John Le Carre

Most people like to read about intrigue and spies. I hope to provide a metaphor for the average reader's daily life. Most of us live in a slightly conspiratorial relationship with our employer and perhaps with our marriage.

quote by John Le CarreReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

The Ballade Of The Average Reader

I try to touch the public taste,
For thus I earn my daily bread.
I try to write what folks will paste
In scrap books after I am dead.
By Public Craving I am led.
(I' sooth, a most despotic leader)
Yet, though I write for Tom and Ned,
I've never seen an average reader.

The Editor is good and chaste,
But says: (Above the public's head;
This is _too_ good; 'twill go to waste.
Write something commonplacer-
Ed.)
Write for the average reader, fed
By pre-digested near-food's feeder,
But though my high ideals have fled,
I've never _seen_ an average reader.

How many lines have been erased!
How many fancies have been shed!
How many failures might be traced
To this-this average-reader dread!
I've seen an average single bed;
I've seen an average garden-weeder;
I've seen an average cotton thread-
I've _never_ seen an average _reader_.


L'ENVOI


Most read of readers, if you've read
The works of any old succeeder,
You know that he, too, must have said:
'I've never seen an Average Reader.'

poem by Franklin P. AdamsReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Average Guy

I aint no christian or no born again saint
I aint no cowboy or marxist d.a.
I aint no criminal or reverend cripple from the right
I am just your average guy, trying to do whats right
Im just your average guy
An average guy
I am just your average guy
Im just an average guy
Average guy, Im just your average guy
Im average looking and Im average inside
Im an average lover and I live in an average place
You wouldnt know me if you met me face to face
Im just your average guy
Average guy
Average guy
Im just an average guy
I worry about money and taxes and such
I worry that my livers big and it hurts to the touch
I worry about my health and bowels
And the crime waves in the street
Im really just your average guy
Trying to stand on his own two feet
Im just your average guy
Im just your average guy
Im just your average guy
Average guy
Average looks, average taste
Average height, an average waist
Average in everything I do
My temperature is 98.2
Im just your average guy
An average guy
Average guy
Im just an average guy
Average guy
Im just your average guy
Im just your average guy
Im just your average guy
Average

song performed by by Lou ReedReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I believe wholeheartedly in marriage. I don't exclusively mean a marriage with a legal contract, but any relationship that constitutes a marriage because of the quality of their relationship.

quote by Helen ReddyReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Marriage Vary

Living in hearts
With Strong affections and
Intense interpersonal attractions
Is love

First marry then love
Is arranged marriage
First love then marry
Is love marriage
Marry without love
Is contract marriage
Living together unmarried
Is live in relationship
Sitting eating dating together
Is loving relationship

poem by S.D. TiwariReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Live-In Relation Leads To Solation

The courtship serves that they know each other.
The marriage entails living together.
Marriages fail from successful courtships.
Living together cuts space for movements.

Divorce is a cumbersome exercise.
Sometimes, pounds of flesh are extracted.
To circumvent the divorce from marriage,
Live-in relationships have been brought in.

In live-in relation, man and woman
Live together, having conjugal love,
And beget children with all sanctity.
It may or not lead to marriage later.

In certain cases, living-in is had
As a stop gap arrangement for marriage,
Living-in is as good as a married life.
It can serve being a good test drive test.

To end marriage is to sell a house.
To end living-in is to end a lease.
Live -in relation is easy to break
Before marriage or later from staleness

‘Till death do us part' has been outdated.
Living-in is a step before wedding,
Which is still preferred as it gives one joy
Of going public with the relationship.

With less commitment, live-in relation
Is easy to break and easy to acquire.
Change of partners drives out monotony.
After sexual life, isolation will set in.

poem by Rm. Shanmugam ChettiarReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Marriage is God-made

Marriage is a holy state –
Of minds and bodies and souls two!
A one-time event in our life;
None dare untie the knots thus made!

Marriage is not all mere fun;
Be faithful to your spouse always;
The gift of God is children dear –
The priceless wealth from God above!

Once married, live for the other;
Let no one else in life bother;
The days ahead have joys and woes;
But this is how life on earth goes!

The bond of love is especial,
Though misunderstandings could arise;
The sex in marriage is sacred;
God cares for you and will provide.

So, live your married life with care;
Do just things that are right and fair;
Heaven will bless the married pair;
Remember, we are earthen-ware!

