Samuel Beckett Quotes

We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.

It is certain because it is impossible.

'Extremes meet', as the whiting said with its tail in its mouth.

When somebody says that all statements are false, the obvious problem is that as an assertion it's self-defeating.

This sentence contradicts itself - no actually it doesn't.

The expression "positive neutrality" is a contradiction in terms. There can be no more positive neutrality than there can be a vegetarian tiger.

… like looking for an atheist in heaven

Ironic things are interesting.

The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright-- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night.

The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.

Some of the stupidest brilliant people who ever lived.

It is completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting.

It is certain because it is impossible. -Certum est quia impossibile

It is often pleasant to stone a martyr, no matter how much we may admire him.

I want to get a tattoo of the word irony, only misspelled.

The square root of nothing.

By reading this message you are denying its existence and implying consent.

I know that it is impossible to talk about my work. And since it's impossible for me or anybody else to talk about my work, I feel I might as well talk about it.

I suppose I wanted to have my cake and eat it. But then again, what were you going to do with your cake if not eat it? Frame it? Use it as a sachet in your underwear drawer?

The Red Queen shook her head. "You may call it 'nonsense' if you like," she said, "but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!

An infinite personality is an infinite impossibility.

One must always do what one really cannot.

It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.

If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill. How hard? Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of course!

"It's very good jam," said the Queen. "Well, I don't want any to-day, at any rate." "You couldn't have it if you did want it," the Queen said. "The rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but never jam to-day." "It must come sometimes to "jam to-day,""Alice objected. "No it can't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day; to-day isn't any other day, you know." "I don't understand you," said Alice. "It's dreadfully confusing."