N Scott Momaday Quotes

Sometimes, I think the best kind of poem is one in which there is an acute balance between what is humorous and that which is very serious. That balance is very hard to strike. But it can be done. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Anything is bearable if you can make a story out of it. ~ N. Scott Momaday

For the storyteller, for the arrowmaker, language does indeed represent the only chance for survival. ~ N. Scott Momaday

If you believe in the power of words, you can bring about physical changes in the universe. ~ N. Scott Momaday

The first word gives origin to the second, the first and second to the third, and the third to the fourth, and so on. You cannot begin with the second word ... ~ N. Scott Momaday

You see, I am alive, I am alive
I stand in good relation to the earth
I stand in good relation to the gods
I stand in good relation to all that is beautiful
I stand in good relation to the daughter of Tsen-tainte
You see, I am alive, I am alive ~ N. Scott Momaday

The Kiowas reckoned their stature by the distance they could see. ~ N. Scott Momaday

I sometimes think the contemporary white American is more culturally deprived than the Indian. ~ N. Scott Momaday

There was only the dark infinity in which nothing was. And something happened. At the distance of a star something happened, and everything began. The Word did not come into being, but it was. It did not break upon the silence, but it was older than the silence and the silence was made of it. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Loneliness is an aspect of the land. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Writing engenders in us certain attitudes toward language. It encourages us to take words for granted. Writing has enabled us to store vast quantities of words indefinitely. This is advantageous on the one hand but dangerous on the other. The result is that we have developed a kind of false security where language is concerned, and our sensitivity to language has deteriorated. And we have become in proportion insensitive to silence. ~ N. Scott Momaday

A word has power in and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it gives origin to all things. ~ N. Scott Momaday

I wonder if, in the dark night of the sea, the octopus dreams of me. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth, I believe. He ought to give himself up to a particular landscape in his experience, to look at it from as many angles as he can, to wonder about it, to dwell upon it. ~ N. Scott Momaday

East of my grandmother's house the sun rises out of the plain. Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon remembered earth, I believe. He ought to give himself up to a particular landscape in his experience, to look at it from as many angles as he can, to wonder about it, to dwell upon it. He ought to imagine that he touches it with his hands at every season and listens to the sounds that are made upon it. He ought to imagine the creatures there and all the faintest motions of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare of noon and all the colors of the dawn and dusk. ~ N. Scott Momaday

In the white man's world, language, too
and the way which the white man thinks of it
has undergone a process of change. The white man takes such things as words and literatures for granted, as indeed he must, for nothing in his world is so commonplace. On every side of him there are words by the millions, an unending succession of pamphlets and papers, letters and books, bills and bulletins, commentaries and conversations. He has diluted and multiplied the Word, and words have begun to close in on him. He is sated and insensitive; his regard for language
for the Word itself
as an instrument of creation has diminished nearly to the point of no return. It may be that he will perish by the Word. ~ N. Scott Momaday

The events of one's life take place, take place. How often have I used this expression, and how often have I stopped to think about what it means? Events do indeed take place, they have meaning in relation to things around them. ~ N. Scott Momaday

My line of vision was such that the creature filled the moon like a fossil. It had gone there, I thought, to live and die, for there, of all places, was its small definition made whole and eternal ~ N. Scott Momaday

In the beginning was the Word'. I have taken as my text this evening the almighty Word itself. Now get this: 'There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.' Amen, brothers and sisters, Amen. And the riddle of the Word, 'In the beginning was the Word....' Now what do you suppose old John meant by that? That cat was a preacher, and, well, you know how it is with preachers; he had something big on his mind. Oh my, it was big; it was the Truth, and it was heavy, and old John hurried to set it down. And in his hurry he said too much. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' It was the Truth, all right, but it was more than the Truth. The Truth was overgrown with fat, and the fat was God. The fat was John's God, and God stood between John and the Truth. Old John, see, he got up one morning and caught sight of the Truth. It must have been like a bolt of lightning, and the sight of it made him blind. And for a moment the vision burned on the back of his eyes, and he knew what it was. In that instant he saw something he had never seen before and would never see again. That was the instant of revelation, inspiration, Truth. And old John, he must have fallen down on his knees. Man, he must have been shaking and laughing and crying and yelling and praying - all at the same time - and he must have been drunk and delirious with the Truth. You see ~ N. Scott Momaday

