own mind. (John Burnside Quotes) My poems tend to be more celebratory and lyrical, and the novels so far pretty dark. Poetry doesn’t seem to me to be an appropriate tool for exploring that. (John Burnside Quotes) Thatcherite economic policy was most acutely felt in the coal industry, where tens of thousands of jobs were lost as pits were shut down. (John Burnside Quotes) Every time I write a book, I think how I could be doing it better to please people - a nicer book with nicer characters - but I just can’t. (John Burnside Quotes) I remember a nightfall from childhood, far from home and off the known track: I’d been walking with some older boys, but they ran off and left me, and as darkness hurried in, I suddenly realised how far from home I was. (John Burnside Quotes) My father was this big, tough guy, almost heroic in proportion to me as a child. It was only later that I saw how fearful he was. (John Burnside Quotes) He lied all the time even when there was no need to lie [...] He needed a _history_, a sense of self. [Burnside on his father, p. 22] (John Burnside Quotes) I remember playing the Mad Hatter in a school play and feeling very comfortable in the character (John Burnside Quotes) I love long sentences. My big heroes of fiction writing are Henry James and Proust - people who recognise that life doesn’t consist of declarative statements, but rather modifications, qualifications and feelings. (John Burnside Quotes) One day I was talking about what I was going to do next, and just found myself announcing it: ‘I’m going to write a book about my father.’ (John Burnside Quotes) High Alpine meadows, like their near relatives prairie, desert and certain varieties of wetland, teach us to consider the world from a fresh perspective, to open our eyes and take account of what we have missed, reminding us that, in spite of our emphasis on the visual in everyday speech, we see so very little of the world. (John Burnside Quotes) I have never understood why so many gardeners favour straight lines and narrow, regulated borders; perhaps they think wildness could work only in a larger space. (John Burnside Quotes) That’s the wonderful thing with nerds: they’re enthusiasts. Not having a life means you get to love things with a passion and nobody bothers you about it. (John Burnside Quotes) Given the right information to help them decide, people will opt for conditions that benefit our creaturely neighbours, even where they have no particular interest in larks or cuckoo wasps - because those conditions benefit us. (John Burnside Quotes) Growing up, I learnt to think, ‘Let’s make it a big night tonight, as you never know what’s going to happen next.’ So now I have enough, I take too much; when I get the chance to have a fine dinner, I will. And it’s had an effect on my health. (John Burnside Quotes) Andy Brown is one of our most interesting and exciting younger poets. With its love of ideas and language, his work demonstrates that there need be no barriers in poetry; that the philosophical, the lyrical and the playful can be combined in work of assured and generous vision (John Burnside Quotes) Clearly, any well-kept garden will be a source of pleasure in the summer months; in the bleak urban midwinter, however, there are few activities more likely to energise the spirit than a botanical walk. (John Burnside Quotes) With each passing decade, history becomes less real for us, less immediate and essential to our way of life, and so, like ‘green’ nature, more of a commodity or an advertising gimmick. (John Burnside Quotes) It takes a true encounter to realise that real animals, wild animals, have all but passed from our lives. (John Burnside Quotes) I know that the only reason American landscapes sometimes disappoint me is that, just a century before I was born, the great rivers and prairies and wild forests still existed. And they were sublime. (John Burnside Quotes) In many traditions, hawks are sacred: Apollo’s messengers for the Greeks, sun symbols for the ancient Egyptians and, in the case of the Lakota Sioux, embodiments of clear vision, speed and single-minded dedication. (John Burnside Quotes) I think humans have to learn a new way of dwelling on this earth. A way of living with their companions: animals, plants and fish. (John Burnside Quotes)

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