# Sayings

> Every proverb, poem line and quote used on emin.de, 77 lines from 54 voices. Each appears in exactly one post.

- "It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot" Akan proverb (Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi). In [It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot](https://emin.de/posts/photo-garden-path-portrait-look-back-golden-light)
- "those who do not know can know from learning." Akan proverb. In [It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot](https://emin.de/posts/photo-garden-path-portrait-look-back-golden-light)
- "There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "Colour photographs lack the solidity of black and white." Ara Güler. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." Bashō. In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "Not only will I stare. I want my look to change reality." bell hooks, The Oppositional Gaze. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "Photographs bear witness to a human choice being exercised in a given situation." Berger. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "A bat flits by the neighbor’s wife glances over here" Buson. In [It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot](https://emin.de/posts/photo-garden-path-portrait-look-back-golden-light)
- "hidden among the leaves of the melon patch find yourself a pillow" Buson. In [It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot](https://emin.de/posts/photo-garden-path-portrait-look-back-golden-light)
- "It sits looking / over harbor and city" Carl Sandburg, on fog. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "People who know how to look are as rare as those who know how to listen." Cartier-Bresson. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall" Chinese proverb (白駒過隙 (bái jū guò xì), from the Zhuangzi). In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "Looking at flowers from horseback" Chinese proverb (走馬觀花 / 走马观花 (zǒumǎ guānhuā)). In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "The player is lost, the onlooker sees clearly" Chinese proverb (當局者迷，旁觀者清 / 当局者迷，旁观者清). In [The player is lost, the onlooker sees clearly](https://emin.de/posts/photo-men-watching-card-game-black-and-white)
- "All in a hot and copper sky," Coleridge. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "And straight the Sun was flecked with bars," Coleridge. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging it, I arrange myself." Diane Arbus. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "all bits help" Dutch proverb. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "I can hear the wildflowers growing and in the forest the trees talking." Eino Leino. In [A tree does not burn alone](https://emin.de/posts/photo-pine-forest-portrait-evening-sun)
- "And he unrolled his feathers" Emily Dickinson. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "A tree does not burn alone" Finnish proverb (Ei puu yksin pala). In [A tree does not burn alone](https://emin.de/posts/photo-pine-forest-portrait-evening-sun)
- "lookers-on many times see more than gamesters" Francis Bacon. In [The player is lost, the onlooker sees clearly](https://emin.de/posts/photo-men-watching-card-game-black-and-white)
- "What you give away is yours, what you keep is lost" Georgian proverb (რასაცა გასცემ შენია, რაც არა დაკარგულია). In [What you give away is yours, what you keep is lost](https://emin.de/posts/photo-purple-pobeda-exchange-signs-georgia)
- "All things counter, original, spare, strange" Gerard Manley Hopkins. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "the hurl and gliding" Gerard Manley Hopkins. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "the world flows past on both sides distant and mute" Hikmet. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "sapere aude" Horace. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "temporary worlds within the ordinary world" Huizinga, on the card-table. In [The player is lost, the onlooker sees clearly](https://emin.de/posts/photo-men-watching-card-game-black-and-white)
- "One does not use someone else's eyes to see the road." Igbo proverb. In [One man cannot launch a vessel](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wooden-boat-shallow-surf-black-and-white)
- "One hand does not tie a package" Igbo proverb. In [One man cannot launch a vessel](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wooden-boat-shallow-surf-black-and-white)
- "The snow is melting and the village is flooded with children." Issa. In [It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot](https://emin.de/posts/photo-garden-path-portrait-look-back-golden-light)
- "If you wait, the sea road will have fair weather" Japanese proverb (待てば海路の日和あり (mateba kairo no hiyori ari)). In [If you wait, the sea road will have fair weather](https://emin.de/posts/photo-red-ship-water-spray-hazy-harbour)
- "The darkest place is under the candlestick" Japanese proverb (灯台下暗し (tōdai moto kurashi)). In [The darkest place is under the candlestick](https://emin.de/posts/photo-mirror-selfie-camera-boutique-black-and-white)
- "The eyes say as much as the mouth" Japanese proverb (目は口程に物を言う (me wa kuchi hodo ni mono o iu)). In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes" Japanese proverb (壁に耳あり障子に目あり (kabe ni mimi ari, shōji ni me ari)). In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "Seeing comes before words." John Berger. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "Soon after we can see, we are aware that we can also be seen." John Berger. In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "We only see what we look at. To look is an act of choice." John Berger. In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "The line of decision between in and out is the picture's edge." John Szarkowski. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth" Kabir. In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "Only he knows it who has reached that region" Kabir. In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "Why is it so hard to do a thing Now, at the moment when one thinks of it." Kenkō. In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "And still a Garden by the Water blows." Khayyam. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "That just divides the desert from the sown," Khayyam. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners" Langston Hughes, 1922. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "We sit together, the mountain and me, / until only the mountain remains." Li Po. In [Mountains never meet, but people do](https://emin.de/posts/photo-environmental-portrait-mountain-field-golden-hour)
- "And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking." Masefield. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "Put Impression." Monet, naming his hazy harbour for the 1874 show. In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "for the world must be loved this much / if you're going to say 'I lived'" Nazim Hikmet. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "Offering no clarity, veiling reality instead, hüzün brings us comfort." Orhan Pamuk. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "These fine days have been my ruin." Orhan Veli. In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "Things are because we see them" Oscar Wilde. In [If you wait, the sea road will have fair weather](https://emin.de/posts/photo-red-ship-water-spray-hazy-harbour)
- "The further into the forest, the more trees." Polish proverb. In [A tree does not burn alone](https://emin.de/posts/photo-pine-forest-portrait-evening-sun)
- "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "here there is no place that does not see you." Rilke. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "Let the things be!" Rilke. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "It was all the hallways I grew up in." Roy DeCarava, on Hallway, 1953. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "Use a sweet tongue, courtesy, and gentleness," Saadi. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "Whatever makes an impression on the heart seems lovely in the eye." Saadi. In [The eyes say as much as the mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-leather-jacket-portrait-over-shoulder)
- "The real world has more to do with what is hidden." Saul Leiter. In [The player is lost, the onlooker sees clearly](https://emin.de/posts/photo-men-watching-card-game-black-and-white)
- "The painter constructs, the photographer discloses." Sontag. In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "far, near, high, low, no two parts alike." Su Shi. In [Mountains never meet, but people do](https://emin.de/posts/photo-environmental-portrait-mountain-field-golden-hour)
- "Life passes like a spring dream without a trace." Su Shi. In [Mountains never meet, but people do](https://emin.de/posts/photo-environmental-portrait-mountain-field-golden-hour)
- "Mountains never meet, but people do" Swahili proverb (Milima haikutani lakini binadamu hukutana). In [Mountains never meet, but people do](https://emin.de/posts/photo-environmental-portrait-mountain-field-golden-hour)
- "One man cannot launch a vessel" Swahili proverb (Mmoja hashui chombo). In [One man cannot launch a vessel](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wooden-boat-shallow-surf-black-and-white)
- "The best chooses me." Tagore. In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "The Perfect decks itself in beauty for the love of the Imperfect." Tagore. In [Looking at flowers from horseback](https://emin.de/posts/photo-twin-green-domes-railway-wires)
- "An empty space is marked off with plain wood and plain walls" Tanizaki. In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty." Tanizaki. In [Walls have ears, paper screens have eyes](https://emin.de/posts/photo-woman-phone-window-golden-hour-film)
- "A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many" Turkish proverb (Bin dost az, bir düşman çok). In [A thousand friends are few, one enemy is too many](https://emin.de/posts/photo-istanbul-ferry-seawall-black-and-white)
- "Bread is in the lion's mouth" Turkish proverb (Ekmek aslanın ağzında). In [Bread is in the lion's mouth](https://emin.de/posts/photo-simit-cart-street-black-and-white)
- "The sun cannot be covered with mud" Turkish proverb (Güneş balçıkla sıvanmaz). In [The sun cannot be covered with mud](https://emin.de/posts/photo-harbour-cranes-sunset-lens-flare)
- "Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns" Turkish proverb (Gülü seven dikenine katlanır). In [Whoever loves the rose bears its thorns](https://emin.de/posts/photo-stairwell-portrait-film-flower-frieze)
- "Downward to darkness, on extended wings." Wallace Stevens. In [A white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall](https://emin.de/posts/photo-wood-pigeon-flight-paint-splattered-wall)
- "The grass will be green again in coming spring," Wang Wei. In [Mountains never meet, but people do](https://emin.de/posts/photo-environmental-portrait-mountain-field-golden-hour)
- "I photograph to see what things look like photographed." Winogrand. In [What you give away is yours, what you keep is lost](https://emin.de/posts/photo-purple-pobeda-exchange-signs-georgia)
- "My close friends I count would be water and stone, pine tree, bamboo." Yun Sŏndo. In [A tree does not burn alone](https://emin.de/posts/photo-pine-forest-portrait-evening-sun)