Merritt Quotes

When I was nominated for a Grammy, my label dropped me - I have a wariness about trying for a hit. ~ Tift Merritt

The thought of making work that's easily consumed and quickly forgotten - what's the point? I want my work to be cohesive, to age and improve like old leather. ~ Tift Merritt

A vision of the Shining One swirling into our world, a monstrous, glorious flaming pillar of incarnate, eternal Evil--of people passing through its radiant embrace into that hideous, unearthly life-in-death which I had seen enfold the sacrifices--of armies trembling into dancing atoms of diamond dust beneath the green ray's rhythmic death--of cities rushing out into space upon the wings of that other demoniac force which Olaf had watched at work--of a haunted world through which the assassins of the Dweller's court stole invisible, carrying with them every passion of hell--of the rallying to the Thing of every sinister soul and of the weak and the unbalanced, mystics and carnivores of humanity alike; for well I knew that, once loosed, not any nation could hold the devil-god for long and that swiftly its blight would spread! ~ A. Merritt

I think, at the end of the day, I have an outsider's heart. ~ Tift Merritt

The tale begins well before my time. It's common knowledge, among the locals, that the woods stretching between Swinford and Corbinsdale are cursed." "Cursed," Brooke scoffed. "Ignorance and superstition are the true curses. Their remedy is education. Don't you sponsor a school on this estate, Denny?" "It's a story," Portia said. "Even schoolchildren know the difference. And they could teach you something about imagination. Your cynicism is not only tiresome, but pitiable." "You pity me? How amusing." "Pity won't get you on my list." "Really?" Brooke smirked. "It seems to have worked for Lord Merritt." Enough ~ Tessa Dare

I'm a writer, first and foremost, and I sort of take my cues from the songwriters of the '70s, who are talking about what's really important to them. ~ Tift Merritt

Inherent in every living thing is an insatiable hunger, the innate desire to express life by freely and fully being "what" it was uniquely created to be. To personalize this, consider the possibility that there was a time when you were a "what" before you were a "who." If you can wrap your mind around that possibility, then, the question to explore is, what were you before you became a who - and why did you become the who you uniquely are when there are so many other "who"s on the planet you might have been? While this may seem like a bit of a paradoxi- cal tongue twister, it is the quintessential question that requires exploration if you are to follow your true North Star back to your point of origin, where you'll find your authentic self waiting to weave itself into the fabric of your human life today and every day. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

New York Times v. Sullivan was about the suppression of speech in the South [during the 1960s]. Today's version of suppression is just another verse of the same song. ~ Gilbert S. Merritt, Jr.

It can be very seductive to tell our story to others who will listen because, lets face it, who doesn't love to 'commiserate' (in this context, meaning to share their misery) with other likeminded people. It justifies our attachment to the drama. The interesting thing about telling our story over and over is that it becomes even more deeply ingrained in our minds each time we tell it, and the universe delights in keeping whatever we claim as our story alive. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

If you're in love, love to the limit; and if you hate, why hate like the devil and if it's a fight you're in, get where it's hottest and fight like hell - if you don't life's not worth the living. ~ A. Merritt

I don't remember things initially when listening to music. Like, I don't remember where I first heard a song, I don't have nostalgic attachment to a song in that it reminds me of such and such a time or place. I think I probably did experience that somewhat when I was not a full-time, professional musician, but I don't think music works that way for people who are in it constantly. ~ Stephin Merritt

Design is everything. ~ William Merritt Chase

Claire Hodgson, born Clara Mae Merritt, was the daughter of a prominent Georgia attorney who had once represented Ty Cobb. She was still a teenager when she married Frank Hodgson, a gentleman caller nearly twice her age. ~ Jane Leavy

You can move from normal to real peace in 57 minutes. ~ Lionel Merritt

I think you need a concrete, real-world metaphor to talk about inner life without feeling like a jerk. ~ Tift Merritt