Copyright by Dr John Celes 11-19-2009

poem by John CelesReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The sad story of happiness

Statistics tell. You can be
independent of them, but
you cannot deny them.

Though white Americans are freed
from many of the hassles and indignities
that affect black Americans, yet,
on average, they are only
very slightly happier.

Men have more power and freedom
than women, yet, on average,
they are not any happier.
(Women experience more depression,
but also more intense joy..)

Though the young have so much more
to look forward to, than the elderly,
yet ratings of life satisfaction rise slightly
up to age sixty-five, and for some, beyond..

People in colder areas of the USA
might expect Californians to be
happier. They are wrong.

Surely people who are more attractive
are happier than the unattractive?
Not so..

If you’re adequately housed,
adequately clothed, adequately fed,
then wealth will surely bring you greater happiness?
The rich are only a very little
happier than the middle classes…

So is this the end of
The American Dream – Joe,
José, Leroy, Yusuf, Gianni, Johan, Boris, Ivan, Ravi?
isn’t there a happy ending, over the border,
over the ocean, over the rainbow?

Yes, there is…
happy people grow rich faster..


(thanks to Jon Haidt for this)

poem by Michael ShepherdReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Live Life on Hope

Strange is our life to live
No idea where it leads
But still live on hope
Where is it going to take?

Meet new people in life
May be just for once
But still live on hope
Will we meet them again?

We make new plans for life
No idea how to manage
But still live on hope
When is it going to attain?

Great effort we make family
Bring up kids to best
But still live on hope
What would be the result?

Children fly when big and built
Again we remain alone
But still live on hope
When will they be back?

All of us live on hope
And it should never end
Until we leave this earth
Always hope for the best...

poem by Sreekala SukumaranReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Spies

Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
No one can answer these questions
But the spies

They lurk around every corner
Never doubting a suspicion
Don't assume they'll keep a secret
They won't
Even the worst spies don't

Spies
Essential
Sometimes
To tell the world
That people need peace

poem by Mye3Report problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The whole Haley-Nathan marriage deal was a pretty good twist huh? I hope we got all of you with it. That particular story line even suprised me when I read it, it's a good one and it'll provide for some good stories to come.

quote by James LaffertyReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Poet and Auditor

most people don't read poetry
And when, and if they do
reflect- upon what pertains to them
glance and pick at fruits

of another mind so bold and ripe
revealing the serious and tripe
not all words touch the right chords
replay pictures of the mind

the moods of both author and reader
in one point of time must be align
eclipse all other thoughts,
so that reflected, dawn on another

It is a marriage, a spoken contract
made in time, culture of the mime
read and reread, said and re said

poem by Shimon WeinrothReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Nothing average ever stood as a monument to progress. When progress is for a partner it doesn't turn to those who believe that they are only average. It turns instead to those who are forever searching and striving to become the best they possibly can. If we seek the average level, we cannot hope to achieve a higher level of success. Our only hope is to avoid being a failure.

quote by Lou VickeryReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

On Marriage

Pessimistic views: :
Marriage is a gamble!
Marriage is a punishment;
Marriage is an evil that
Most can’t but accept.

Optimistic views:
Marriage is a gift of God;
Marriage is a blessing;
Marriage is an enjoyment,
We make the best of it.

Truths:
Marriage is so wonderful;
Marriage is so fulfilling;
Marriage is so wholesome;
Marriage is an endless love,
More priceless than all wealth!

Marriage is a way of life;
Marriage is so natural;
Marriage is the better way,
For two, to reach Heaven.

Copyright by Dr John Celes 3-7-2006

poem by John CelesReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

In the steps of Rumi 88: Metaphor

Simile – what looks like something else –
that’s a fun game for the senses,
for the mind: oh look Dad,
there’s a scarecrow in that field
that looks just like a man, does it
really scare crows?

Oh look Dad, there’s a beggar in the street
who looks just like a scarecrow,
I wonder if the same crows
see him too?

