Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire
» all souls are hostages to their human envelopes, but souls must decay and suffer at such indignity
» no one knows the color of a soul
» she reasoned that because she was beautiful she was significant
» there [is] something vulgar about traveling in jewels…the overdressed traveler betrays more interest in being seen than in seeing.
» while the *true* traveler knows that the novel world about her serves as the most appropriate accessory.
» like teachers, if ministers are effective, they’re good at asking questions to get you to think. [not necessarily] to have answers.
» someone w/ a real religious conviction is, I propose, a religious *convict*, & deserves locking up
» the family was always bright, & brightness…decays brilliantly. madness is the most shining way.
» at it’s most elemental, a spell is no more than a recipe for change
» a tenderer, complacent mind…the softer, more bruisable aspect, the private intention, the surrendering self
» the word *immoral* [when used by]…the young it is ridiculous, the old it is sententious…the middle-aged it is hypocritical.
» poetry is the highest form of self deception
» I never use the words humanist or humanitarian, as it seems that to be human is to be capable of the most heinous crimes in nature
» is it just that the world unwraps itself to you, again & again, as soon as your are ready to see it anew?
» the benefit of a uniform [is] that one need not struggle to be unique
» as women [wear] cologne, men [wear] proofs: to secure their own sense of themselves, and thus to be attractive
» forgiveness blesses the donor as well as the receiver
» elegant attenuated drawings in blood red & gold leaf, on the elevations of an angel, w/ notes on the aerodynamic aspects of holiness
» those brash, brave days of youthful blunder
» the more civilized we become, the more horrendous our entertainments
» poets are just as responsible for empire building as any other professional hacks
» people who claim they’re evil are usually no worse than the rest of us. it’s people who claim they’re good…that you have to be wary of.
» [is it] immoral to raise children in the habit of hope
» a more ancient precedent of ransom, that we may not always be tormented by our shame
» always the godfather, never the god
» the body apologizer apologizes to the soul for its errors, and the soul asks forgiveness for squatting in the body without invitation
more good stuff:
- my LibraryThing review
- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West on Wikipedia and Amazon
