Famous lines from famous literature

Here are some of the finest examples of lines from literature which clearly explain why they are so famous, all curated by the Zonegem review team.

1. And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.

— East of Eden.

2. I miss her, with a never-ending ache that I did not think was possible, that crowds out any other feeling and certainly all my reason, and any good sense.

— We Love You, Charlie Freeman: A Novel.

3. It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

― The Alchemist.

4. He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.

–– Anna Karenina.

5. It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.

— To Kill A Mockingbird.

6. Get busy living or get busy dying.

— The Shawshank Redemption.

7. Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.

–– Life of Pi.

8. He is coming, and I am here.

–– The Time Traveler's Wife.

9. Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart.

–– Charlotte’s Web.

10. The old man was dreaming about the lions.

–– The Old Man and the Sea.

11. And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea.

–– Rebecca.

12. I know so many last words. But I will never know hers.

–– Looking For Alaska.

13. When the day shall come, that we do part,' he said softly, and turned to look at me, 'if my last words are not ‘I love you’ – ye’ll ken it was because I dinna have time.

–– The Fiery Cross.

14. The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off.

–– Catch-22.

15. His body stirs beneath the sheets. He twists his head from one side to the other. His eyes, she sees, are open. Then she feels a pressure on her hand and he speaks his first words for a week. 'Keep going, El,' he says, 'Keep going.' And so she does."

–– The Hand That First Held Mine.

For plenty more great classical literature and content, check out Zonegem today.

Great classic books to enjoy now

Looking for a great novel to read now? Then check out these classic books curated by the Zonegem review team.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

In this chilling novel, the titular character, Dorian Gray, is the subject of a portrait by painter Basil Hallward, who is enamored of Dorian’s beauty. Knowing that his youth will fade eventually, Dorian wishes to sell his soul for beauty and youth, and his wish is granted. As Dorian grows more beautiful, his painting mysteriously takes on an increasingly monstrous appearance. Hauntingly descriptive and delicately crafted, Wilde’s novel challenges us to look within ourselves and acknowledge the darker side of human nature and the struggle between good and evil that each of us faces.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

In one of Christie’s most compelling mysteries, the luxurious Orient Express is stopped in a snowdrift in the dead of night, and the next morning, a grumpy, dislikable American passenger is found stabbed twelve times with his door locked. Only the other passengers can have been the killer with the possibility of it being an outside job highly unlikely because of the snowstorm. As Detective Hercule Poirot investigates, a tangled tale is woven around the murdered man as each passenger is revealed to be connected to him. With her usual flare for intrigue, Agatha Christie gives us a mystery that blurs the boundaries between legal and moral justice, challenging us to decide when, and if, it’s ever justifiable to take the law into our own hands.

For more of the classics, check out Zonegem today.

Two Classic Books to Read Again

Here are two classic books to read again, curated by the Zonegem review team. A lot of classic books are read in high-school and college, but there are some that are really worth a reread!

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

After the sudden death of her wealthy parents, spoilt Mary Lennox is sent from India to live with her uncle in the austere Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire Moors. Neglected and uncherished, she is horribly lonely, until one day she discovers a walled garden in the grounds that has been kept locked for years.

When Mary finds the key to the garden and shares it with two unlikely companions, she opens up a world of hope, and as the garden blooms, Mary and her friends begin to find a new joy in life.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The timeless tale of four sisters - Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth - experiencing both hardship and adventure in Civil War New England.

Though the March family may be poor, their lives are rich with colour, as they play games, put on wild theatricals, make new friends, argue, grapple with their vices, learn from their mistakes, nurse each other through sickness and disappointments, and get into all sorts of trouble.

For plenty more inspiration in words including eBooks and novels, plus podcasts, check out Zonegem today.

Inspiring quotes from classical musicians

Not only are they great composers, they are inspirational speakers, too. Enjoy this list of inspiring quotes from classical musicians, curated by the Zonegem review team.

