My Top 10 Favorite Quotes from The Art Of Racing In The Rain

As a follow up to my review on The Art Of Racing In The Rain, I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes from the book. Here they are in no particular order.

1. “To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to.” 
― Garth Stein

2. “People are always worried about what's happening next. They often find it difficult to stand still, to occupy the now without worrying about the future. People are generally not satisfied with what they have; they are very concerned with what they are going to have.”

― Garth Stein

3. “That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.”

― Garth Stein

4. “People and their rituals. They cling to things so hard sometimes.”

― Garth Stein

5. “Did he understand, as those interminable minutes ticked by, that being alone is not the same as being lonely? That being alone is a neutral state; it is like a blind fish at the bottom of the ocean without eyes, and therefore without judgement. Is it possible? That which is around me does not affect my mood; my mood affects that which is around me. Is it true? Could Denny have possibly appreciated the subjective nature of loneliness, which is something that exists only in the mind, not in the world, and, like a virus, is unable to survive without a willing host?”

― Garth Stein

6. "So much of language is unspoken. So much of language is compromised of looks and gestures and sounds that are not words. People are ignorant of the vast complexity of their own communication.” 

― Garth Stein

7. "Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there.” 

― Garth Stein

8. “The human lanuage, as precise as it is with its thousands of words, can still be so wonderfully vague.” 

― Garth Stein

9. “There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” 
― Garth Stein

10. “We too, must shatter the mirrors. We must look in to ourselves and root out the distortions until that thing which we know in our hearts is perfect and true, stands before us.” 

― Garth Stein