Clark Ashton Smith Quotes

He heard an eery, dry whispering whose source and distance he could not at once determine. Sometimes it seemed at his very ear, and then it ebbed away as if sinking into profound subterranean vaults. But the sound, though variable in this manner, never ceased entirely; and it seemed to shape itself into words that the listener almost understood: words that were fraught with the hopeless sorrow of a dead man who had sinned long ago, and had repented his sin through black sepulchral ages. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

I was with the first Venusian expedition, under the leadership of Admiral Carfax, in 1977. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Upon the delicate chin you turned
Venus had set her cloven sign.
Like embers seen through darkest wine
Your unextinguished tresses burned. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

It was mossed and lichened with antiquity; and there was a hint of beginning dilapidation in the time-worn stone of the walls. The formal garden had gone a little wild from neglect; the trimmed hedges and trees had taken on fantastic sprawling shapes; and evil, poisonous weeds had invaded the flower-beds. There were statues of cracked marble and verdigris-eaten bronze amid the shrubbery; there were fountains that had long ceased to flow; and dials on which the foliage-intercepted sun no longer fell. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

It would seem, O Nushain, that you have doubted your own horoscope,' said the guide, with a certain irony. 'However, even a bad astrologer, on occasion, may read the heavens aright. Obey, then, the stars that decreed your journey. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Then there was Clark Ashton Smith, who wrote for Weird Tales and who had a wild imagination. He wasn't a very talented writer, but his imagination was wonderful. ~ Jack Vance

It would seem, from this, that the people of Omanorion had mastered the ultra-civilized art of minding their own business. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

The Skeleton: We have wisdom, if you like - a dull and dusty wisdom, and I would give it all for a good draught of Chian wine.4 Perchance 'tis something to know that bodies are made of dust and water, the last of which is evaporable, and the former capable of dissolvement. For this is all our knowledge, in spite of much that is known and spoken of hierophant and philosopher. However, unlike the lore and wisdom of these, it may be contained without discommodation by one skull. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

In the days when the world begins to bleach and shrivel, and the sun is blotched with death. Socialist and Individualist, they'll all be a little dirt lodged deep in the granite wrinkles of the globe's countenance. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Only the impossible has any real charm; the possible has been vulgarized by happening too often. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

In one picture, the pool was half hidden by a fringe of mace- weeds, and the dead willow was leaning across it at a prone, despondent angle, as if mysteriously arrested in its fall towards the stagnant waters. Beyond, the alders seemed to strain away from the pool, exposing their knotted roots as if in eternal effort. In the other drawing, the pool formed the main portion of the foreground, with the skeleton tree looming drearily at one side. At the water's farther end, the cat-tails seemed to wave and whisper among themselves in a dying wind; and the steeply barring slope of pine at the meadow's terminus was indicated as a wall of gloomy green that closed in the picture, leaving only a pale of autumnal sky at the top. ("Genius Loci") ~ Clark Ashton Smith

All human thought, all science, all religion, is the holding of a candle to the night of the universe. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

We don't know whether they're going to eat us or elect us for their tribal deities. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Must beauty blossom, rooted in decay,
And night devour its flaming hues alway? ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Bow down, I am the emperor of dreams. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

To destroy wonder and mystery, is to destroy the only elements that make existence tolerable. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Nothing is stupider than the common complaint that poetry lacks "human interest," unless it concerns itself with human emotions, actions, problems and viewpoints. Anything conceivable by the imagination, any speculation ((conception)) ((emergence)) of what may be beyond, above and beneath the mundane sphere, can ((or may,)) possess "human interest," by enlarging the horizons of that interest. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Stern and white as a tomb, older than the memory of the dead, and built by men or devils beyond the recording of myth, is the mansion in which we dwell. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Within, there were several ponderous brazen-bound volumes of medieval date, a thin manuscript of yellowing parchment, and two portraits whose faces had been turned to the wall, as if it were unlawful for even the darkness of the sealed closet to behold them. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

White spiders, demon-headed and large as monkeys, had woven their webs in the hollow arches of the bones; and they swarmed out interminably as Nushain approached; and the skeleton seemed to stir and quiver as they seethed over it abhorrently and dropped to the ground before the astrologer. Behind them others poured in a countless army, crowding and mantling every ossicle. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Behind each thing a shadow lies;
Beauty hath e'er its cost:
Within the moonlight-flooded skies
How many stars are lost! ~ Clark Ashton Smith

But here, is this place of eternal bareness and solitude, it seemed that life could never have been. The stark, eroded stones were things that might have been reared by the toil of the dead, to house the monstrous ghouls and demons of primal desolation. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Lo! I am Beauty's constant thrall, Must ever on her voice await, And follow through the maze of Fate Her luring, strange and mystical. ~ Clark Ashton Smith

