Home > Topic > the proximity
1 " We would never call inexplicable little insights 'hunches,' for fear of drawing the universe's attention. But they happened, and you knew you had been in the proximity of one that had come through if you saw a detective kiss his or her fingers and touch his or her chest where a pendant to Warsha, patron saint of inexplicable inspirations, would, theoretically, hang. "
― China Miéville , The City & the City
2 " I didn’t answer. We were not buddies. We could not chat about the proximity of our offices, or football, or forgiveness. "
― Kimberly Novosel , Loved
3 " Well, remember, active Grims can't have children. Fertility is adversley affected by the proximity to the ether, to Elixir, and all sorts of other components-- plus, the Grimsphere is no place to raise a family, even if woman conceive here." Lex snuck a glance at Driggs, but Uncle Mort caught her." That doesn't mean you get a free pass to ride the baloney pony when ever you want to. Got it? "
4 " You once said you might not mind being by the president’s side,” he says. My libido goes crazy under that smile. His words husky, seducing me. The proximity of his mouth to my earlobe making my heart go haywire.“That was before,” I whisper worriedly.He captures my gaze with his powerful one. “Before you fell in love with me, or after? "
― Katy Evans , Commander in Chief (White House, #2)
5 " Perhaps it's simply the dual nature of marriage, the proximity of violence and love. "
6 " I am told that the proximity of punishment arouses real repentance in the criminal and sometimes awakens a feeling of genuine remorse in the most hardened heart "
7 " Not long ago-incredible though it may seem-I heard a clerk of Oxford declare that he 'welcomed' the proximity of mass-production robot factories, and the roar of self-obstructive traffic, because it brought his university into 'contact with real life.' He may have meant that the way men were living and working in the twentieth century was increasing in barbarity at an alarming rate, and that the loud demonstration of this in the streets of Oxford might serve as a warning that it is not possible to preserve for long an oasis of sanity in a desert of unreason by mere fences, without actual offensive action (practical and intellectual). I fear he did not. In any case the expression 'real life' in this context seems to fall short of academic standards. The notion that motor-cars are more 'alive' than, say, centaurs or dragons is curious; that they are more 'real' than, say, horses is pathetically absurd. How real, how startlingly alive is a factory chimney compared with an elm tree: poor obsolete thing, insubstantial dream of an escapist! "
― J.R.R. Tolkien , Tree and Leaf: Includes Mythopoeia and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
8 " ...what will happen to us this night will resemble a flame consuming the icy desert, a shower of stars reflected in a piece of a mirror that in the darkness suddenly fell out of its frame to warn its owner about the proximity of death. It'll resemble the shepherd's pipe and the music that has not been written yet. "
9 " He had also been demonstrative and intelligent from the very beginning, his questions startlingly insightful. She would watch him absorb a new idea and wonder what effect it would have on him, because, with Edgar, EVERYTHING came out, eventually, somehow. But the PROCESS – how he put together a story about the world’s workings – that was mysterious beyond all ken. In a way, she thought, it was the only disappointing thing about having a child. She’d imagined he would stay transparent to her, more PART of her, for so much longer. But despite the proximity of the daily work, Edgar had ceased long before to be an open book. A friend, yes. A son she loved, yes. But when it came to knowing his thoughts, Edgar could be opaque as a rock. "
― David Wroblewski , The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
10 " The adjuration to be " normal" seems shockingly repellent to me; I see neither hope nor comfort in sinking to that low level. I think it is ignorance that makes people think of abnormality only with horror and allows them to remain undismayed at the proximity of " normal" to average and mediocre. For surely anyone who achieves anything is, a priori, abnormal. "
11 " Our emotional response is driven by the proximity of the events. "
12 " Our emotional response is driven by the proximity of events. "
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13 " Have you kissed many boys before?" he asked quietly. His question brought my mind back into focus. I raised an eyebrow. " Boys? That's an assumption." Noah laughed, the sound low and husky. " Girls, then?" " No." " Not many girls? Or not many boys?" " Neither," I said. Let him make of that what he would." How many?" " Why—" " I am taking away that word. You are no longer allowed to use it. How many?" My cheeks flushed, but my voice was steady as I answered. " One." At this, Noah leaned in impossibly closer, the slender muscles in his forearm flexing as he bent his elbow to bring himself nearer to me, almost touching. I was heady with the proximity of him and grew legitimately concerned that my heart might explode. Maybe Noah wasn't asking. Maybe I didn't mind. I closed my eyes and felt Noah's five o' clock graze my jaw, and the faintest whisper of his lips at my ear." He was doing it wrong. "
