When everyone drowns and I'm the only one to escape, God is protecting me. When everyone else is saved and I'm the only one to drown, God is protecting me then too. Nikos Kazantzakis More Quotes by Nikos Kazantzakis More Quotes From Nikos Kazantzakis When I encounter a sunrise, a painting, a woman, or an idea that makes my heart bound like a young calf, then I know I am standing in front of happiness. Nikos Kazantzakis sunrise heart ideas Every perfect traveler always creates the country where he travels. Nikos Kazantzakis journey country travel All those who actually live the mysteries of life haven't the time to write, and all those who have the time don't live them! D'you see? Nikos Kazantzakis mystery havens writing I felt this was my duty, my sole duty: to reconcile the irreconcilables, to draw the thick ancestral darkness out of my loins and transform it, to the best of my ability, into light. Nikos Kazantzakis duty light darkness It doesn't matter whether or not you have a head, you must wear the right sort of hat Nikos Kazantzakis hats matter To succeed, you must first believe you can. Nikos Kazantzakis billiards believe firsts Every word is an adamantine shell which encloses a great explosive force. To discover its meaning you must let it burst inside you like a bomb and in this way liberate the soul which it imprisons. Nikos Kazantzakis shells bombs soul I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen. Nikos Kazantzakis smell sight night How simple and frugal a thing is happiness. Nikos Kazantzakis chestnuts simple sea Beauty always had a purpose: to be of service to life. Nikos Kazantzakis purpose The ultimate, most holy form of theory is action. Nikos Kazantzakis hard-work acting action The doors of heaven and hell are adjacent and identical. Nikos Kazantzakis hell doors heaven Free yourself from one passion to be dominated by another and nobler one. But is not that, too, a form of slavery? To sacrifice oneself to an idea, to a race, to God? Or does it mean that the higher the model the longer the longer the tether of our slavery? Nikos Kazantzakis sacrifice passion mean Never in my life have I feared death as much as I feared that resurrection. Nikos Kazantzakis resurrection Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’ I replied: ‘And I carry on as if I was going to die any minute.’ Which of us was right, boss? Nikos Kazantzakis boss tree son God sends rain, but He also sends hoods; and when the rain grows heavier, He sends a cave. Nikos Kazantzakis hood caves rain Every man has his folly, but the greatest folly of all … is not to have one. Nikos Kazantzakis folly every-man men It was certainly not this mummified and outrageously painted old woman he was seeing before him, but the entire "female species," as it was his custom to call women. The individual disappeared, the features were obliterated, whether young or senile, beautiful or ugly - those were mere unimportant variations. Behind each woman rises the austere, sacred and mysterious face of Aphrodite. Nikos Kazantzakis variation female beautiful Whoever climbed the Lord's mountain had to possess clean hands and an innocent heart; otherwise the Summit would kill him. Today the doorway is deserted. Soiled hands and sinful hearts are able to pass by without fear, for the Summit kills no longer. Nikos Kazantzakis mountain heart hands Let your youth have free reign, it won't come again, so be bold and no repenting. Nikos Kazantzakis repent reign youth