Come now, gentlemen." Ashton's steely tone stopped the two men. "Do we need to solve this in a ring?"
"I wouldn't recommend that," Godric said with a wry grin. "But if it does come to it, I'll stake ten pounds on Charles."
Both Cedric and Charles shared cautious looks with one another before declining, perhaps in part because none of the others would take that bet. Ashton dropped his hand when he seemed satisfied that Cedric would not resume trying to kill Charles. Lucien gave a sigh of relief. He had no desire to jump between his friends. Charles was a champion boxer and Lucien didn't want a blackened eye simply because he'd try to impose peace. If Ashton wished to risk his face, that was entirely up to him.
Jonathan, who had lingered at the edge of the group, suddenly spoke up. "Is this how all of your League meetings go? Perhaps we might focus ourselves back on the real problem and the importance of protecting the ladies."

-His Wicked Seduction ~ Lauren Smith

Where the bloody hell is my wife?" Godric yelled into the aether.
As if in response, a footman came up the stairs and handed Cedric a slip of paper. Dumbfounded, Cedric opened it and read it aloud.

My Dear Gentlemen,
We await you in the dining room. Please do not join us until you have decided upon a course of action regarding the threat to Lord Sheridan. We will be more than delighted to offer our opinions on the matter, but in truth, we suspect you do not wish to hear our thoughts. It is a failing of the male species, and we shan't hold it against you. In the future, however, it would be advisable not to lock us in a room. We simply cannot resist a challenge, something you should have learned by now. Intelligent women are not to be trifled with.
Fondest Regards,
~ The Society of Rebellious Ladies ~

"Fondest regards?" Lucien scoffed.
A puzzled Jonathan added, "Society of Rebellious Ladies?"
"Lord help us!" Ashton groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "They've named themselves."
"I'll wager a hundred pounds that Emily's behind this. Having a laugh at our expense," Charles said in all seriousness.
"Let's go and see how rebellious they are when we're done with them." Cedric rolled up the sleeves of his white lawn shirt as he and the others stalked down the stairs to the dining room. They found it empty. The footman reappeared and Cedric wondered if perhaps the man had never left. At the servant's polit ~ Lauren Smith

Cedric grumbled. "Dash it all. I hate how bloody sensible you are. I sound like some mulish fop who fears losing control over something he never actually had control of."
"You're not a fop. Mulish absolutely, but a fop? Never."
"You're very lucky that I like you. Otherwise I would be tempted to point a pistol at you after all."
Ash grinned.

-Cedric & Ashton. His Wicked Seduction ~ Lauren Smith

Don't move, he breathed, softer than ever. Logan slowly wrapped his fingers around my hand. ~ Jeri Smith-Ready

Aidan is the only person she knows who would mend a pair of sweatpants. He hates to give up on anything. ~ Jennifer E. Smith

Throughout my life, I happily deferred to family, companions, children. ~ Patti Smith

Segregation is evil; there is no pattern of life which can dehumanize men as can the way of segregation. ~ Lillian Smith

From where I stood it was a pose that collapsed many periods in her life into one: mother and lover, big sister, best friend, superstar and diplomat, billionaire and street kid, foolish girl and woman of substance. ~ Zadie Smith

When I was backstage at Comic-Con, about to go out and do the panel for Thor, and Joss Whedon ran up and introduced himself, I already almost passed out, right then. And then, he said, "I've been meaning to call you. You have a big part in The Avengers. Can we introduce you as part of the cast?" It was pretty Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was pretty sure I was dying and nobody had told me yet. ~ Clark Gregg

It's Smith, actually.' Dr Smith smiled, bowing. 'I've remembered that my name is Smith. Almost definitely. Good old English name. Hopefully means 'noble valiant warriot' and not 'he who hits kittens with a hammer.' You'd be surprised the derivations of common surnames in the English countryside ... ~ James Goss

Jeremy: "Who did it? Wait-you think I did. Don't you?"
Ash: "It did cross our minds at one point. Actually, it seemed to keep crossing them. Back and forth. Maybe we should put in a crosswalk. ~ L.J.Smith

Stop looking at me like that," she whispered.
"I can't." I could barely say it. I could barely breathe. I wanted to look at her for the rest of my life. Reaching a hand up, I ran just the tips of my fingers through her hair. Most of it was down, but just a few strands were pulled up away from her face. It was the perfect hair for the perfect dress, worn by the perfect girl. ~ N.K. Smith

The nigger is America's greatest asset and its biggest fear ~ Mychal Denzel Smith

I had written here and there about my mother in my poems. There are poems for her in my first and second books. ~ Tracy K. Smith

I had a very good English teacher who said to me that she thought I ought to do it. She - I don't know, she saw something thank goodness because I think if it hadn't been encouraged by somebody that serious, I'm not sure what would've happened to me. ~ Maggie Smith

Memories are always precious, they are memories which will stay, and even though the time goes by, they will never be taken away. ~ Susan Smith

He bared his teeth, his voice an angry hiss. "I do what the hell I like."