If we were to excavate the deepest recesses of our consciousness, we would discover many beliefs about ourselves that are simply not true and that may never have been true. Yet we live from these beliefs as if they were true because we have never identified them clearly enough to question them, to challenge them. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking something. There's never any vocals, so it's not about the lyrics, it's about the reverb. ~ Stephin Merritt

There was a stirring among the watching women. One came forward holding a chalice that was like thin leaves turned to green crystal. She paused beside the trunk of one of the spectral trees, reached up and drew down to her a branch. A slim girl with half-frightened, half-resentful eyes glided to, her side and threw her arms around the ghostly bole. The woman with the chalice bent the branch and cut it deep with what seemed an arrow-shaped flake of jade. From the wound a faintly opalescent liquid slowly filled the cup. When it was filled the woman beside McKay stepped forward and pressed her own long hands around the bleeding branch. She stepped away and McKay saw that the stream had ceased to flow. She touched the trembling girl and unclasped her arms.

"The Women Of The Woods ~ A. Merritt

You have to be vigilant about keeping your own fire alive. ~ Tift Merritt

My work is has always been very, very personal. ~ Tift Merritt

I wrote a lot when I was younger, though never anything like plays or scripts. ~ Merritt Wever

From the first she showed a curious sensitivity to what, I suppose, may be called the 'influences' of the place. She said it 'smelled' of ghosts and warlocks. ~ A. Merritt

A sign in the window advertised the
long extinct Miller Genuine Draft. ~ Tom Merritt

My point of view as a writer has to be a lot more ego-less than just like being some performer on stage with a hairdo. ~ Tift Merritt

Have you ever taken yourself a bit too seriously, thinking that who you are is actually defined by what you look like, how much talent you have (or don't have), how well known you are (or aren't), or how much money you have (or don't have)? Those are all "garments and labels" you wear during the course of your stay here on this planet, but it's not who you are. At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, you will turn all of that back in just like a car you had on lease. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

Our Founding Fathers were the first to articulate the reasons for their First Amendment, the same reasons given by Learned Hand, and by Justice Brennan in New York Times v. Sullivan . It is a lesson we keep forgetting and must relearn in each succeeding generation. ~ Gilbert S. Merritt, Jr.

I wanted to dedicate myself completely to the things that matter to me and let everything else go, and I think that's a really rewarding thing. ~ Tift Merritt

When we lose our spiritual vocabulary, we lose much more than words. We lose the power of speaking grace, forgiveness, love, and justice over others. ~ Jonathan Merritt

Accept that shit is fucked up and roll with it...Don't bitch. Just adapt. Nothing is going to go right and everything is going to be hard. ~ Merritt Tierce

Many people are so busy just doing life, getting by day to day, that they lose touch with the deeper purpose and meaning of life itself. They wander aimlessly from day to day and, as days turn into years, on the final day of their journey here, they look back and think, "That's it? Where was the juice and sweetness and meaning of being here?" Without a vision, our life's journey can seem meaningless. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

One of the telltale signs of one who has completely embraced their authentic self is that they are, with great consistency, the same person in public as they are behind closed doors. Until you learn how to access your authentic voice, the uniqueness of who you truly are will never be fully realized. What makes you special (just like everyone else) is that you were placed here on this planet to express the one-of-a-kind being only you can be. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

Every Brit I met had the best sense of humor. They're hilarious: very dry and witty. ~ Merritt Patterson

One hundred rounds do not constitute fire power. One hit constitutes fire power. ~ Merritt A. Edson

I don't want to be overly philosophical, but I think there are things you earn for yourself as you go. ~ Tift Merritt

It is clear we exist in an abundant living Universe that knows no restriction - only the impulse to eternally expand with no limits or boundaries, perpetually becoming more of what it is and can ever be - star-stuff . . . Life, pushing out by creating light and matter from within itself, shaping and giving form to itself, exquisitely clothing itself in an infinite and unique number of ways. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

The power of language transcends the need for survival, and the components of the human brain required for it are too complex and advanced to have developed over time. ~ Jonathan Merritt

