Poetry consists in a rhyming dictionary and things seen.
- Gertrude Stein
Dictionary, Things, Consists, Rhyming
There ain't no answer. There ain't gonna be any answer. There never has been an answer. That's the answer.
- Gertrude Stein
Politics, Never, Been, Answer
Money is always there but the pockets change; it is not in the same pockets after a change, and that is all there is to say about money.
- Gertrude Stein
Money, Always, Same, Pockets
Nature is commonplace. Imitation is more interesting.
- Gertrude Stein
Nature, Interesting, More, Commonplace
I have always noticed that in portraits of really great writers the mouth is always firmly closed.
- Gertrude Stein
Mouth, Always, Firmly, Portraits
Men and girls, men and girls: Artificial swine and pearls.
- Gertrude Stein
Men, Pearls, Artificial, Swine
In a war everybody always knows all about Switzerland, in peace times it is just Switzerland but in war time it is the only country that everybody has confidence in, everybody.
- Gertrude Stein
Country, Always, Everybody, Only Country
Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really very frightening.
- Gertrude Stein
Nothing, How, Very, Considering
Sculpture is made with two instruments and some supports and pretty air.
- Gertrude Stein
Some, Pretty, Instruments, Sculpture
The nineteenth century was completely lacking in logic, it had cosmic terms and hopes, and aspirations, and discoveries, and ideals but it had no logic.
- Gertrude Stein
Cosmic, Ideals, Nineteenth, Aspirations
But the problem is that when I go around and speak on campuses, I still don't get young men standing up and saying, 'How can I combine career and family?'
- Gertrude Stein
Career, Still, Standing Up, Young Men
The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not.
- Gertrude Stein
Science, Century, Twentieth
Communists are people who fancied that they had an unhappy childhood.
- Gertrude Stein
Childhood, Unhappy, Fancied, Communists
Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.
- Gertrude Stein
Technology, Lose, Everybody, Common Sense
Everyone gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.
- Gertrude Stein
Lose, Sense, Everyone, Common Sense
A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.
- Gertrude Stein
Gardening, Beginning, Grows, Garden
What is marriage, is marriage protection or religion, is marriage renunciation or abundance, is marriage a stepping-stone or an end. What is marriage.
- Gertrude Stein
Marriage, Stepping-Stone, Renunciation
Do not forget birthdays. This is in no way a propaganda for a larger population.
- Gertrude Stein
Forget, Propaganda, Larger, Birthdays
It is funny that men who are supposed to be scientific cannot get themselves to realise the basic principle of physics, that action and reaction are equal and opposite, that when you persecute people you always rouse them to be strong and stronger.
- Gertrude Stein
Strong, Principle, Rouse, Persecute
It is extraordinary that when you are acquainted with a whole family you can forget about them.
- Gertrude Stein
Family, Extraordinary, About, Acquainted
The minute you or anybody else knows what you are you are not it, you are what you or anybody else knows you are and as everything in living is made up of finding out what you are it is extraordinarily difficult really not to know what you are and yet to be that thing.
- Gertrude Stein
Living, Made, Anybody, Extraordinarily
I don't envisage collectivism. There is no such animal, it is always individualism, sometimes the rest vote and sometimes they do not, and if they do they do and if they do not they do not.
- Gertrude Stein
Rest, Always, Individualism, Envisage
Every adolescent has that dream every century has that dream every revolutionary has that dream, to destroy the family.
- Gertrude Stein
Dream, Century, Adolescent
I could undertake to be an efficient pupil if it were possible to find an efficient teacher.
- Gertrude Stein
Teacher, Could, Undertake, Pupil
Is it worse to be scared than to be bored, that is the question.
- Gertrude Stein
Question, Worse, Than, Scared
I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.
- Gertrude Stein
View, Like, Turned, Sit
It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.
- Gertrude Stein
Genius, Doing, Lot, Sit
Oh, I wish I were a miser; being a miser must be so occupying.
- Gertrude Stein
Wish, I Wish, Occupying, Miser
It is funny the two things most men are proudest of is the thing that any man can do and doing does in the same way, that is being drunk and being the father of their son.
- Gertrude Stein
Father, Doing, Being, Proudest
What is the answer? In that case, what is the question?
