One human life is deeper than the ocean. Strange fishes and sea-monsters and mighty plants live in the rock-bed of our spirits.
BEN OKRI
BEN OKRI
Ben Okri on rocks
Ben Okri79 quotes“One human life is deeper than the ocean. Strange fishes and sea-monsters and mighty plants live in the rock-bed of our spirits.”
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The higher the artist, the fewer the gestures. The fewer the tools, the greater the imagination. The greater the will, the greater the secret failure.
Ben OkriBen Okri One of the greatest gifts my father gave me – unintentionally – was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity.
Ben OkriBen Okri The greatest religions convert the world through stories.
Ben OkriBen Okri People like you enrich the dreams of the worlds, and it is dreams that create history. People like you are unknowing transformers of things, protected by your own fairy-tale, by love.
Ben OkriBen Okri We have not yet arrived, but every point at which we stop requires a re-definition of our destination.
Ben OkriBen Okri We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It’s just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there.
Ben OkriBen Okri Our time here is magic! It’s the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique, in. It’s the only space.
Ben OkriBen Okri The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.
Ben OkriBen Okri We have fallen into this very mean description of humanity. Naturalism in fiction is too reductive in its definition of human beings.
Ben OkriBen Okri A man’s greatest battles are the ones he fights within himself.
Ben OkriBen Okri We are living in enchanted time. With our spirits right.
Ben OkriBen Okri The acknowledged legislators of the world take the world as given. They dislike mysteries, for mysteries cannot be coded, or legislated, and wonder cannot be made into law. And so these legislators police the accepted frontiers of things.
Ben OkriBen Okri I was going to be a scientist.
Ben OkriBen Okri I was told stories, we were all told stories as kids in Nigeria. We had to tell stories that would keep one another interested, and you weren’t allowed to tell stories that everybody else knew. You had to dream up new ones.
Ben OkriBen Okri The whole of human history is an undiscovered continent deep in our souls. There are dolphins, plants that dream, magic birds inside us. The sky is inside us. The earth is in us.
Ben OkriBen Okri Magic becomes art when it has nothing to hide.
Ben OkriBen Okri
Original quotes
From our community writers
Don’t compare her to sunshine and roses when she’s clearly orchids and moonlight.
Melody LeeMelody Lee Oh moonlight, continue to shine on me. As you light up the sky, maybe some peace will come to me.
ShamaShama Stop counting the reasons why they should be loved and start counting the many reasons why you are the one who is worth loving.
Ayaka HaseAyaka Hase Sure, there are oceans and seas and magnificent things – but none of them are you.
L.T. PhoenixL.T. Phoenix I wish you the wildest of dreams.
Kate WestKate West The way you look at me, The way you make me feel whole, The way you make me feel safe, thats poetry to me.
Barbara GianquittoBarbara Gianquitto You cannot leave and have me too I cannot exist in two places at once-when you ask if we can still be friends.
Rupi KaurRupi Kaur Live to be happy not to impress.
Hayley EvansHayley Evans
Meet the writers
More on rocks
Consummate talent and relentless passion – The Truth ain’t pretty…but it rocks like crazy!
Billy SquierBilly Squier Jazz, rock and roll, movies and comics are the culture of America.
Bill GriffithBill Griffith I’m a dirt bag rock and roller. I want to represent that before anything else
Billie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe Armstrong My job description is that I’m a rock star. And I’m good at it.
Billie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe Armstrong With a four-string, the middle range is less of an option. That kind of 5th that you play on those A and D strings isn’t there.
Bill OrcuttBill Orcutt Mister, I don’t want no trouble. I just came downtown here to get some hard rock candy for my kids, some gingham for my wife. I don’t even know what gingham is, but she goes through about ten rolls a week of that stuff. I ain’t looking for no trouble, Mister.
Bill HicksBill Hicks I’m the anti-rock star. I’m happy just to have a bottle of water.
Ben KwellerBen Kweller I sat down one night and wrote the line rock, rock, rock everybody.
Bill HaleyBill Haley