Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakiswas a Greek writer, celebrated for his novels, which include Zorba the Greek, Christ Recrucified, Captain Michalis, and The Last Temptation of Christ. He also wrote plays, travel books, memoirs and philosophical essays such as The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth18 February 1883
CityHeraklion, Greece
purpose
Beauty always had a purpose: to be of service to life.
men sea dying
Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean sea.
matter hats
It doesn't matter whether or not you have a head, you must wear the right sort of hat
writing mystery havens
All those who actually live the mysteries of life haven't the time to write, and all those who have the time don't live them! D'you see?
golf rhythm seagull
As I watched the seagulls, I thought, That's the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and follow it with absolute trust.
horse stars heart
This is true happiness: to have no ambition and to work like a horse as if you had every ambition. To live far from men, not to need them and yet to love them. To have the stars above, the land to your left and the sea to your right and to realize of a sudden that in your heart, life has accomplished its final miracle: it has become a fairy tale.
children eye reality
Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality," says one of my favorite Byzantine mystics. I did this when a child; I do it now as well in the most creative moments of my life.
dream laughter wine
What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams.
men doors forever
You can knock on a deaf man's door forever.
strong fall long
As long as our souls remain strong, that is all that matters; as long as they don't decline. Because with the fall of certain souls in this world, the world itself will collapse. These are the pillars which support it. They are few, but enough.
saved
When everyone drowns and I'm the only one to escape, God is protecting me. When everyone else is saved and I'm the only one to drown, God is protecting me then too.
men wings giving
What is truth? What is falsehood? Whatever gives wings to men, whatever produces great works and great souls and lifts up a man's height above the earth - that's true. Whatever clips off man's wings - that's false.
honesty believe hands
Be sure to live up to your reputation for honesty and goodness, because many souls who believe you to be honest and good have placed themselves in your hands.
children flower long
As long as there are flowers and children and birds in the world, have no fears: everything will be fine.