THE GIANT Quotes

“The forest exploded. A blade of lightning had cut the wilderness in half. Illuminated for an instant, the animals bolted in every direction.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“More and more, I began to see the characters of these silly tales walk out of the pages and amble into the busy streets. They sat in cafes, and checked their phones, and spoke in different languages, and held plastic signs, and argued in meetings, and waited for the light to turn, and stepped back onto the curb.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Now, which of these stories is about you? Which one describes or illuminates an aspect of your life? Now, keep in mind, a fool will answer quickly. He will report that none of these tales relate to the world in which he resides; he will find nothing apropos, nothing applicable to his present hour. A wise man, on the other hand, might take his time to answer. He might listen to the changing voices, to the accumulation of characters, and places, and ideas. He might notice how they all string together, each part functioning individually and amid the whole. He might see something larger, something more. In time, he might even begin to see his own character connects to everything.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Their tastes have been narrowed, not refined, Lydian.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Now, to be practical, your thoughts must manifest into actions. You must actualize your thoughts, and not let good ideas go to waste in some dusty classroom or elaborate lecture hall.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“They cling to what they know, what comforts them (and what, paradoxically, makes them suffer). They cannot break free. They cannot think in a new way.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Without study and reflection, man will simply choose his perspectives, opinions, and beliefs out of convenience or whim. He will fail to grasp certain truths about his existence and unknowingly force himself into a limited scope.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“At once, all the images of my adventures clicked into place. How strange it had all been, this journey towards the truth! Rubbing my temple, I thought about all the miles that I had crossed, and all the time that I had invested.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“I suppose you are right. I never do plan anything out completely. Planning ruins the immediacy of wit. Don’t you think?”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“My eyes fluttered.
I coughed up some blood.
And I laughed, mocking myself, mocking my own adventure.
THE GIANT was simply a story.
I was alone.
A long time passed. A splashing of footsteps. Then, two enormous hands. With effort,
they pulled my body from the pavement. My limbs were heavy.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Can you hear that?” she asked.

“It’s nice,” I said. “What is it?”

“That,” she said, “is the sound of your soul.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“That night, in the late hours, as the carpenter and I sat on the roof, watching the sunset burn the distant clouds to sleep, I wished that I could turn back the pages of life, to reread the small moments.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Well, Lydian, you see, the greatest things in life don’t have shortcuts.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“I told her about my grandfather, about the little apartment we used to share over a nice-smelling bakery. It had one window, and you could sit there, on the cracked paint, studying people in the street. My grandfather would stroll down the sidewalk, tools in hand. He was a plumber. And there was always work to be done.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Wait,” I said suddenly, “was that a true story?”

“The important parts were true.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“The moonbeams dripped across the man’s face.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“I limped through the forest. Through the inky blackness. A body, lost in nature. Nothing more. An animal. Broken at the core. A creature without a home.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Step by step, inch by inch, time paced around my mangled body. It circled me, slowly, inspecting the scene, taking inventory.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“You see, sometimes the only way to move the world is to let the world move you.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“What were the rumors? What did THE GIANT look like? What language did HE speak? What color was HIS skin? Was THE GIANT even a HE? And, of course, was THE GIANT kind or cruel?”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“It was a mindless game, but what else could I do? I was lost. I was alone. Terribly alone. And, in those brief moments of play, I could reshape all of existence. My tiny hands could scoop up the entire universe. Slowly, carefully, as though not to ruin the charm, I raised my hands, and watched the beads of light drip like golden ink from my delicate fingertips.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT

“Only fools and sages believe in THE GIANT, Lydian. Only fools and sages.”
― Nathan Walkowicz, THE GIANT