- Gertrude Stein
Question, Answer, Case
Just before she died she asked, What is the answer? No answer came. She laughed and said, In that case, what is the question? Then she died.
- Gertrude Stein
She, Answer, Asked, Case
Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to me an existence and has a stake in what happens.
- Gertrude Stein
Think, Everybody, I Think, Vote
Do you know because I tell you so, or do you know, do you know.
- Gertrude Stein
Know, Tell, Because, Do You Know
There is too much fathering going on just now and there is no doubt about it fathers are depressing.
- Gertrude Stein
Dad, Fathers, Fathering, Depressing
Supposing everyone lived at one time what would they say. They would observe that stringing string beans is universal.
- Gertrude Stein
Say, String, Everyone, One Time
Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them, they are so friendly how can they be so suspicious they are so suspicious how can they be so friendly but they just are.
- Gertrude Stein
Always, Friendly, Very, Upsets
Argument is to me the air I breathe. Given any proposition, I cannot help believing the other side and defending it.
- Gertrude Stein
Argument, Other, Given, Breathe
Everybody knows if you are too careful you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something.
- Gertrude Stein
Stumble, Over, Everybody, Occupied
Literature - creative literature - unconcerned with sex, is inconceivable.
- Gertrude Stein
Literature, Inconceivable, Unconcerned
Everybody thinks that this civilization has lasted a very long time but it really does take very few grandfathers' granddaughters to take us back to the dark ages.
- Gertrude Stein
Everybody, Very, Dark Ages
Once more I can climb about and remind you that a woman in this epoch does the important literary thinking.
- Gertrude Stein
Woman, More, Literary, Remind
Hemingway's remarks are not literature.
- Gertrude Stein
Literature, Remarks, Hemingway
Picasso once remarked I do not care who it is that has or does influence me as long as it is not myself.
- Gertrude Stein
Myself, Once, Does, Picasso
Remarks are not literature.
- Gertrude Stein
Literature, Remarks
I know what Germans are. They are a funny people. They are always choosing someone to lead them in a direction which they do not want to go.
- Gertrude Stein
Always, Funny People, Which, Germans
A masterpiece... may be unwelcome but it is never dull.
- Gertrude Stein
Never, May, Unwelcome, Dull
It is natural not to care about a sister certainly not when she is four years older and grinds her teeth at night.
- Gertrude Stein
Night, Natural, Certainly, Sister
Name any name and then remember everybody you ever knew who bore that name. Are they all alike. I think so.
- Gertrude Stein
Think, Everybody, I Think, Bore
It is very easy to love alone.
- Gertrude Stein
Love, Alone, Very, To Love
The contemporary thing in art and literature is the thing which doesn't make enough difference to the people of that generation so that they can accept it or reject it.
- Gertrude Stein
Art, Generation, Which, Contemporary
When they are alone they want to be with others, and when they are with others they want to be alone. After all, human beings are like that.
- Gertrude Stein
Alone, Human Beings, Like, Beings
Human beings are interested in two things. They are interested in the reality and interested in telling about it.
- Gertrude Stein
Human Beings, Telling, About, Beings
I rarely believe anything, because at the time of believing I am not really there to believe.
- Gertrude Stein
I Am, Believe, Because, Rarely
Before the flowers of friendship faded friendship faded.
- Gertrude Stein
Friendship, Flowers, Before, Faded
We are always the same age inside.
- Gertrude Stein
Age, Always, Same, Same Age
One does not get better but different and older and that is always a pleasure.
- Gertrude Stein
Better, Always, Does, Older
It is not what France gave you but what it did not take from you that was important.
- Gertrude Stein
Important, France, Take, Gave
War is never fatal but always lost. Always lost.
- Gertrude Stein
Lost, Never, Always, Fatal
The earth is the earth as a peasant sees it, the world is the world as a duchess sees it, and anyway a duchess would be nothing if the earth was not there as the peasant sees it.
- Gertrude Stein
World, Peasant, Would, Anyway
This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.
- Gertrude Stein
History, Lesson, Teaches, Repetition
In France one must adapt oneself to the fragrance of a urinal.
- Gertrude Stein
Fragrance, France, Must, Adapt
The difference between saints, forget-me-nots, and mountains, have to, have to, have to at a time.