Abel,' she said after a moment, 'do you think that I am beautiful?'
She had gone to the opposite wall and turned. She leaned back with her hands behind her, throwing her head a little in order to replace a lock of hair that had fallen across her brow. She sucked at her cheeks, musing. 'No, not beautiful,' he said. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Your imagination comes to life, and this, you think, is where Creation was begun. ~ N. Scott Momaday

He used both hands when he made the bear. Imagine a bear proceeding from the hands of God. ~ N. Scott Momaday

There is a great good in returning to a landscape that has had extraordinary meaning in one's life. It happens that we return to such places in our minds irresistibly. There are certain villages and towns, mountains and plains that, having seen them walked in them lived in them even for a day, we keep forever in the mind's eye. They become indispensable to our well-being; they define us, and we say, I am who I am because I have been there, or there. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Coyotes have the gift of seldom being seen; they keep to the edge of vision and beyond, loping in and out of cover on the plains and highlands. And at night, when the whole world belongs to them, they parley at the river with the dogs, their higher, sharper voices full of authority and rebuke. They are an old council of clowns, and they are listened to. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Indians are marvelous storytellers. In some ways, that oral tradition is stronger than the written tradition. ~ N. Scott Momaday

I am a member of the Kiowa Gourd Dance Society; I visit sacred places such as Devil's Tower and the Medicine Wheel. These places are important to me, because they've been made sacred by sacrifice, by the investment of blood and experience and story. ~ N. Scott Momaday

The turn of the century was the lowest point for the devastation of Indian culture by disease and persecution, and it's a wonder to me that they survived it and have not only maintained their identity, but are actually growing stronger in some ways. The situation is still very bad, especially in certain geographical areas, but there are more Indians going to school, more Indians becoming professional people, more Indians assuming full responsibility in our society. We have a long way to go, but we're making great strides. ~ N. Scott Momaday

The highest human purpose is always to reinvent and celebrate the sacred. ~ N. Scott Momaday

My father was a painter and he taught art. He once said to me, 'I never knew an Indian child who could not draw.' ~ N. Scott Momaday

We are what we imagine. Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves. Our best destiny is to imagine, at least, completely, who and what, and that we are. The greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Although my grandmother lived out her long life in the shadow of Rainy Mountian, the immense landscape of the continental interior lay like memory in her blood ~ N. Scott Momaday

It's a landscape that has to be seen to be believed. And as I say on occasion, it may have to be believed in order to be seen. ~ N. Scott Momaday

Her name is Ago, and she belonged to the last culture to evolve in North America. ~ N. Scott Momaday

I am interested in the way that we look at a given landscape and take possession of it in our blood and brain. None of us lives apart from the land entirely; such an isolation is unimaginable. ~ N. Scott Momaday

All the songs we do are basically about one of three things: booze, sex or rock n roll. ~ Bon Scott

He'd smashed my heart, thrown me out, and moved on with being the rock 'n' roll bad boy.
"Fuck him," I whispered. ~ Kylie Scott

Im more in love with Rock n Roll today than other things. It grows, you know? ~ Bon Scott

I need the wisdom, reasoning, and apologetics of C. S. Lewis, though some of his theological beliefs are different from mine. I need the preaching and charisma of Charles Spurgeon, though his view of baptism is different from mine. I need the resurrection vision of N. T. Wright and the theology of Jonathan Edwards, though their views on church government are different from mine. I need the passion and prophetic courage of Martin Luther King Jr., the cultural intelligence of Soong-Chan Rah, and the Confessions of St. Augustine, though their ethnicities are different from mine. I need the justice impulse and communal passion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, though his nationality is different from mine. I need the spiritual thirst and love drive of Brennan Manning and the prophetic wit of G. K. Chesterton, though both are Roman Catholics and I am a Protestant. I need the hymns and personal holiness of John and Charles Wesley, though some of their doctrinal distinctives are different from mine. I need the glorious weakness of Joni Eareckson Tada, the spirituality of Marva Dawn, the trusting perseverance of Elisabeth Elliot, the long-suffering spirit of Amy Carmichael, the transparency of Rebekah Lyons, the thankfulness of Ann Voskamp, the Kingdom vision of Amy Sherman, and the integrity of Patti Sauls, though their gender is different from mine. As St. Augustine reputedly said, "In nonessentials, liberty." To this we might add, "In nonessentials, open-minded receptivity." We Christians m ~ Scott Sauls

You mean like Cat Stevens? The singer-songwriter? I bite back a snicker. "I'm surprised you've heard of the man," Mr. Scott says dryly. "I'd assume he was far past your age group." "I make it my business to know a lot of factoids, most of which are useless in today's contemporary society."