This too shall pass." It confirms that you can and should expect change and Uncertainty as a natural part of your life experience because nothing (and no thing) lasts forever. The sooner you learn this life lesson, the less you shall suffer. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

But when high-profile politicians speak God in the most perfunctory manner possible, it's no wonder supporters and opponents alike avoid speaking God altogether. ~ Jonathan Merritt

Unfortunately, I don't think I can call myself an activist because I don't really do enough of anything. ~ Merritt Wever

The primary purpose of reading the Bible is not to know the Bible but to know God. ~ James Merritt

We strike our blow, even as Pierre has said. We strike at the coppice that you so desire. We strike there because it is the very heart of the forest. There the secret life of the forest runs at full tide. We know - and you know! Something that, destroyed, will take the heart out of the forest - will make it know us for its masters."

("Women Of The Woods") ~ A. Merritt

I was thinking about how a playlist is really so inadequate as opposed to a mixtape because it takes seventeen days to really make a mixtape with a homemade cover that you like and that you'd give away. ~ Tift Merritt

A wonderful bird is the pelican His bill will hold more than his belican. He can take in his beak Food enough for a week, But I'm damned if I see how the helican. ~ Dixon Lanier Merritt

Driven by fear, people run for security to mountains and forests, to sacred spots and shrines. But none of these can be a safe refuge, because they cannot free the mind from fear. - THE DHAMMAPADA ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

You must be excessively hungry, Mr. Merritt," she said
graciously. Mademoiselle would have been so proud of her.
"Perhaps you are not a morning person?"
He smiled, finally bringing his devastating sky blue
morning gaze fully upon her face.
"I thought perhaps if I filled my mouth with biscuits, I
might keep my foot out of it for a while. ~ Mona Karel

Where do we find happiness? Unfortunately, the common belief with most people is that happiness is something that happens to them when conditions are just right rather than something that happens through them when they choose to make space for it. While outer conditions may stimulate the feeling of happiness, it can never come from anywhere other than within us. Authentic happiness isn't something we can go out and get, buy, borrow, or steal. Nor can any form of artificial sensory stimulus generate true happiness; it's only something we can be, and it's a choice we make with every breath we take. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

I really love music, and I definitely love playing music and getting to be a part of music. ~ Tift Merritt

We will never have a world free of violence until we teach our children to carry peace in their hearts, not guns in their hands. ~ Donna Marie Merritt

I wish feminism wasn't so scary to people. It should be an evolving concept. I think it's an umbrella term to embrace conflicting ideas. ~ Merritt Wever

Diversity ... is not casual liberal tolerance of anything not yourself. It is not polite accommodation. Instead, diversity is, in action, the sometimes painful awareness that other people, other races, other voices, other habits of mind have as much integrity of being, as much claim on the world as you do ... And I urge you, amid all the differences present to the eye and mind, to reach out to create the bond that ... will protect us all. We are all meant to be here together. ~ William Merritt Chase

When my husband and I went into the bayou between New Orleans and Baton Rouge for a week of intensive marriage counseling after I started burning myself. My parents paid for it and kept the baby. It didn't work but we did have anal sex and the woman counselor gave me a recipe for oatmeal blueberry pancakes that I still make. ~ Merritt Tierce

I burn my neck with a fondue skewer while you watch The Cosby Show on my bed. ~ Merritt Tierce

We were born to be free, to expand our horizons by going where we have never gone before, and not to hang out in the relative comfort and safety of the nest, the known. There is a place within us that is courageous beyond our human understanding; it yearns to explore beyond the boundaries of our daily life. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

Lady Merritt Sterling was a vibrantly attractive woman with large, dark eyes, a wealth of lustrous sable hair, and a flawless porcelain complexion. Unlike her two sisters, she had inherited the shorter, stockier frame of the Marsden side instead of the slender build of her mother. Similarly, she had her father's square-shaped face and determined jaw instead of her mother's delicate oval one. However, Merritt possessed a charm so compelling that she eclipsed every other woman in the vicinity, no matter how beautiful.
Merritt focused on whomever she was talking to with a wealth of sincere interest, as if she or he were the only person in the world. She asked questions and listened without ever seeming to wait for her turn to talk. She was the guest everyone invited when they needed to blend a group of disparate personalities, just as a roux would bind soap or sauce into velvety smoothness.
It was no exaggeration to say that every man who met Merritt fell at least a little in love with her. When she had entered society, countless suitors had pursued her before she'd finally consented to marry Joshua Sterling, an American-born shipping magnate who had taken up residence in London. ~ Lisa Kleypas

