"I sometimes seem to myself to wander around the world merely accumulating material for future nostalgias."
About Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth — Life and Legacy
Vikram Seth is a prominent Indian poet and novelist whose literary contributions have profoundly impacted contemporary poetry. His notable work, 'The Golden Gate', is a novel in verse that intricately weaves themes of love, longing, and the complexities of human relationships. Seth's writing is characterized by its lyrical quality and emotional depth, often reflecting the tensions and contradictions inherent in love. One of his well-known quotes, 'Words are the only things that last', encapsulates his belief in the enduring power of language to convey human experiences. This perspective reveals his understanding that while relationships may fade, the emotions captured in words can resonate across time. Seth's exploration of love is not merely romantic; it delves into the nuances of connection, often portraying love as a source of both joy and heartache. His work continues to resonate with readers today, as it addresses universal themes of love and existence, inviting reflection on the complexities of the human condition. Seth's ability to articulate the intricacies of emotion ensures that his quotes and poetry remain relevant, offering insights into the nature of love and life.
Quote collection
Vikram Seth quotes (page 1 of 4)
61 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them up for a few minutes. But if they're good, I turn into a social moron for days, refusing to go out of my room, scowling and growling at interruptions, ignoring weddings and funerals, and making enemies out of friends. I still bear the scars of Middlemarch."
"Don't put things off till it's too late. You are the DJ of your fate."
"Put your backbone where your wishbone is."
"Behind every door on every ordinary street, in every hut in every ordinary village in this middling planet of a trivial star, such riches are to be found. The strange journeys we undertake on our earthly pilgrimage, the joy and suffering we taste or confer, the chance events that leave us together or apart, what a complex trace they leave: so personal as to be almost incommunicable, so fugitive as to be almost irrecoverable."
"All you who sleep tonight Far from the ones you love, No hand to left or right, An emptiness above-- Know that you aren't alone. The whole world shares your tears, Some for two nights or one, And some for all your years."
"The thing about inspiration is that it takes your mind off everything else."
"And an equation is the same whether it's written in red or green ink"
"I certainly think its very important that writers as citizens - not necessarily as writers, but just as ordinary citizens - should talk about things that matter to them."
"I think it's possible to be multi-rooted, rather like a banyan tree, without being deracinated."
"What is the difference between my life and my love? One gets me low, the other lets me go."
"I think if something is worth doing, it's worth doing well. And worth thinking about it as well."
"Every object strives for its proper place. A book seeks to be near its truest admirer. Just as this helpless moth seeks to be near the candle that infatuates him."
"To not be able to love the one you love is to have your life wrenched away."
"Poetry, I think, intensifies the reader's experience. If it's a humorous facet of the story, poetry makes it more exuberant. If it's a sad facet, poetry can make it more poignant."
"Music, such music, is a sufficient gift. Why ask for happiness; why hope not to grieve? It is enough, it is to be blessed enough, to live from day to day and to hear such music-not too much, or the soul could not sustain it-from time to time."
"I am certainly not allergic to causes - particularly on subjects such as religious intolerance."
"For a writer, obsession is a good substitute for self-discipline."
"In life's brief game to be a winner A man must have...oh yes, above All else, of course, someone to love."
"I'm not sure anyone can understand a whole life, even their own."