- Gertrude Stein
Time, Mountains, Difference, Saints
Generally speaking, everyone is more interesting doing nothing than doing anything.
- Gertrude Stein
Doing, Everyone, Speaking, Generally
It is the soothing thing about history that it does repeat itself.
- Gertrude Stein
History, Itself, Soothing, Repeat
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.
- Gertrude Stein
Rose
If you can do it then why do it?
- Gertrude Stein
You, Why, Then, You Can Do It
Disillusionment in living is finding that no one can really ever be agreeing with you completely in anything.
- Gertrude Stein
Living, Finding, Ever, Agreeing
Men cannot count, they do not know that two and two make four if women do not tell them so.
- Gertrude Stein
Men, Tell, Count, Four
America is my country and Paris is my hometown.
- Gertrude Stein
America, Country, Hometown, Paris
If you are looking down while you are walking it is better to walk up hill the ground is nearer.
- Gertrude Stein
Down, Better, While, Nearer
It is so friendly so simply friendly and though inevitable not a sadness and though occurring not a shock.
- Gertrude Stein
Inevitable, Friendly, Though, Shock
A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears.
- Gertrude Stein
Art, Ears, Painter, Write
To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write.
- Gertrude Stein
Write
Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone.
- Gertrude Stein
Gratitude, Silent, Very, Much
A real failure does not need an excuse. It is an end in itself.
- Gertrude Stein
Failure, Need, Itself, Excuse
History takes time. History makes memory.
- Gertrude Stein
History, Memory, Makes, Takes
The deepest thing in any one is the conviction of the bad luck that follows boasting.
- Gertrude Stein
Luck, Bad, Follows, Deepest
A diary means yes indeed.
- Gertrude Stein
Yes, Diary, Means, Indeed
Action and reaction are equal and opposite.
- Gertrude Stein
Reaction, Opposite, Equal, Action
One of the pleasant things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come.
- Gertrude Stein
Pleasant, Pleasant Things, Paint
There is no real reality to a really imagined life any more.
- Gertrude Stein
Reality, Real, More, Imagined
Let me listen to me and not to them.
- Gertrude Stein
Me, Them, Listen
Counting is the religion of this generation it is its hope and its salvation.
- Gertrude Stein
Generation, Salvation, Counting
Very likely education does not make very much difference.
- Gertrude Stein
Education, Very, Likely, Difference
There is a difference between twenty-nine and thirty. When you are twenty-nine it can be the beginning of everything. When you are thirty it can be the end of everything.
- Gertrude Stein
Beginning, End, Everything, Difference
You'll be old and you never lived, and you kind of feel silly to lie down and die and to never have lived, to have been a job chaser and never have lived.
- Gertrude Stein
Die, Old, Been, Silly
I have declared that patience is never more than patient. I too have declared, that I who am not patient am patient.
- Gertrude Stein
Patience, Never, Too, Patient
The thing that differentiates man from animals is money.
- Gertrude Stein
Money, Man, Thing, Animals
I do want to get rich but I never want to do what there is to do to get rich.
- Gertrude Stein
Never, Want, Get, Rich
I've been rich and I've been poor. It's better to be rich.
- Gertrude Stein
Better, Poor, Been, Rich
It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for the future, none at all. It certainly is extraordinary, but it is certainly true.
- Gertrude Stein
Future, Projects, Certainly, Extraordinary
Romance is everything.
- Gertrude Stein
Romantic, Everything, Romance
What is music. A passion for colonies not a love of country.
- Gertrude Stein
Love, Music, Country, Passion
In the United States there is more space where nobody is than where anybody is. That is what makes America what it is.
- Gertrude Stein
More, United, Anybody, United States
There is no such thing as being good to your wife.
- Gertrude Stein
Being, Your, Thing, Wife
An audience is always warming but it must never be necessary to your work.
- Gertrude Stein
Never, Always, Necessary, Audience
That is what war is and dancing it is forward and back, when one is out walking one wants not to go back the way they came but in dancing and in war it is forward and back.
- Gertrude Stein
Walking, Dancing, Go, Forward
It is always a mistake to be plain-spoken.
- Gertrude Stein
Always, Mistake
I think the reason I am important is that I know everything.
- Gertrude Stein
Think, Important, I Think, Reason
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