Great Throughts Treasury

"The blaze of the sun squeezed drops of sweat from the forehead of the old, yet he squeezed glass of hot tea and sweet in his hands, as if to warm them. He could not shake off the feeling. For he had stuck on his back as cold wet leaves."

"That?s right. He was smacking his lips a little, that?s all. He was smacking his lips a little? Well, yes. Kinderman."

"That the love which He asked was in my will and not meant to be felt as emotion. No. Not at all. He was asking that I act with love; that I do unto others; and that I should do it unto those who repelled me, I believe, was a greater act of love than any other."

"The child was slender as fleeting hope."

"The burnished rays of the setting sun flamed glory on the clouds of the western sky before shattering in gold and vermilion dapples on the darkening waters of the river. Once Karras met God in this sight. Long ago. Like a lover forsaken, he still kept the rendezvous."

"Stepping lithe and incredulous from the study; of Karras, emerging bewildered from the kitchen while the nightmarish poundings and croakings continued. Merrin went calmly up the staircase, a slender hand like alabaster sliding upward on the banister. Karras came up beside Chris, and together they watched from below as Merrin entered Regan?s bedroom and closed the door behind him. For a time there was silence. Then abruptly the demon laughed hideously and Merrin swiftly exited the room, closed the door, then moved quickly down the hall while behind him the bedroom door opened again and Sharon poked her head out, staring after him with an odd expression on her face. Merrin descended the staircase rapidly and put out his hand to the waiting Karras."

"The comics of Captain Future like it relate to the world of tomorrow: everything related to the world of tomorrow is interesting."

"The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us; but he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. His attack is psychological, Damien. And powerful."

"There it lies, I think, Damien ? possession; not in wars, as some tend to believe; not so much; and very rarely in extraordinary interventions such as here ? this girl ? this poor child. No, I tend to see possession most often in the little things, Damien: in the senseless, petty spites and misunderstandings; the cruel and cutting word that leaps unbidden to the tongue between friends. Between lovers. Between husbands and wives. Enough of these and we have no need of Satan to manage our wars; these we manage for ourselves ? for ourselves."

"The excavations were completed. One layer after another, the ground had been sieved; objects found in its bowels, tested, labeled, had already been shipped. Necklaces and pendants, engraved gems, your faults, the mortars of stone painted with ocher, burnished vessels. Nothing exceptional. An Assyrian ivory casket, with everything you need for the toilet. And human remains. Human bones. Leftovers friable cosmic anguish that once upon a time led it to question whether the matter was not Lucifer groping toward the heavens to return to their God. But now he had lost illusions. The plant licorice fragrance and tamarisk caught his eye on the covers of poppies high places, on the flat reeds, on the rough and rocky road tract that dived headlong into the horrible. Northwest was Mosul, Erbil east, south Baghdad and Kirkuk and the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar ."

"The exorcist should not believe too readily that a person is possessed by an evil spirit; but he ought to ascertain by the signs by which a person possessed can be distinguished from one who is suffering from some illness; especially one of a psychological nature. Signs of possession may be the following: ability to speak with some facility in a strange language or to understand it when spoken by another; the facility of divulging future and hidden events; display of powers which are beyond the subject's age and natural condition; and various other conditions which, when taken together as a whole, build up the evidence."

"The Kurd stood waiting like an ancient debt."

"The demon's target is not the possessed; it is us the observers..everyone in this house. I think the point is to make us despair... to reject our humanity: to see ourselves as ultimately bestial, vile and putrescent; without dignity; ugly; unworthy."

"The love had grown cold, and in the night he heard it whistling through the chambers of his heart like a lost and gently crying wind."

"The original story that I sold [Morgan Creek] (and that I shot) ended with Kinderman blowing away Patient X. There was no exorcism. But it was a Mexican stand-off between me and the studio. I was entitled to one preview, then they could go and do what they wanted with the picture. They gave me a preview but it was the lowest end preview audience I have ever seen in my life. They dragged in zombies from Haiti to watch this film. It was unbelievable. But I decided, better I should do it than anyone else. I foolishly thought: I can do a good exorcism, I?ll turn this pig?s ear into a silk purse. So I did it."

"The hand that was obscuring her face was trembling. Lowering her arm, she turned and looked up at Karras, revealing a haggard-eyed, tearstained face. So what?s doin?? she said. What?s new? Karras studied her before answering, Well, the latest is I?ve looked at the records from Barringer Clinic and? Yes? Chris interjected tensely. Well, I believe?"

"The sun sinks to rise again; the day is swallowed up in the gloom of night, to be born out of it, as fresh as if it had never been quenched."

