Gertrude Stein

“It is so friendly so simply friendly and though inevitable not a sadness and though occurring not a shock.”

“I have always noticed that in portraits of really great writers the mouth is always firmly closed.”

“Disillusionment in living is finding that no one can really ever be agreeing with you completely in anything.”

“A diary means yes indeed.”

“Human beings are interested in two things. They are interested in the reality and interested in telling about it.”

“A real failure does not need an excuse. It is an end in itself.”

“In the morning there is meaning, in the evening there is feeling.”

“I have declared that patience is never more than patient. I too have declared, that I who am not patient am patient.”

“I could undertake to be an efficient pupil if it were possible to find an efficient teacher.”

“What is marriage, is marriage protection or religion, is marriage renunciation or abundance, is marriage a stepping-stone or an end. What is marriage.”

“It is very easy to love alone.”

“A FEATHER.A feather is trimmed, it is trimmed by the light and the bug and the post, it is trimmed by little leaning and by all sorts of mounted reserves and loud volumes. It is surely cohesive.”

“What is the answer? In that case, what is the question?”

“It is natural not to care about a sister certainly not when she is four years older and grinds her teeth at night.”

“Men and girls, men and girls: Artificial swine and pearls.”

“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.”

“Do not forget birthdays. This is in no way a propaganda for a larger population.”

“Generally speaking, everyone is more interesting doing nothing than doing anything.”

“The difference between saints, forget-me-nots, and mountains, have to, have to, have to at a time.”

“Just before she died she asked, What is the answer? No answer came. She laughed and said, In that case, what is the question? Then she died.”