In life, one must decide whether to conjugate the verb ‘to have’ or ‘to be’.

Franz Liszt

The essence of that which is beautiful is that which is unified in its variety.

Felix Mendelssohn

Experience first, then intellectualize.

Carl Orff

I hate you Richard Wagner, but I hate you on my knees.

Leonard Bernstein

True music must repeat the thoughts and inspirations of the people and the time.

George Gershwin

There are so many beautiful things to be said in C Major.

Sergei Prokofiev

I compose music because I must express my feelings, just as I talk so that I can express my thoughts.

Sergei Rachmaninov

When I was young people used to say to me, “Wait until you’re fifty, then you’ll see.”

I am fifty now, I haven’t seen anything.

Erik Satie

Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.

Piotr Tchaikovsky

I try to decorate my imagination as much as I can.

Franz Schubert

Discipline, work. Work, more discipline.

Gustav Mahler

For plenty more inspiration in words including eBooks and novels, plus podcasts, check out Zonegem today.

Lines in literature that are powerful and moving

If you love the classics, then you will love this list of powerful closing lines from some of the greatest literary pieces, curated by the Zonegem review team.

"I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran."

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

"For all to be accomplished, for me to feel less lonely, all that remained to hope was that on the day of my execution there should be a huge crowd of spectators and that they should greet me with howls of execration."

The Stranger, Albert Camus

"She opened the door wide and let him into her life again."

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stieg Larsson

"Curley and Carlson looked after them. And Carlson said, 'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?'"

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

"I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be."

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

"My husband remained there some time after me to settle our affairs, and at first I had intended to go back to him, but at his desire I altered that resolution, and he is come over to England also, where we resolve to spend the remainder of our years in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived."

Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe

"And then, while the pretty brunette girl finished singing her verse, he buzzed me through like I was someone who mattered."

The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger

"We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long."

The Green Mile, Stephen King

"At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel."

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton

"Her lips move and a moment before the door splinters off its hinges she says, her voice strong and quiet, 'My name is Alisa.'"

The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway

"I lost track after a while, happy to be home, weeping for my father, and thinking about what was next."

Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides

"The men began singing, a grave, slow song that drifted away into the night. Soon the road was empty. All that remained of the German regiment was a little cloud of dust."

Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky

For more great classic reads, check out Zonegem.

Great books for Women’s History Month

March marks the start of women’s history month at Zonegem. We are celebrating with our favourite classic woman’s audiobooks that recognize great women’s feats and adventures. Here are our top-rated picks from Zonegem:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This story tells Meg, Beth, Jo, and Amy March, raised in New England and live in poverty. This book explores their domestic adventures as they try to make an income and their friendships and love affairs as they become Little Women.

She Came To Slay by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Harriott Tubman is well known as one of the most famous conductors of the railroad. But she is also known for her selflessness and bravery and is an inspiration to generations in the struggle for civil rights. She helped to liberate hundreds of slaves, and she was the first woman to lead an armed expedition. This book explores Harriott’s many accomplishments and is both engaging and informative.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

There’s a good reason why this book is a multi-award-winning novel; it is a fantastic story about a young girl’s journey of healing and the power of love. Lily Owens’s life has been shaped by the fuzzy memory of her mother being killed. When her ‘stand-in mom offends three of the biggest racists in town, Lily decides it’s time for them both to escape. This is a novel about female power, a story that women should share and pass on.

For more classic and empowering women’s novels to celebrate women’s history month, visit Zonegem for an extensive collection.

3 Classic Love Songs You Should Share With Your Crush

The most simple and easy way of showing your partner that you love them is through love songs. Love songs can help you grow a strong bond with your significant other. Here are some of the best love songs you might want to share with your S.O.

Adore You by Harry Styles

This irresistible and entertaining track displays how the singer is in love with a beautiful woman. Harry is head over heel in love hence the title "Just let me adore you." And adoring her is going to be the best thing that ever happened.

