“The first person who says anything unpleasant will get a swift kick in the ass. ” — John Knowles First person Copy Share Image
“Phineas just walked serenely on, or rather flowed on, rolling forward in his white sneakers with such unthinking unity of movement that… — John Knowles Walked Copy Share Image
“Je ne give a damn pas about le français, Les filles en France ne wear pas les pantelons” — John Knowles Filles Copy Share Image
The best teaching I ever experienced was at Exeter. Yale was a distinct letdown afterward. — John Knowles Best teaching Copy Share Image
It is a sad day when one looks back and sees that his largest regrets have become some of the most integral… — John Knowles Dream Copy Share Image
It was demeaning to scrape affection from virtually everyone you encountered. That was immature. — John Knowles Affection Copy Share Image
“I saw on the pad not an operator's number from my home town, but one which seemed to interrupt the beating of… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“You can do more! A lot more. If you want a...record you can be proud of, you'll do a heck of a… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
But I was used to finding something deadly in things that attracted me; there was always something deadly lurking in anything I… — John Knowles Deadly Copy Share Image
Exeter was, I suspect, more crucial in my life than in the lives of most members of my class, and conceivably, than… — John Knowles Attended Copy Share Image
Looking back now across fifteen years I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in, which must mean that… — John Knowles Clarity Copy Share Image
Looking back, I think we were all quite mature, surprisingly responsible. In earlier wars, boys of our age had just gone off… — John Knowles Age Copy Share Image
I began to know that each morning reasserted the problems of night before, that sleep suspended all but changed nothing, that you… — John Knowles Changed Copy Share Image
“This is a school,' said Pete in his level voice. 'All views can be expressed and considered here. We're not indoctrinating you.'… — John Knowles Point of view Copy Share Image
“You have to do what you think is the right thing, but just make sure it's the right thing in the long… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I… — John Knowles Active Copy Share Image
“But I was used to finding something deadly in things that attracted me; there was always something deadly lurking in anything I… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“Someone knocked me down; I pushed Brinker over a small slope; someone was trying to tackle me from behind. Everywhere there was… — john knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“I think we reminded them of what peace was like, we boys of sixteen. We were registered with no draft board, we… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“As I had to do whenever I glimpsed this river, I thought of Phineas. Not of the tree and pain, but of… — john knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“But Brinker came in. I think he made a point of visiting all the rooms near him the first day. “Well, Gene,”… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“Then for no reason at all, I felt magnificent. It was as though my body until that instant had simply been lazy… — John Knowles Feeling Copy Share Image
“The winter loves me', he retorted, and then, disliking the whimsical sound of that, added, 'I mean as much as you can… — John Knowles Winter Copy Share Image
“Like all old, good schools, Devon did not stand isolated behind walls and gates but emerged naturally from the town which had… — John Knowles Education Copy Share Image
Everyone has a moment in history which belongs particularly to him. It is the moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful… — John Knowles Achieve Copy Share Image
There are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding — John Knowles Acceptance Copy Share Image
“I did not know everything there was to know about myself, and knew that I did not know it.” — John Knowles Knew Copy Share Image
“...he's imagining himself Justice incarnate, balancing the scales. He's forgotten that Justice incarnate is not only balancing the scales but also blindfolded.” — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“...the sun was blazing all around them and the rays of sun were shooting past them, millions of rays shooting past them… — John Knowles Sun Copy Share Image
“Is he using terror to keep away boredom? Does he have to try to destroy something? Even as a last resort, himself?” — John Knowles Fears Copy Share Image
It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something… — John Knowles Human heart Copy Share Image
Stranded in this mill town railroad yard while the whole world was converging elsewhere, we seemed to be nothing but children playing… — John Knowles Children Copy Share Image
“...his jaw tightening and his eyes closed on the tears. “I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and I believe you.” — John Knowles Acceptance Copy Share Image
“I went back to the Devon School not long ago, and found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student… — John Knowles Fifteen years Copy Share Image
I felt that I was not, never had been and never would be a living part of this overpoweringly solid and deeply… — John Knowles Life Copy Share Image
“What deceived me was my own happiness; for peace is indivisible, and the surrounding world confusion found no reflection inside me.” — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
“I did not stop to think that one wave is inevitably followed by another even larger and more powerful, when the tide… — John Knowles A-separate-peace Copy Share Image
As I said, this was my sarcastic summer. It was only long after that I recognized sarcasm as the protest of people… — John Knowles Long Copy Share Image
“Finny never permitted himself to realize that when you won they lost. That would have destroyed the perfect beauty which was sport.” — John Knowles Beauty Copy Share Image
Peace is indivisible, and the surrounding world confusion found no reflection inside me. — John Knowles Confusion Copy Share Image
