Stories Vera Nazarian Quotes

Don't be afraid of the dark. Shine! ~ Vera Nazarian

Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing moment of birth. And more than anything it can spur you to action. Have a burning day. ~ Vera Nazarian

People who are too optimistic seem annoying. This is an unfortunate misinterpretation of what an optimist really is.
An optimist is neither naive, nor blind to the facts, nor in denial of grim reality. An optimist believes in the optimal usage of all options available, no matter how limited. As such, an optimist always sees the big picture. How else to keep track of all that's out there? An optimist is simply a proactive realist.
An idealist focuses only on the best aspects of all things (sometimes in detriment to reality); an optimist strives to find an effective solution. A pessimist sees limited or no choices in dark times; an optimist makes choices.
When bobbing for apples, an idealist endlessly reaches for the best apple, a pessimist settles for the first one within reach, while an optimist drains the barrel, fishes out all the apples and makes pie.
Annoying? Yes. But, oh-so tasty! ~ Vera Nazarian

In the plains the grass grows tall, since there is no one to cut it. There is no one to water it either. ~ Vera Nazarian

Love is made up of three unconditional properties in equal measure: 1. Acceptance 2. Understanding 3. Appreciation Remove any one of the three and the triangle falls apart. Which, by the way, is something highly inadvisable. Think about it - do you really want to live in a world of only two dimensions? So, for the love of a triangle, please keep love whole. ~ Vera Nazarian

Neither sugar nor salt tastes particularly good by itself. Each is at its best when used to season other things.
Love is the same way.
Use it to "season" people. ~ Vera Nazarian

You cannot be fair to others without first being fair to yourself.
Know that a well-honed sense of justice is a measure of personal experience, and all experience is a measure of self.
Know that the highest expression of justice is mercy.
Thus, as the supreme judge in your own court, you must have compassion for yourself.
Otherwise, cede your gavel. ~ Vera Nazarian

Incidentally, the world is magical.
Magic is simply what's off our human scale ... at the moment. ~ Vera Nazarian

What is it about wearing a tuxedo or that little black dress, that makes us feel confident, beautiful, splendid, even invincible?
We put on formal wear and suddenly we become extraordinary.
On the days when you feel low and invisible, why not try this on for size: imagine you are wearing a fantastic tailored tuxedo or a stunning formal gown.
And then proceed with your day. ~ Vera Nazarian

I chase after inspiring stories. ~ Vera Farmiga

Don't let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song. ~ Vera Nazarian

I didn't grow up watching film but as a Ukrainian-American, music and stories and dance are crucial. ~ Vera Farmiga

Stick around long enough to be someone's friend. Because true friendship, once recognized, in its essence is effortless. ~ Vera Nazarian

When tough times come, it is particularly important to offset them with much gentle softness. Be a pillow. ~ Vera Nazarian

A boomerang returns back to the person who throws it.
But first, while moving in a circle, it hits its target.
So does gossip. ~ Vera Nazarian

What a strange thing it is to wake up to a milk-white overcast June morning! The sun is hidden by a thick cotton blanket of clouds, and the air is vapor-filled and hazy with a concentration of blooming scent.
The world is somnolent and cool, in a temporary reprieve from the normal heat and radiance.
But the sensation of illusion is strong. Because the sun can break through the clouds at any moment ...
What a soft thoughtful time.
In this illusory gloom, like a night-blooming flower, let your imagination bloom in a riot of color. ~ Vera Nazarian

The pyramid shape is said to hold many secrets and amazing properties. One of them is a sense of wonder. ~ Vera Nazarian

Sometimes, being true to yourself means changing your mind. Self changes, and you follow. ~ Vera Nazarian

What is blood but the wine of life? ~ Vera Nazarian

Vera said: "Why do you feel you have to turn everything into a story?"
So I told her why.
Because if I tell the story, I control the version.
Because if I tell the story, I can make you laugh, and I would rather have you laugh at me than feel sorry for me.
Because if I tell the story, it doesn't hurt as much.
Because if I tell the story, I can get on with it. ~ Nora Ephron

The compass rose is nothing but a star with an infinite number of rays pointing in all directions.
It is the one true and perfect symbol of the universe.
And it is the one most accurate symbol of you.
Spread your arms in an embrace, throw your head back, and prepare to receive and send coordinates of being. For, at last you know - you are the navigator, the captain, and the ship. ~ Vera Nazarian

If Music is a Place
then Jazz is the City, Folk is the Wilderness, Rock is the Road, Classical is a Temple. ~ Vera Nazarian

The sand in the hourglass runs from one compartment to the other, marking the passage of moments with something constant and tangible.
If you watch the flowing sand, you might see time itself riding the granules.
Contrary to popular opinion, time is not an old white-haired man, but a laughing child.
And time sings. ~ Vera Nazarian