All Me by Kehlani (ft. Keyshia Cole)

This song is about being proud of your partnership and staying satisfied, contrary to her back in the day songs that were about dealing with breakups and heartache. She joined forces with Keyshia Cole, and the duo sings about their picture-perfect relationship.

Tattoos Together by Lauv

In Tattoos Together, the singer has a crush feels like they are going to be together forever. But, Lauv decides to take their love one notch higher by suggesting that they both get tattoos so that incase their love fails, they will have something to remember one another in their lives.

Are you looking for a way to spoil your loved one or a prospective partner? Look no more as we have a classic collection that will help you show the special person in your life that you care about them. All you need to do is visit Zonegem.com.

The best lines from classic books

Here are some of the greatest lines from the best classics ever written.

“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

I do suspect that he is not really necessary to my happiness.

Jane Austen, Emma

You can’t breathe dead hippo waking, sleeping, and eating, and at the same time keep your precarious grip on existence.

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Time, which sees all things, has found you out.

Sophocles, Oedipus the King

They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.

Kate Chopin, The Awakening

I don’t exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.

J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody, in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another’s existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but who were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world.

George Orwell, 1984

Ever’body’s askin’ that. “What we comin’ to?” Seems to me we don’t never come to nothin’. Always on the way.

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

The Mole was a good listener, and Toad, with no one to check his statements or to criticize in an unfriendly spirit, rather let himself go. Indeed, much that he related belonged more properly to the category of what-might-have-happened-had-I-only-thought-of-it-in-time-instead-of-ten-minutes-afterwards.

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

If you love the classic, you will love the content at www.zonegem.com.

Animal Farm Quotes To Teach You the Power of Too Much Power

1. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

2. “Four legs good, two legs bad.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

3. “The only good human being is a dead one.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

4. “His answer to every problem, every setback was “I will work harder!” —which he had adopted as his personal motto.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

5. “Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

6. “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

 

7. “The Seven Commandments:

• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
• Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
• No animal shall wear clothes.
• No animal shall sleep in a bed.
• No animal shall drink alcohol.
• No animal shall kill any other animal.
• All animals are equal.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

8. “Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

9. “This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

10. “Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on–that is, badly.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

11. “Surely, comrades, you don’t want Jones back?” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

12. “Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer – except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

13. “Some of the animals remembered – or thought they remembered – that the Sixth Commandment decreed ‘No animal shall kill any other animal.’ And though no one cared to mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs, it was felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

14. “Never mind the milk, comrades!” cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. “That will be attended to. The harvest is more important. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. I shall follow in a few minutes. Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting.” “So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest, and when they came back in the evening it was noticed that the milk had disappeared.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

15. “Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval, and all four of them sprang to their feet and began speaking at once. But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. Then the sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of “Four legs good, two legs bad!” which went on for nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

16. “The result of preaching totalitarian doctrines is to weaken the instinct by means of which free peoples know what is or is not dangerous.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

17. “One does not say that a book ‘ought not to have been published’ merely because it is a bad book. After all, acres of rubbish are printed daily and no one bothers.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

 

18. “Muriel,” she said, “read me the Fourth Commandment. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?” With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out. “It says, ‘No animal shall sleep in a bed WITH SHEETS,'” she announced finally. Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so. And Squealer, who happened to be passing at this moment, attended by two or three dogs, was able to put the whole matter in its proper perspective.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

19. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

20. “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

21. “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

22. “They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

23. “But the luxuries of which Snowball had once taught the animals to dream, the stalls with electric light and hot and cold water, and the three-day week, were no longer talked about. Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism. The truest happiness, he said, lay in working hard and living frugally.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

24. “It had become usual to give Napoleon the Credit for every Successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, “Under the guidance of our leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days” or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, “thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!”…” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

25. “Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

 

For more of the classics, check out www.zonegem.com.

inspirational quotes about classical music

Here are some of the greatest minds in history who were touched and inspired by classical music and their inspiring words to describe it.

Tony Bennett: ‘In the 1920s and ’30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others created the best songs ever written. These are classics... This is classical music’

Albert Einstein: "I know that the most joy in my life has come to me from my violin."

St Augustine: "To sing is to pray twice."

Plato: "Rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul."

John Dryden: "What passion cannot music raise and quell!"

John Milton: "Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie."

Maya Angelou: "Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."

Hans Christian Andersen: "Where words fail, music speaks."

Leo Tolstoy: "Music is the shorthand of emotion."

John Keats: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. Therefore, ye soft pipes, play on."

Heinrich Heine: "When words leave off, music begins."

George Bernard Shaw: "Hell is full of musical amateurs."

Aldous Huxley: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."

For more of the classics, head over to www.zonegem.com.

Profound Words From Classic Literature That Will Change Your Day

Here are some positive words from classic literature that will help you change the outlook if you’re not having the best of days.

“’Why did you do all this for me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.’ ‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.’” E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

“When a child first catches adults out—when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not always have divine intelligence, that their judgments are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just—his world falls into panic desolation. The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child’s world is never quite whole again. It is an aching kind of growing.” – John Steinbeck, East of Eden

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.” – H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become.” – Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

“Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.” Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“All grown-ups were once children…but only few of them remember it.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—’God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.'” – Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

“Isn’t it pretty to think so?” – Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

“All was forgiven. All living things were brothers, all dead things even more so.” – Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan

“And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it goes. People aren’t supposed to look back. I’m certainly not going to do it anymore.” – Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

“In the mirrors of the many judgments, my hands are the color of blood. I sometimes fancy myself an evil which exists to oppose other evils; and on that great Day of which the prophets speak but in which they do not truly believe, on the day the world is utterly cleansed of evil, then I too will go down into darkness, swallowing curses. Until then, I will not wash my hands nor let them hang useless.” ― Roger Zelazny, The Guns of Avalon

For more classics, check out www.zonegem.com.

Lines from classic books that have stayed with us forever

Great books are powerful so to celebrate the magic of words, we have rounded up these literary pearls of wisdom for you to enjoy.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

“Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.”

The Goldfinch

“I had the epiphany that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that this was the secret of the universe.”

– Donna Tartt

Wild

“It was my life – like all lives, mysterious and irrevocable and sacred. So very close, so very present, so very belonging to me. How wild it was, to let it be.”

– Cheryl Strayed

Dracula

“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”

- Bram Stroker

My Antonia

“At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.”

- Willa Cather

Infinite Jest

“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.”

- David Foster Wallace

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only someone remembers to turn on the light.”

– J.K. Rowling

Beloved

“You are your best thing.”

– Toni Morrison

Les Miserables

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

- Victor Hugo

East Of Eden

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

- John Steinbeck

The Dairy Of A Young Girl

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."

- Anne Frank

Oh, The Places You'll Go

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

- Dr Seuss

Brida

“Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.”

- Paulo Coelho

A Room Of One's Own

“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself."

– Virginia Woolf

The Alchemist

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realise his dream.”

– Paulo Coelho

Peter Pan

“Just think happy thoughts and you’ll fly.”

– J.M. Barrie

Jane Eyre

"I would rather be happy than dignified."

– Charlotte Brontë

The Little Prince

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Stand

“The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there...and still on your feet.”

– Stephen King

Of Human Bondage

“It might be that to surrender to happiness was to accept defeat, but it was a defeat better than many victories.”

- W. Somerset Maugham

De Profundis

“With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?”

– Oscar Wilde

Atlas Shrugged

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real... it is possible... it's yours."

- Ayn Rand

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

“Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.”

- J.K Rowling

Just Kids

“Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves.”

― Patti Smith

The Cost of Living

“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.”

- Arundhati Roy

A Song Of Ice And Fire

"Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour, then it can never be used to hurt you."

