Halldór Laxness Quotes

A collection of quotes by Halldór Laxness.

Halldór Laxness (1902-1998) was an Icelandic author and Nobel laureate in Literature. Renowned for his deep exploration of Icelandic identity and spirituality, Laxness wrote numerous novels, poetry, and plays. His masterpiece "Independent People," published in 1934, is considered a classic of Icelandic literature. Laxness's works often address themes of social injustice and the struggle for liberation, portraying complex characters against the backdrop of Icelandic history and landscapes. His contributions to Icelandic literature earned him international recognition, and he remains one of Iceland's most celebrated literary figures.

It is justice, not love, that will one day give life to the

It is justice, not love, that will one day give life to the children of the future. The battle for justice is the one thing which gives human life rational meaning.

Halldór Laxness


I came to you a crossbearer on a stretcher and an outcast fr

I came to you a crossbearer on a stretcher and an outcast from humanity, and I went from you a conqueror of life.

Halldór Laxness


Every transgression is a game, every grief easy to bear comp

Every transgression is a game, every grief easy to bear compared with having discovered beauty; it was at once the crime that could never be atoned and the hurt that could never be assuaged, the tear that could never be dried.

Halldór Laxness

Beauty Crime Game Games

He who weeps does not die; weeping is a sign of life; weep,

He who weeps does not die; weeping is a sign of life; weep, and your life is worth something again.

Halldór Laxness

Life Worth

The truth displayed in a good life is the fairest of images.

The truth displayed in a good life is the fairest of images.

Halldór Laxness

Life Truth

Don't forget that few people are likely to tell more than a

Don't forget that few people are likely to tell more than a small part of the truth: no one tells much of the truth, let alone the whole truth. Spoken words are facts in themselves, whether true or false. When people talk they reveal themselves, whether they're lying or telling the truth.

Halldór Laxness

Truth People

The poet felt completely free now as he stood there on the d

The poet felt completely free now as he stood there on the deck in his collar and boots, sailing past new and ever newer districts; even if he did not own this land's resources, he owned its beauty.

Halldór Laxness

Beauty

Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earth

Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there anymore, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands.

Halldór Laxness

Beauty

The correct understanding of life, let me tell you, is love

The correct understanding of life, let me tell you, is love despite everything. Love despite everything, that is the aim and object of life. Love, you see, is the only thing that pays in the long run, even though it might seem a dead loss in the short run.

Halldór Laxness

Life Love

Yes, it is a painful lot to be a poet and to love both God a

Yes, it is a painful lot to be a poet and to love both God and man by the farthest northern seas!

Halldór Laxness

Love Man

The love which demands nothing but beauty itself and lives i

The love which demands nothing but beauty itself and lives in selfless worship... is the love that no disappointment can ever conquer, perhaps not even death itself (if that existed).

Halldór Laxness

Death Beauty Love