"What's its name?" "Hawn," he says. "Like Han Solo?" "Not Han. Hawn. H-A-W-N." I pause, hand in the middle of pushing my hair back from my face. "Goldie Hawn?" Mr. Scott sighs, as I laugh. ~ Kristen Callihan

It is a pro-U.N. movie. It's a pro-American movie. It's a pro-American movie. It's a movie people should be watching and not denigrating. ~ Scott Ritter

No matter how long you play rock n roll songs might change just as the balls are there, the rock balls. And that's what's important to us. ~ Bon Scott

The U.S. has perverted the U.N. weapons process by using it as a tool to justify military actions, falsely so ... The U.S. was using the inspection process as a trigger for war. ~ Scott Ritter

I need you to be clever, Bean. I need you to think of solutions to problems we haven't seen yet. I want you to try things that no one has ever tried because they're absolutely stupid. ~ Orson Scott Card

Clarent and Excalibur. Together. Yesterday, he had held them in his hands and watched as the two swords had fused together to create a single stone sword. Even from across the room, Dee could feel the power radiating from the object in long slow waves. ~ Michael Scott

Magic is the practice of causing change through the use of powers as yet not defined or accepted by science. ~ Scott Cunningham

As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. ~ Kenneth Scott Latourette

In the United States there is a unique blend of patriotism indoctrination from the pulpit which blends establishment controls into the religious ideology. This way, to question the establishment is to question God, therefore one's patriotism and salvation is contingent on their submission to the state. ~ James Scott, Senior Fellow, The Center For Cyber Influence Operations Studies

She admired him; she was used to clutching her hands together in his wake and heaving audible sighs. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

There's no question that any of us who are doing an honest job in government could do a lot better in private industry. During the years I was practicing law as an individual, my salary was a great deal more than it is now. ~ Bill Scott

Can I know your name or do I need to keep calling you Ms. Sexy?" -Olivia
"Keep calling me Mr. Sexy. I like that." -Scott ~ Felicia Tatum

We are like you; the thought pressed into his mind. We did not mean to murder, and when we understood, we never came again. We thought we were the only thinking beings in the universe, until we met you, but never did we dream that thought could arise from the lonely animals who cannot dream each other's dreams. How were we to know? We could live with you in peace. Believe us, believe us, believe us. ~ Orson Scott Card

Genius' was a word loosely used by expatriot Americans in Paris and Rome, between the Versailles Peace treaty and the Depression, to cover all varieties of artistic, literary and musical experimentalism. A useful and readable history of the literary Thirties is Geniuses Together by Kay Boyle-Joyce, Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Pound, Eliot and the rest. They all became famous figures but too many of them developed defects of character-ambition, meanness, boastfulness, cowardice or inhumanity-that defrauded their early genius. Experimentalism is a quality alien to genius. It implies doubt, hope, uncertainty, the need for group reassurance; whereas genius works alone, in confidence of a foreknown result. Experiments are useful as a demonstration of how not to write, paint or compose if one's interest lies in durable rather than fashionable results; but since far more self-styled artists are interested in frissons á la mode rather than in truth, it is foolish to protest. Experimentalism means variation on the theme of other people's uncertainties. ~ Robert Graves

He stared at her, and the impression of her beauty grew until, uncommitted by a word, by even a formal introduction, he felt himself going out toward her, watching the turn of her lips and the shifting of her cheeks when she smiled. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

You used to be entertaining before you started to write. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

It's been open about a year now.And it is one of my favorite places in the city."
"You never told me," he said, sounding surprised.
"So even after all these years,we can still surprise one another," she teased.
He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Even after all these years," he said. "So enlighten me-how often do you come to this place?"
"Five,maybe six times a week."
"Oh?"
"Every morning when I'd leave the shop,I'd usually walk down to the Embarcadero,amble along the promenade and end up walking the length of this pier.Where did you think I was for that hour?"
"I thought you'd popped across the road for coffee."
"Yea,Nicholas," Perenelle said in French. "I drink tea. You know I hate coffee."
"You hate coffee?" Nicholas said. "Since when?"
"Only for the last eighty years or so."
Nicholas blinked,pale eyes reflecting the blue of the sea. "I knew that.I think."
"You're teasing me."
"Maybe," he admitted. ~ Michael Scott

