#Quotes: Few Lines from the Life of Pi by Yann Martel

When your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival.
[120]

I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reasons comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread. [161]

I concluded that I had gone mad. Sad but true. Misery loves company, and madness calls it forth. [242]

Don't you bully me with your politeness! Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe? [297]
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Comments

  1. I saw the movie last night in 3D. Amazing. I loved the story. there is a lot to learn from it, especially from animals. And yes, what a mistery! the carnivorous botanic Island. it's fiction right?

    Nice!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it's all fiction. At a point I thought it was true. Had to do a search to understand it the more; Yann Martel provided a foreword that come across as if he's writing the biography (memoir) of Piscine. Talking about how he met someone who told him about a story that will make him believe in God and how he tracked Piscine down to Canada and found him and all. Very convincing.

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    2. Wow! What a convincing fiction.. wonderful.. I confess I was on the verge of tears at some point of the movie. Coming to think of it, who could survive 277 days with a tiger in a tiny boat lost in the oceans. In any case, it could be viewed realistic.

      I am sure the book is much more better than the movie.

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    3. I haven't watched the movoe yet so I can't comment on it. But the book is an excellent write. As to its believability, i wish it were true. The whole description of events didn't sound too fantastic to me; even the carnivorous island. There are flowers that feed on animals in similar manner. As to the length of time, miracles do happen. If you imagine how long people take to cross the Sahara desert into Europe.

      The story is deep and can bring tears from your eyes.

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  2. It should be an interesting book to read. The last quote is simply amazing. "Don't you bully me with your politeness! Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe? [297]"

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    Replies
    1. It's been made into a movie... but I always prefer the books. Try it.

      Delete

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