“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.”

Terry Pratchett, 66, best known for the Discworld series (which included 40 volumes) has today sadly lost his battle with a rare form of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Pratchett wrote over 70 books during his career and has sold over 85 million copies worldwide.

Larry Finlay of Transworld Publishers spoke of him today saying, “The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.”

My daughter grew up on his books, they adorn the shelves proudly in our home, and are still read to this day as the fantasy worlds that he created reach out to all age groups.

Here are a few of his quotes that should resound far into the future, just as his books will never be forgotten.

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”

“It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.”

“Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom.”

“There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this.”

“Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.”

“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.”

“Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.”

“She was already learning that if you ignore the rules people will, half the time, quietly rewrite them so that they don’t apply to you.”

“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.”

“She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.

“I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it.”

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything, but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”

“Give a man a fire and he’s warm for a day, but set fire to him and he’s warm for the rest of his life.”

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.”

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.”

“Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out,” said the shopkeeper. “That’s what I’ve always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person.”

“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken.”

And with that, it is with guarantee that Terry Pratchett will live on for, many, many years to come…

 

 

Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikipedia