Rare Objects Quotes

“The world was full of collectors, scouring the earth for pieces of themselves.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Because happiness isn’t made of fun. It’s made of solid, real things. It’s made of paychecks and clean clothing, and hot food and healthy children, and a man who can look you in the eye when he comes home because he has nothing to hide. It’s not so rare. In fact, it’s so common people don’t notice it. They look for roses when they should be looking for indoor plumbing.” Ma,”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“It's amazing how lonely a place where you were once happy can become.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Because happiness isn’t made of fun. It’s made of solid, real things. It’s made of paychecks and clean clothing, and hot food and healthy children, and a man who can look you in the eye when he comes home because he has nothing to hide. It’s not so rare. In fact, it’s so common people don’t notice it. They look for roses when they should be looking for indoor plumbing.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“But where Ma saw only old books gathering dust and smelling of mildew, I found comfort and possibility. Other worlds were within my grasp—better worlds full of rewarded ambition, refinement, and eloquence. I clung to them as a pilgrim whose faith is proportional to the extremity of their need clings to a relic or a prayer.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“You must navigate by means of your own natural compass."
"And if my compass is broken?"
"Then you must learn to compensate. Sail a little crooked, make adjustments, but you must set your own course, or the journey is meaningless." (page 357)”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Her eyes were as wide as a nun’s in a brothel.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Aging does that; it makes you amenable to far more ambiguous feelings and opinions than the inflexible black-and-white thinking of youth.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“They wanted a girl who knew what it was like to acquire things out of amusement rather than need. Who sympathized with those whose lives were so pleasantly arranged that they hungered for beauty and meaning rather than food. The”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“when in doubt, act like you know what you’re doing, and you’ll be treated like you do. And of course, if you can convince others, there’s a chance that someday you might just be able to convince yourself.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“The technique is called kintsugi and is Japanese in origin. It’s not just a method of repair but also a philosophy,” he explained. “It’s the belief that the breaks, cracks, and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. That, in fact, the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Sometimes, my dear, being broken is the most interesting thing that can happen.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Do you know the library of Pergamon was second only to the library of Alexandria in the ancient world?”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Pergamon, the ancient Greek city that legend says was founded by Arcadians. One of the most remarkable and complete Greek remains in the world. In the book of Revelations, it’s called one of the Seven Churches of Asia.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“She had a slow, calculated way of moving and speaking that I suspected gave the impression that she was more intelligent than she was; making her comments seem considered and elusive rather than merely banal.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Why, you believe not only that you can choose your god depending on your mood, but that you can design him as well!” I shook my head in wonder. “Could you possibly be more arrogant?”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Is the god you choose the god you deserve?”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“I’d never met anyone so willing or able to dissect metaphysical ideas. Not that this impressed me much.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Look . . . each action has its reaction. We tend to see things in terms of good luck or bad luck, but in the end, what really matters is not the twists and turns of fate but what you do with them. After all, your character isn’t measured in your circumstances, but by your attitude and actions.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“You see how lucky we are? This isn’t just a job. It’s a privilege—a vocation! So few people have a real feel for the life of objects. Or the significance of time.” He held the figure up. “To hold a fragment of the ancient world in the palm of your hand and admire its artistry, to wonder at its purpose, to pause and consider the vast empires that rose and fell around it while this frail scrap survived, against all odds, is to touch the very mind and soul that made it—across centuries, across continents! Across everything that divides cultures and human beings. This is”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“He and Mr. Kessler were laughing about something; Mr. Kessler was actually giggling uncontrollably, slapping his hands on his knees. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of what he must have been like as a child. He had a pixieish delight and readiness for laughter I’d never seen before; his whole face was illuminated with happiness.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“There is a word in Hebrew—nitzotzot. It means ‘divine sparks.’ It refers to the infinitesimal fragments of godliness that inhabit everything—all of creation, both animate and inanimate. When something is used as it was divinely intended, these sparks are said to be ‘liberated’; they shine, become a reflection of the face of God himself in this transient world.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“No one ties themselves to the mast of a ship heading for Boston Harbor, because the mermaids do not sing here. And yet I think we all go mad with longing for their wayward song.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Wine was the exception, but like most Italians we knew, she didn’t count wine as alcohol.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“your character isn’t measured in your circumstances, but by your attitude and actions.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“....for those ascending the social ladder, other people are only rungs. And this is a town of climbers." (page 237)”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Heaven isn't a place, Fanning!...Why does everyone assume it's a destination - some cerebral version of Grand Central Station? It's a state of being! The unshakeable certainty of who you are and where you fit in the world! The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune aside, we suffer most when we try to be someone or something we're not." (page 220)”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“Kintsugi [is] not just a method of repair but also a philosophy. It’s the belief that the breaks, cracks, and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. That, in fact, the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“The secret life is the only real life. Everything else is just a disguise.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects

“As I stared back at myself in the reflected grandeur of the room, I remembered what Mr. Kessler had told me: a good counterfeit is as much a work of art as the real thing.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, Rare Objects