Meditation is a mysterious method of self-restoration.
It involves "shutting" out the outside world, and by that means sensing the universal "presence" which is, incidentally, absolute perfect peace.
It is basically an existential "time-out" - a way to "come up for a breath of air" out of the noisy clutter of the world.
But don't be afraid, there is nothing arcane or supernatural or creepy about the notion of taking a time-out. Ball players do it. Kids do it, when prompted by their parents. Heck, even your computer does it (and sometimes not when you want it to).
So, why not you?
A meditation can be as simple as taking a series of easy breaths, and slowly, gently counting to ten in your mind. ~ Vera Nazarian

Unlike a fountain that circulates the same water in an enclosed, perpetually recycling system, a human being circulates thoughts in an unlimited reservoir of self.
Don't limit yourself to being a mere fountain when you contain an ocean. ~ Vera Nazarian

Respect the young and chastise your elders. It's about time the world was set aright. ~ Vera Nazarian

The heartland lies where the heart longs to be. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to find the true place to plant it. ~ Vera Nazarian

Here's a new 'Blessing' for our time
'May Anderson Cooper never be sent to report on your town! ~ Vera Nazarian

Because that's all a new language is - a slightly different way of thinking and looking at the same world. It's like putting on multi-colored sunglasses. It enriches your thought processes and blows up your imagination like a balloon. And it gives you the mysterious power to express yourself to others who normally might not be able to understand you. ~ Vera Nazarian

Sometimes," Father Dibue said, "though everything is in the Lord's Hands, undoubtedly, there's the urgent need to administer the Holy Sacrament of the Last Rites. Otherwise, the humble servant of the Lord lingers, such as now, waiting for grace, for absolution. ~ Vera Nazarian

Withhold a smile only when the smile can hurt someone. Otherwise, let it bloom forth in a riot. ~ Vera Nazarian

I've just been bitten on the neck by a vampire ... mosquito. Does that mean that when the night comes I will rise and be annoying? ~ Vera Nazarian

Responsibility and Trust
these two are like Yin and Yang, together perfectly complete, and each one requiring the presence of the other.
The next time you mistrust someone, consider this
does that person feel responsible for you in any way? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and trust them. Very likely, they are looking out for your best interest. ~ Vera Nazarian

Luck is not as random as you think.
Before that lottery ticket won the jackpot, someone had to buy it. ~ Vera Nazarian

But her soft lips were upon his, drinking his living breath, and he was now gasping in divine madness, pressing his mouth over hers like a drowning man, breathing through her. . . . "That ~ Vera Nazarian

Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind. Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation. Suddenly, you know you are alive. ~ Vera Nazarian

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. ~ Vera Nazarian

A long time ago people believed that the world is flat and the moon is made of green cheese. Some still do, to this day. The man on the moon is looking down and laughing. ~ Vera Nazarian

Here's a funny question:
What is your favorite word?
Think about it - maybe it's a word that makes you absolutely happy, or a word that sounds gloriously beautiful, or a word that evokes awe and wonder. Maybe you are reminded of a great time when you hear it, or maybe it represents your life's dream.
So, what is it? What is your favorite word of all words?
Thought about it yet?
Good.
And now, think why. ~ Vera Nazarian

Patience is not a virtue. It is an achievement. ~ Vera Nazarian

Back in Russia we were dirt-poor. Here in the West we are still poor but have risen above the dirt to tower alongside stalks of grass! ~ Vera Nazarian

One sin seldom mentioned is that of killing time. ~ Vera Nazarian

It is interesting that we call something good a "dream," but being called a "dreamer" is somewhat of a putdown.
Without dreamers, no dream would ever be given reality, and we would live in a very small and shallow world.
If you are a secret dreamer, it's your time to announce yourself. ~ Vera Nazarian

On the late afternoon streets, everyone hurries along, going about their own business.
Who is the person walking in front of you on the rain-drenched sidewalk?
He is covered with an umbrella, and all you can see is a dark coat and the shoes striking the puddles.
And yet this person is the hero of his own life story.
He is the love of someone's life.
And what he can do may change the world.
Imagine being him for a moment.
And then continue on your own way. ~ Vera Nazarian

Q: Why do I love thee, O Night?
A: Because you know I will never answer. ~ Vera Nazarian

A fine glass vase goes from treasure to trash, the moment it is broken. Fortunately, something else happens to you and me. Pick up your pieces. Then, help me gather mine. ~ Vera Nazarian

Don't bother to argue anything on the Internet. And I mean, ANYTHING ... The most innocuous, innocent, harmless, basic topics will be misconstrued by people trying to deconstruct things down to the sub-atomic level and entirely miss the point ... Seriously. Keep peeling the onion and you get no onion. ~ Vera Nazarian