- George R.R. Martin

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

- Stephen Chbosky

On The Road

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”

- Jack Kerouac

Worstward Ho

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

- Samuel Beckett

The Ambassadors

"Live all you can; it’s a mistake not to. It doesn’t so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life."

- Henry James

The Secret

“There is a truth deep down inside of you that has been waiting for you to discover it, and that truth is this: you deserve all good things life has to offer. ”

― Rhonda Byrne

For more classics, check out www.zonegem.com.

Wise and Inspiring Quotes from Shakespeare

Shakespeare wrote about blood, guts, and glory, as well as the heart, love and romance. Here are some wise Shakespeare quotes that will speak loudly to your heart and soul.

Self Love

“Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting.”

Perception

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

It All Lies Within You

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

Crowns Are Heavy

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

Being a Good Person

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

The Destruction of Doubts

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

Listening More Than Speaking

“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.”

Wrinkles From Laughs Are Great

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”

Sticking to the Basics

“I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.”

On Being Punctual

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”

On How Time Flies

“Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.”

On The Gray Area

“To do a great right do a little wrong.”

Greatness Can Go To Anyone

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

On Imagination

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.”

On Astrology

“It is the stars, The stars above us, govern our conditions.”

On the Dangers of Ignorance

“There is no darkness but ignorance.”

On Duplicity

“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”

On Anything Goes

“The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.”

On Love Blindness

“But love is blind, and lovers cannot see.”

On Being True to Yourself

“This above all: to thine own self be true.”

On Parenthood

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”

For more of the classics, head on over to www.zonegem.com today.

The Secret Meanings Behind Classic Christmas Ornaments

Once you know the history of these Christmas tree ornaments, you will want to hang them on your tree this year.

The Pickle

There are many stories behind the pickled-shaped Christmas ornament. The most popular one is that it’s a German tradition where parents hide the pickle on the tree, and the first child to find it on Christmas morning gets to open the first gift.

Grapes

Kugels, meaning “round ball” in German, were actually made in the shape of grapes, apples, pears and even artichokes.

Bird Nest

Bird nest ornaments symbolize love, commitment and a happy home. By placing a bird nest ornament on your Christmas tree you may be blessed with good fortune.

Red Cardinal

Cardinals often symbolize Christmas and lost loved ones. Clip one onto your tree in memory of the family and friends that are no longer with you during the holidays.

Woven or Pleated Heart

The woven heart is a Danish tradition with many filled with candies or nuts and hung on the Christmas tree.

Bee

Bees represent resourcefulness and order and it is believed that they hum in honour of baby Jesus.

Rooster

According to legend, the one time a rooster crowed at midnight was to announce the birth of baby Jesus. This is also why Spain and many Latin American countries call their Christmas Eve midnight mass the Mass of the Rooster, or Misa de Gallo.

For more classic content, check out www.zonegem.com.

Classic Movies to Watch on Netflix Canada

We all have a lot of free time on your hands now, so if you are looking for a a nostalgic flick, why not consider one of these?

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Over the duration of this film, a total of nearly four hours, Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) embark on a stormy romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction. From Technicolor photography to Max Steiner’s score and of course, the career-defining performances, this is one of the best classic films ever.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Considered one of the greatest movies ever, Citizen Kane is an ode to lost childhood, a satire on capitalism, and even a cautionary tale on the dark side of the American Dream.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

In this family favourite, Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) announces that five lucky children will be given a tour of his famous chocolate factory to learn about the secrets of his candy and be given a lifetime supply of Wonka treats. Charlie is a kind-hearted boy who wins the prize, along with four other not so kind kids.

Notting Hill (1999)

Sweet, funny and loveable, this movie is the tale of a West London bookstore owner who falls for a famous Hollywood actress is one of the all-time best entries in the rom-com genre.

For more classic content, check out www.zonegem.com.

