Ignition Quotes

There is an almost universal experience in physicists, at least of my generation, which is home-made pyrotechnics.

A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.

The human relationship to combustion is as mysterious as it is fraught with madness. From the candle flame to the nuclear blast, it has lit up the human imagination with fear and fascination.

The spark from a tiny star can ignite the plains.

From a small spark, Great flame has risen.

The phases of fire are craving and satiety.

From the flaming and flashing of certain igneous mixtures and the terror inspired by their noise, wonderful consequences ensue which no one can guard against or endure … when a quantity of this powder, no bigger than a man’s finger, be wrapped up in a piece of parchment and ignited, it explodes with a blinding flash and a stunning noise. If a larger quantity were used, or the case was made of more solid material, the explosion would be much more violent, and the flash and noise altogether unbeatable.

Fire is fed by fire. The same small flame destroys Two stalks of wheat at once.

We can set the spark that lights the fire.

A spark could be enough to set them ablaze.

I do not like this word, bomb. It is not a bomb; it is a device which is exploding.

One tiny flame could make so many other flames; one tiny flame could set afire a whole world.

To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.

The fire burns as the novel taught it how.

Friction makes sparks and sparks start creative conflagrations.

It takes two flints to make a fire.

Often I have the impression that I am writing on paper that is already browning in the licks of the flames.

Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.

The fuses had been lit and could not be extinguished. All that remained was to observe the speed of the spark, and the size of the explosions.

Flames too soon acquire strength if disregarded.

The thornbush is the old obstacle in the road. It must catch fire if you want to go further.

Looking back, fire images have been constant in my poetry. As a boy, it was my job to light the fire each morning, and I remember the celebratory bonfires at the end of the war. It was from staring into fire that I began my first poetry.

I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.