"The terror drifted over Georgetown like the sun over a blind man?s eyes"

"This century hasn't got the lock on insanity."

"We mourn the blossoms of May because they are to whither; but we know that May is one day to have its revenge upon November, by the revolution of that solemn circle which never stops---which teaches us in our height of hope, ever to be sober, and in our depth of desolation, never to despair."

"We use concepts like "consciousness"---"mind"---"personality," but we don't really know yet what these things are.' He was shaking his head. 'Not really. Not at all."

"This is a joyful book. It laughs Sycamore in October orange. It is sparkling drizzle after a wonderful news. Balloons red and hugs sunny morning enveloped shores of sparkling gold liquid. Oh, yes, there is something sad in the book: the part that is a liar. Where the argument is to blame. Or remorse. O death. But the genuine is joyful, very cheerful part, so much so that even now, as I write these words, I smile in my heart."

"They Said, what sign can you give us to see, so that we may believe you? - John 6: 30 ? 31 You do not believe although you have seen... - John 6: 36 - 37"

"We use concepts like consciousness---mind---personality, but we don't really know yet what these things are.' He was shaking his head. 'Not really. Not at all."

"Was the universe eternal?"

"There, you see? I didn?t curse. Don?t you agree that I handled the situation demurely?"

"We have every indication that he died of fright."

"We won. Now free me."

"We're going to live forever, Bill. We're spirits."

"Well, the research into it affected me. And the novel, it very much strengthened my faith."

"What looked like morning was the beginning of endless night"

"Well, the Devil?s something else. I could buy that; in fact, maybe I do. You know why? Because the creep keeps doing commercials."

"With prayer you can achieve more things than this world can ever dream of."

"When the filter is weakened by a powerful drug, what we see is not delusion but the truth."

"What we give to the poor is what we take with us when we die."

"Where was I? Oh, yes. The Master. He was kind, you see. He brought me to our mutual acquaintance Father Karras. Not to well at the time. I'm afraid he was, passing on in the dying mode, as we say. So, as Karras was about to slip out of his body-- is this true? The Master was slipping me in. Oh, now there was some confusion when the medic said that Karras was dead-- I mean, he was dead, technically speaking. I mean, his time was up. He wanted out. But I was in! A little traumatized, true. I mean, after all, his brain were jelly. Lack of oxygen, and all that sort of thing. You understand? It took a maximum effort that at last got me out of that cheap little coffin. Vow of poverty, disgusting. Never mind. Toward the end, a slapstick comic relief. When that old Brother Faine, who was tending the bodies, saw me climbing from the coffin. [laughs] It's the smiles that keep us going. Don't you think? The little giggles and bits of good cheer."

"Why would an eye want to form?"

"Whenever she grinned, her entire face appeared to crinkle."

"Would you like to hear a nice definition of jealousy? It's the feeling that you get when someone you absolutely detest is having a wonderful time without you."

"Yes, about this body of mine. Friend of yours. Well, there I was so awfully dead in that electric chair. I didn't like it. Would you? It's upsetting. There was still so much killing to do, and there I was, in the void, without a body. But then along came, well, you know, my friend. One of them. Those others over there. The cruel ones, the Master. And he thought that my work should continue. But in this body, in this body in particular, in fact. Ooooh, let's call it revenge. The certain matter of an exorcism I think Father Karras expelled certain parties from the body of a child. Certain parties were not pleased. To say the least. To say the very least. And so my friend, the Master, devised this pretty little scheme as a way of getting back. Of creating a stumbling block. A scandal. A horror to the eyes of all men who seek faith, using the body of this saintly priest as an instrument of... well, you know my work. But the main thing... is the torment of your friend, Father Karras, as he watches while I rip, and cut, and MUTILATE THE INNOCENT! His friends! And again! AND AGAIN! AND ON AND ON! HE IS INSIDE WITH US! HE WILL NEVER GET AWAY! HIS PAIN WON'T END! Oh, gracious me. Was I raving? Please forgive me. I'm mad..."

"Yes, I think so. A sign of the zodiac. I think Gemini."

"Yes, of course, said Kinderman. It?s very strange. But then it leaves us"

"You don't blame us for being here, do you? After all, we have no place to go. No home... Incidentally, what an excellent day for an exorcism..."

"Yet I think the demon's target is not the possessed; it is us . . . the observers . . . every person in this house. And I think---I think the point is to make us despair; to reject our own humanity, Damien: to see ourselves as ultimately bestial; as ultimately vile and putrescent; without dignity; ugly; unworthy."

"You?re a very strange man, said Amfortas."

"Your mother's in here, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I'll see that she gets it."

"Your thoughts are too dull to entertain."

"You want to go to the movies with me? It's free."