Concept Quotes

“Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.”
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

“A piece of art comes to life, when we can feel, it is breathing, when it talks to us and starts raising questions. It may dispel biased perceptions; make us recognize ignored fragments and remember forsaken episodes of our life story. Art may sometimes even be nasty and disturbing, if we don’t want to consent to its philosophy or concept, but it might, in the end, perhaps reconcile us with ourselves. ("When is Art?")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“Let people embrace their elected god or let them create one if they feel inspired. In case some want to share, it may be fun but if they don’t fancy the concept, they should be free to recant. (“Is Heaven a place in the sky?”)”
― Erik Pevernagie

“My conception of freedom. — The value of a thing sometimes does not lie in that which one attains by it, but in what one pays for it — what it costs us. Liberal institutions cease to be liberal as soon as they are attained: later on, there are no worse and no more thorough injurers of freedom than liberal institutions.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

“I’m sure you've heard the adage "thoughts are things" or perhaps "believe and you will achieve". There are variations on these principles, but they drill down to the same basic concept; it's a mindset and it works.”
― C. Toni Graham

“Eliminate the concept of division by class, skills, race, income, and nationality. We are all equals with a common pulse to survive. Every human requires food and water. Every human has a dream and desire to be happy. Every human responds to love, suffering and pain. Every human bleeds the same color and occupies the same world. Let us recognize that we are all part of each other. We are all human. We are all one.”
― Suzy Kassem

“The last clear definite function of man—muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need—this is man....For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments. This you may say of man—when theories change and crash, when schools, philosophies, when narrow dark alleys of thought, national, religious, economic, grow and disintegrate, man reaches, stumbles forward, painfully, mistakenly sometimes. Having stepped forward, he may slip back, but only half a step, never the full step back. This you may say and know it and know it. This you may know when the bombs plummet out of the black planes on the market place, when prisoners are stuck like pigs, when the crushed bodies drain filthily in the dust. You may know it in this way. If the step were not being taken, if the stumbling-forward ache were not alive, the bombs would not fall, the throats would not be cut. Fear the time when the bombs stop falling while the bombers live—for every bomb is proof that the spirit has not died. And fear the time when the strikes stop while the great owners live—for every little beaten strike is proof that the step is being taken. And this you can know—fear the time when Manself will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is the foundation of Manself, and this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

“It doesn't really matter if you are left behind the back, but what matters is your capacity to pull and push everyone by your way to get to the front.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson

“It was mostly just the concept of eating a cock that Matthew found so challenging, irrespective of which animal it came from.”
― Matthew Bracey, Steel Dogs

“If I could somehow know the future,
then now should not be like this time.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“Forever means losing count of years.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“Just as a concept becomes a unit when integrated with others into a wider concept, so a genus becomes a single unit, a species, when integrated with others into a wider genus. For instance, “table” is a species of the genus “furniture,” which is a species of the genus “household goods,” which is a species of the genus “man-made objects.” “Man” is a species of the genus “animal,” which is a species of the genus “organism,” which is a species of the genus “entity.”
― Ayn Rand, The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Objectivism from A to Z

“His conception of the universe is, however, instinctive, not intellectual; it can't be criticized as a concept, because there’s none there, and it can't be criticized as temperament, because temperament can't be criticized.”
― Álvaro de Campos

“Being a tourist in your own country opens up parts of Scotland we never knew existed.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“The soul never thinks without an image.”
― Aristotle, On the Soul & Parva Naturalia

“Like our homes, a garden is an extension of taste and preference.
It can be a hobby room, a zone for entertaining, a junkyard and a display of creativity.
Somewhere to take a gulp of air or wine - whichever is the most necessary.
The garden also works hard.
It is a place to hang washing, to store equipment, bikes and ladders, to hose down a muddy dog.
Those of us with gardens big enough to execute our visions prove that projects can be born combining many of these elements, sometimes even all.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie gardens have a common trait: there will be at least one place that encourages reflection and peacefulness.
A coorie spot could be a garden grotto, blending into the scenery with trained climbers concealing its form or a basic summerhouse with space to sit.
A balcony with a comfortable chair where you can turn your face to the sun and read a book is a perfect coorie space.
Even a shared back court with a picnic bench can be dressed with lanterns and potted plants to conjure the feeling of coorie.
Some intrepid souls might like to string a hammock out to evoke the ultimate sense of downtime.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Gardeners with coorie on the brain don't have to look far for inspiration.
An urban jungle can easily be created on a tiny city terrace.
Professional gardeners recommend looking around to see what context your outside space falls within to give you clues on design.
If the spires of a large granite church or leaves of a copper beech tree can be seen close by echo the colours and shapes.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“To start, planters large enough to host quick growing shrubbery work best on terraces but think about how much light your outside space receives.
Try foliage in shady spots and grasses in areas that are scorched by the wind.
Once established, greenery should also provide an extra layer of shelter to protect when you're sitting outside with a morning coffee.
Light sources are the final, crucial addition to coorie gardens - as they are in most ideas relating to the concept.
If your outside space has a pagoda or loggia, roof-hung lighting creates a beguiling grotto effect.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Charles Rennie Mackintosh, "Art is the Flower - Life is the Green Leaf.
Let every artist strive to make his flower a beautiful living thing, something that will convince the world that there may be, there are, things more precious more beautiful - more lasting than life itself.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie is like a wee cuddle, either with a person or in a blanket.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Food wasn't just there to fill us up.
It was a conversation starter to block unsure silences and feel grateful for.
Life doesn't get coorier than that.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“A coorie home is one that both looks and feels good.
A squishy couch and a favourite mug filled with a steaming cup of tea can brighten the edges of even the most miserable day.
There must be a psychological reason behind why we get attached to certain items in our homes, whether it's dad's armchair with its alarmingly permanent bum groove or a wooden spoon with just the right shaped handle.
Answers on a postcard, please.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie interiors are ones that lift the spirits.
Sterile or overly cluttered spaces aren't very coorie because they don't make us want to spend time there with the people we love.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“William Morris, " Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“It's the combination of country air and no phone reception that does it for me.
If I want to stay inside my lochside cabin cooried in on a dreich day with a trashy magazine there's no stopping me.
The same goes for getting up early, pulling back the curtains and feeling the morning rays on my face.
Then it might be the perfect opportunity for hill running - either observing or taking part.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“If the best things in life are free, the second-best things cost only a handful of pennies.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie believes in looking out for ways to make the most of what's around us, creating coorie on the cheap is easy.
An added bonus of many of these coorie activities is that they force us to slow down and ask deeper questions about where we are going and where we have been.
They also encourage collaboration, whether that's spending time with our nieces and nephews baking cakes, taking our dogs for a walk, combing the beach for shells or chatting to older generations about the history of our country.
There are countless ways to embody coorie into your days at work, days off, nights in the city and nights out in the wild.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Everyone needs a space in which they can hide from the world.
But it's not always easy to have one in your house.
The ideal scenario is to have a room away from the main thoroughfare of a home - and that's where a garden room comes in handy.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Humans + fire + food = happiness”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way