Rules Every First Family Is Supposed to Follow

The White House’s First Family has protocol they need to follow, and you’d be surprised to learn what they are. Read on to discover more.

The president pardons a turkey on Thanksgiving

The U.S. president holds the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation ever year, where they celebrate and spare a turkey from the Thanksgiving table. John F. Kennedy is reportedly the first president to throw a ceremony and rescue a bird.

The first family decorates the White House

Congress only funds part of the Thanksgiving decorating process and the first family makes up the difference if they over-spend on new furnishings. Plus, certain rooms are entirely off limits for redecorating.

The first lady chooses an interior designer

Melania Trump tapped Tham Kannalikham to redecorate the White House private quarters while former first lady Michelle Obama went with Los Angeles-based interior designer Michael Smith to decorate.

The first ladies sit down for tea

The former and future first ladies typically sit together for tea sometime before the change of power. According to CNN, Laura Bush offered Michelle Obama help if she needed it during this meeting, just as Obama offered her help to Melania Trump.

There should always be a Christmas tree theme

Jackie Kennedy is the first lady who ushered in the Christmas tree theme, decorating a tree in the oval Blue Room after Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” ballet. Current first lady Melania Trump decided the 2018 theme was “American treasures.”

The first family always hosts the Easter Egg Roll

The White House grounds opened to the public for the first Easter Egg Roll in 1878, and since then, presidents have hosted the event on the lawn almost every year.

The first family should live in the White House

The White House is the official residence of the first family, but when President Donald Trump came into office his son, Barron, and his wife did not move in until the end of the 11-year-old’s school year.

For more classic reads, check out www.zonegem.com.

The Hidden Talents of U.S. Presidents

Do you know what the US Presidents did in their spare time? Read on to discover.

George Washington was a dancer

Before he became the USA’s first president, Mr. Washington danced the night away at countless parties and balls, often with a new leading lady on his arm.

Thomas Jefferson was an architect

President Jefferson wasn’t just a founding father; he was also the “father of national architecture.” He contributed to plans for the first government buildings in Washington, D.C., designed the University of Virginia, and oversaw construction of Monticello, his 5,000-acre plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Andrew Jackson was a master of duels

The war vet was a gunslinger even off the battlefield. He’s said to have fought up to 100 duels in his lifetime and was shot multiple times. In 1806, the future president killed Charles Dickinson in a duel after he cheated on a horse bet and insulted Jackson’s wife.

John Tyler was a musician

Being the 10th president of the United States wasn’t his first career choice. Tyler originally studied to become a concert violinist before switching to law and eventually the presidency, where he is said to have played violin at many White House parties.

James K. Polk was a lover of brandy

President Polk was a sickly child, but he earned his tough-guy chops when, at the age of 17, he had urinary stones removed (while wide awake!), with brandy as his anesthetic of choice.

Franklin Pierce had a supercharged memory

Pierce was the first president to recite his inaugural address from memory. He gave his entire 3,319-word speech without a single notecard.

Abraham Lincoln was a bartender

Long before he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, President Lincoln co-owned a tavern in Illinois. But his booze business was short-lived when the store fell into debt; Lincoln soon abandoned the pint glasses for law books.

James Garfield was ambidextrous and multilingual

As if being a lefty wasn’t neat enough, Garfield could write with both hands at once—Greek in one hand and Latin in the other.

Chester A. Arthur had expensive taste

Known as the “Gentleman Boss,” Arthur had elegant taste and an appetite for the finer things. But his passion ran up a big bill: he regularly hosted lavish, 12-course feasts at the White House, owned more than 80 custom-made suits, and took an ornate horse-drawn carriage to all of his social engagements.

Jimmy Carter was a speed-reader

If reading were an Olympic sport, this president could be a national contender. After enrolling in a speed-reading course with his wife, Carter could read 2,000 words per minute with a 95 percent comprehension rate.

For more classic content, check out www.zonegem.com.