But metaphor – ah, that’s something else:
explanations don’t quite explain it:
you see something; it brings to mind
something very different; maybe
you just forget it, pass on; maybe
you’re a poet, and you think,
that other thing casts a subtle light
on this first thing, I’ll see if others
find the same.. and, sometimes they do,
sometimes they don’t…

Metaphor brings the whole universe,
world upon world, to the mind:
you could write a poem full of metaphor
as long as the circumference of the world,
and when you’d written it out, you’d find yourself
right here again just where you were.. but
what a lot you’d seen on the way…

We’re so used to some metaphors
because by now, they’re shared,
written into language (lucky the people
who inherit languages such as these,
they’re born into poetry…) :

take ‘bread’: you walk past the baker’s shop
in the early morning when the air is clear –
or better, go in to buy your breakfast rolls:
the smell couldn’t be more wonderful,
more promising.. the bread’s so delicious,
and best eaten today..

ah yes, ‘daily bread’ – that becomes a metaphor
for all that each and every day brings –
waking up, new thoughts, new experiences,
all that brings life to life…
that covers so many subtle things…
where does it all come from?
that’s for you to say…

Sometimes it seems that the whole world
is a metaphor for something…
for what? For its own unity,
for its very creation,
for that which we call God,
for our very self?
that’s for you to say…

Metaphor. When you meet it,
does it make you think of
English class, another boring
poem, another boring question
to answer as you chew your pen –
‘What does the poet mean when
he speaks of, lies like oyster shells
to be penknifed for their pearls? ’…

or - does it fill your heart with joy
as if someone had given you
a golden key to a secret garden
which is all you ever hoped for;
more than you could ever imagine…
and yet you recognise
it’s all really just yourself? …

In the corner of your room
there's a little girl curled up
in a large armchair, reading a book.
Don't disturb her.
The book she reads with all her self today,
may never read again, doesn't need to -
is a metaphor for
all she needs to know today
about the world, about herself;

she finishes the book,
closes it thoughtfully,
looks up at you;
she knows herself
a little more today.

poem by Michael ShepherdReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Simone Signoret

Chains do not hold a marriage together, It is thread, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. That is what makes a marriage last — more than passion or even sex.

Simone Signoret in Daily Mail, interview (1978)Report problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy! | In Romanian

Share

0176 Letter to a Well-known Contemporary Poet

I wanted to write to you about your poems,
that is, about something I couldn't quite put my finger on
so I didn't write in case it sounded inconsequential
and it's silly to write to a poet who handles words so expertly,
inconsequentially..

Inconsequential. That's it. I appreciate that you want to stress
life's inconsequentiality - this happens, that happens, but
we're none the wiser - that's a modern concern, I appreciate,
no neat wrapping life up with a brisk end-rhyme...

but how can I put this tactfully, inconsequentiality
or is it tangentiality
can seem to the reader eager to extract meaning
that is, the poet's meaning, as near as can be...
inconsequentiality can seem...obscure...
for this very reason, since it's difficult
to share the same inconsequentiality
if you see what I mean

and this unintentional obscurity
can sometimes seem
of course I know you wouldn't
but let's say to an uninformed superficial reader -
like pretension?

I hope you don't mind my mentioning this
it's only because I do admire your writing so much
and I know that the prizes and awards you've won
proves that no-one could possibly accuse you of pretension
it's just that I thought I should say how it seems
to a very ordinary reader. I hope you will read this
in the spirit it's meant. And I do look forward
very much to reading your next book
now the library stocks them.

poem by Michael ShepherdReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Single & Free

Right now that's how I rather be
Marriage failed leaving me single
Giving me an opportunity to mingle
Having the freedom to be myself
The divorce made me
Realize that there wasn't anything left
This life I live is new to me
Sometimes missing the joy
Of marriage and family
At times it's hard getting adjusted to
However I like the freedom that it gives you
Although marriage may sound a lot better
That's what people say
Those who choose the single life
Won't feel this way

poem by Donielle SmithReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

A Marriage Made In Heaven

When God brings together,
Two people in a marriage,
He encourages,
Many things along the way.
To never be afraid,
Of the steps,
That are directed by Him.
Fellowship daily,
Be in a hurry for nothing,
And always open to learning,
One another,
Have much prayer,
Lots of patience,
For this is necessary,
To have a marriage of greatness.
Know the time for fruitfulness,
As well as gentleness,
And always be prepared,
For a lesson in forgiveness.
Keep in mind one another's feelings.
Be willing to give all that,
You can possibly give,
Doing all this,
Will help faithfulness.
Especially when you realize,
The best part of a great union,
Is having your life long,
Friend for all eternity.
These are some of the keys,
For a marriage made in Heaven.

poem by Tameeka SmithReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Jay Leno

For the first time ever, overweight people outnumber average people in America. Doesn't that make overweight the average then? Last month you were fat, now you're average - hey, let's get a pizza!

quote by Jay LenoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

In a real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read. It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.

quote by S.I. HayakawaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share