The dramatic effect was spoiled slightly when he slumped sideways and was violently sick all over his lovely new coat. ~ Anna Smith Spark

I'm not really a nostalgic person. ~ Patti Smith

I always thought there was some place I was going, that there was some success or some achievement or some box-office number that was going to fill the hole. And what I realize is that life is a hole. It's a process of continually trying to find and reinvent myself. ~ Will Smith

I'm interested in how a lot of people pull objects together to form an environment that we feel reflects ourselves or makes us feel comfortable. ~ Matt Smith

This became Delacroix 's theme: that the achievements of the spirit all that a great library contained were the result of a state of society so delicately balanced that at the least touch they would be crushed beneath an avalanche of pent-up animal forces. ~ Kenneth Clark

Since the early 1990s, a shadow government has taken root along K Street, the Washington corridor that is home to block after stately block of law firms and lobbying offices. Over the years, this army of influence peddlers has gone well beyond the hunt for votes on Capitol Hill. Smart lobbyists know that it is not just the final vote on a bill that counts, but every step along the way. Business enjoys huge political advantages by having its lobbying agents meet day in and day out with key legislators and their staffs, either to kill bills or provisions in them that business considers hostile or to insert arcane subparagraphs that its lobbyists have drafted and tailored to specific corporate interests. ~ Hedrick Smith

--I didn't know what was more dangerous...the things he said or the way his voice seeped into the crevices of my soul.

--My body liked the effect he had on me, but my mind was gathering caution tape and a hazmat suit. ~ Morgan Smith

We accept without reservation the scriptural teachings that Christ is the Son of God and that he came into the world to ransom men from the spiritual and temporal death brought into the world by the fall of Adam. No one can state too plainly or emphasize too strongly this eternal truth that salvation is in Christ and that it comes because of his atoning sacrifice. Nor can we set forth too clearly the gospel truth that we also must do certain things to be saved. ~ Joseph Fielding Smith

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) ~ Stephen W. Smith

Courage doesn't mean never being afraid. We're all afraid sometimes. Bravery means doing the right thing anyway. That's true strength. ~ Gwenda Bond

And it wasn't because of anything the Clutters did. They never hurt me. Like other people. Like people have all my life. Maybe it's just the Clutters were the ones that had to pay for it. ~ Truman Capote

Now it is done. Now the story ends. And there is no way to tell it. The art of fiction is dead. Reality has strangled invention. ~ Red Smith

Our fates are in the hands of An Almighty God, to whom I can with pleasure confide my own; he can save us, or destroy us; his Councils are fixed and cannot be disappointed, and all his designs will be Accomplished. ~ Abraham Clark

Seeing ourselves as we want to be is a key to personal growth. To successfully bring about change in our lives we need to implement a system of change that is build upon three assumptions. First Assumption: We change our lives by changing the attitudes of our minds. Second Assumption: We become what we think about all day long. Third Assumption: Our mind is naturally goal seeking. Please remember these assumptions. Our mind is always trying to accomplish something. We have a powerful machine wanting to achieve goals. It will set the goals that we allow it to. ~ Hyrum W. Smith

I used to be a compulsive exerciser, but I'm over that. ~ Courtney Thorne-Smith

Fine. I don't have the time or the inclination to edit erotica, even good erotica, if there is such an animal. I'm not the only editor here. Give it to Thomas Finley." Zach named his least favorite coworker, the one who'd given him his nickname. "Or Angie Clark even."

"Finley? That pansy? He'd make a pass at Sutherlin, and she'd eat him alive. If you punched him in the face, he wouldn't even know how to bleed right."

Zach nearly laughed in agreement before remembering he was fighting with J.P. ~ Tiffany Reisz

I truly believe that I can be president of the US if I really want to. ~ Will Smith

The house seemed so different at night. Everything was in its correct place, of course, but somehow the furniture seemed more angular and the pictures on the wall more one-dimensional. She remembered somebody saying that at night we are all strangers, even to ourselves, and this struck her as being true. ~ Alexander McCall Smith

The prudent man is always sincere, and feels horror at the very thought of exposing himself to the disgrace which attends upon the detection of falsehood. But though always sincere, he is not always frank and open; and though he never tells any thing but the truth, he does not always think himself bound, when not properly called upon, to tell the whole truth. As he is cautious in his actions, so he is reserved in his speech; and never rashly or unnecessarily obtrudes his opinion concerning either things or persons. ~ Adam Smith

a black granite cube containing only the character mu ~ Patti Smith

People help each other through a crisis by each supposing that the other can handle it better than he himself can. ~ Frank A. Clark