I travel in a Ford Econoline van with a trailer. So it's not quite so glamorous. ~ Tift Merritt

I wish I didn't want the exotic man who knows the entire history of jazz, and instead wanted the teacher, who has his flaws but whose kindness is as rare as genius. ~ Merritt Tierce

The only things those people have that you don't is guts. Do you wanna live forever? ~ Merritt A. Edson

Taking care of the details was probably how Merritt took back control, and Loralee wondered whether every girl who lost her mother did the same thing when life got muddier than a puddle. ~ Karen White

Success is doing everything you could the right way and saying man, I did the best I could - that's success. ~ Aries Merritt

Theater has always been terrifying to me. ~ Merritt Wever

I don't believe in making pencil sketches and then painting landscape in your studio. You must be right under the sky. ~ William Merritt Chase

You must try to match your colors as nearly as you can to those you see before you, and you must study the effects of light and shade on nature's own hues and tints. ~ William Merritt Chase

I usually spend my free time worrying about when I'm going to work next. ~ Merritt Wever

I realize, of course, that it is not true logic to argue--"The world is not as we think it is--therefore everything we think impossible is possible in it." Even if it be different, it is governed by law. The truly impossible is that which is outside law, and as nothing can be outside law, the impossible cannot exist. ~ A. Merritt

Here we are being hard and relentlessly dazzling in spite of whatever shit. We are saying to each other If you have an affliction, any remorse or anguish, eat it, drink it, snort it, fuck it, use it, suck it, kill it. ~ Merritt Tierce

My God, I'd rather go to Europe than go to heaven. ~ William Merritt Chase

You don't have to go on a quest to "find" silence-it's a matter of uncovering it right where you are. Think about it: if all external and internal sounds were eliminated, only silence would remain. The question is, how much silence can you bear? How deep are you willing to go below surface living to reconnect with who you truly are? ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

You stuttered like a kaleidoscope, because you knew too many words. ~ Stephin Merritt

France was very opposite of the show-business experience I'd been living; I was anonymous and alone. I wore no makeup, wore the same clothes every day. And I wrote and wrote and wrote. ~ Tift Merritt

I used to joke that if acting didn't work out, poetry was my commonsense fallback. ~ Merritt Wever

In Zen, there is an old saying: The obstacle is the path. Know that a whole and happy life is not free of obstacles. Quite the contrary, a whole and happy life is riddled with obstacles-they simply become the very stepping-stones that help lift us to a new perspective. It is not what happens to us in this life that shapes us, it is how we choose to respond to what happens to us. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

In France, I discovered that I love writing in the city. There's such an intensity to being in the city that matches the intensity of what you're experiencing in your head. ~ Tift Merritt

To learn more, we have to be willing to leave the zone of the known and step into the void. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

You can always boil down the life of a musician to touring, playing, and writing. ~ Tift Merritt

Mindfulness Makes the Mystery Meaningful ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

Association with my pupils has kept me young in my work. Criticism of their work has kept my own point of view clear. ~ William Merritt Chase

Our words may not cause plants to sprout, but they can make hope spring forth in a human heart. ~ Jonathan Merritt

Nothing was ever easy or simple, not one blasted thing. ~ Jackie Merritt

Sometimes when you're writing on a ukulele, you're in a totally new land, rhythmically or melodically. ~ Tift Merritt

As much as I love being a singer-songwriter, I love throwing down on stage and letting it all out. ~ Tift Merritt

A tremendous amount of energy is freed up when you feel that your vision is actually respected and cared for by the people you're working with. ~ Tift Merritt