My greatest wish - other than salvation - was to have a book. Yann Martel More Quotes by Yann Martel More Quotes From Yann Martel Animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity within an unforgiving social hierarchy in an environment where the supply of fear is high and the supply of food is low and where territory must constantly be defended and parasites forever endured. Yann Martel social-hierarchy forever animal Much hostile and aggressive behaviour among animals is the expression of social insecurity. Yann Martel insecurity expression animal You bring joy and pain in equal measure. Joy because you are with me, but pain because it wont be for long. Yann Martel pain joy long If you are pitched into misery, remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left. Yann Martel misery earth might Life on a lifeboat isn't much of a life. Yann Martel life-of-pi-book lifeboats If you took the city of Tokyo and turned it upside down and shook it you would be amazed at the animals that fall out: badgers, wolves, boa constrictors, crocodiles, ostriches, baboons, capybaras, wild boars, leopards, manatees, ruminants, in untold numbers. There is no doubt in my mind that that feral giraffes and feral hippos have been living in Tokyo for generations without seeing a soul. Yann Martel ostriches animal fall Don’t worry about being good…. Aspire to be authentic. Yann Martel aspire be-good worry It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing. Yann Martel used killing simple But once a dead God, always a dead God, even resurrected. The Son must have the taste of death forever in his mouth. The Trinity must be tainted by it; there must be a certain stench at the right hand of God the Father. The horror must be real. Why would God wish that upon Himself? Why not leave death to mortals? Why make dirty what is beautiful, spoil what is perfect? -- Love. That was his answer. Yann Martel real beautiful father The tennis challenger starts strong but soon loses confidence in his playing. The champion racks up the games. But in the final set, when the challenger has nothing left to lose, he becomes relaxed again, insouciant, daring. Suddenly he's playing like the devil and the champion must work hard to get those last points. Yann Martel hard-work strong games I went about the job in a direct way. I took the hatchet in both my hands and vigorously beat the fish on the head with the hammerhead (I still didn’t have the stomach to use the sharp edge). The dorado did the most extraordinary thing as it died: it began to flash all kinds of colours in rapid succession. Blue, green, red, gold, and violet flickered and shimmered neon-like on its surface as it struggled. I felt I was beating a rainbow to death. Yann Martel blue jobs hands In a healthy individual, a broken bone that has healed properly is strongest where it was once broken. You have not lost any life, Henry told himself. You will still get your fair share of years. Yet the quality of his life changed. Once you've been struck by violence, you acquire companions that never leave you entirely: Suspicion, Fear, Anxiety, Despair, Joylessness. The natural smile is taken from you and the natural pleasures you once enjoyed lose their appeal. Yann Martel broken taken years My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition. Yann Martel skulls ambition art Japanese-owned cargo ship Tsimtsum, flying Panamanian flag, sank July 2nd, 1977, in Pacific, four days out of Manila. Am in lifeboat. Pi Patel my name. Have some food, some water, but Bengal tiger a serious problem. Please advise family in Winnepeg, Canada. Any help very much appreciated. Thank you. Yann Martel july names water Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans. Yann Martel training important animal A work of art works because it is true, not because it is real. Yann Martel works-of-art real art Come aboard if your destination is oblivion- it should be our next stop. We can sit together. You can have the window seat if you want. But it's a sad view. Yann Martel views together want There's nothing like the unimaginable to make people believe. Yann Martel unimaginable believe people We are all born like Catholics, aren't we—in limbo, without religion, until some figure introduces us to God? Yann Martel introducing born catholic Slice a pear and you will find that its flesh is incandescent white. It glows with inner light. Those who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the dark. Yann Martel knives light dark