I think there's a core of real anger or misery inside every true stand-up comic. ~ Scott Raab

She understood him with the knowing and not-knowing that comes of being a child. When you focus on your parent as if they are the center of the earth, that thing on which your survival depends, only later do you realize their flaws, their scars, and their weaknesses. ~ Scott Cawthon

Obviously, there has to be a profound change in direction. Otherwise, interest on the national debt will start eating up virtually every penny that we have. ~ Bobby Scott

I consider myself to be a true friend of the Israeli people. But I define friendship as someone who takes care of a friend, who just doesn't use or exploit a friend. And, you know, there's that old adage: 'Friends don't let friends drive drunk'. ~ Scott Ritter

I didn't do anything," Scott protested. "Breaking and entering is nothing?" Detective Basso echoed. "Funny, the law disagrees. ~ Becca Fitzpatrick

Um, enough apologies, okay?
Just get on with being your badass self. ~ Scott Stabile

The woman trembled, eyes wide as she stared at the bluff. Her teeth pressed against her lower lip hard enough he wouldn't have been surprised to see blood. Devyn recognized the building hysteria. His chest tightened; he'd seen like expressions all too often and it opened a raw, bleeding hurt in his chest. ~ Lynda K. Scott

I have a few caftans just for lounging purposes. When I want to feel free, it's the closest thing to feeling naked without being naked. ~ Jill Scott

Now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the 'well-rounded man. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

Ultimately love is everything. ~ M. Scott Peck

Ever since the first 'American Pie,' I've always been happy to just have an opportunity, I just didn't think it was going to be with comedies. Now I really like it. ~ Sean William Scott

All I think of ever is that I love you. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

We used to have a crew of three on board the space station and even at one time a crew of two people, so it's something we can adjust to. ~ Scott Kelly

The only thing you live to regret are the risks you didn't take ~ Zachary Scott

The fans reaction to the record (Red) is incredible. Taylor has been reading many tweets lately and wanted to thank her fans with what they ask for the most.
We're planning to record the 10 Minute Version of All Too Well and a music video. She's busy with touring right now but we will find some time. ~ Scott Borchetta

I must remind you that starving a child is violence. Neglecting school children is violence. Punishing a mother and her family is violence. Discrimination against a working man is violence. Ghetto housing is violence. Ignoring medical need is violence. Contempt for poverty is violence. ~ Coretta Scott King

Bean also saw how the man's body moved inside his clothes, with a kind of contained strength that made his clothes seem like Kleenex, he could rip through the fabric just by tugging at it a little, because nothing could hold him in except his own self-control. ~ Orson Scott Card

The destruction of all Shadowhunters' said Scott. 'I rather thought you knew that. It isn't a gardening club. ~ Cassandra Clare

Love, Love. Sweet and glorious love. ~ T. Scott McLeod

What's interesting to me about Moses isn't the big stuff that everybody knows. ~ Ridley Scott

Home is anywhere that you know all your friends and all your enemies. ~ Orson Scott Card

I've heard people say that once you're an adult, you don't change. I don't believe that. I think we all have the capacity to change; we just have to want to do it. It's developing the want that is difficult. We become so stuck in our routines, so comfortable, so unwilling to take risk - we just don't see the value in change. Either that or we're just plain uncomfortable with what the change might offer. ~ Scott Hildreth

Paul Tillich, a theologian who grew up in Weimar Germany, similarly explained the rise of Nazism as a response to anxiety. "First of all a feeling of fear or, more exactly, of indefinite anxiety was prevailing," he writes of 1930s Germany. "Not only the economic and political, but also the cultural and religious, security seemed to be lost. There was nothing on which one could build; everything was without foundation. A catastrophic breakdown was expected every moment. Consequently, a longing for security was growing in everybody. A freedom that leads to fear and anxiety has lost its value; better authority with security than freedom with fear. ~ Scott Stossel

It's just because I love the past that I want this house to look back on its glamourous moment of youth and beauty, and I want its stairs to creak as if to the footsteps of women with hoop skirts and men in boots and spurs. But they've made it into a blondined, rouged-up old woman of sixty. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald