Neatly tacked in my diary, cursive fonts from yesteryears, have some of my favourite words, the Ruskin Bond quotes.
Far from the fanfare of mushrooming literary festivals where it’s not the books but the celebs and their dresses that take the center stage, at a safe distance from the hashtags, aloof from the crooning book jackets screaming bestsellers in bold, lives the hermit whose name leaps over generation barriers. I may be a dog, but I know who India’s most loved writer is.
The name is Bond…Ruskin Bond.
For many from my generation who have neither grown-up nor really found a place in the wilds of the world, our pilgrim remains Ivy Cottage, Landour. Spinning short stories, children’s books (that aren’t for kids alone), poetry and novellas, Bond is as endeared to readers today as he was in 1957 when he received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for The Room on the Roof. His essays on Dehradun, Mussourie and the plains define many childhoods and was conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. Ruskin Bond was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.
Far from the wilds of the human world, he lives with his adopted family in Landour, Mussoorie.
Ruskin Bond quotes
I keep coming back to Bond’s line about animals having simple needs and wanting only to be left alone — because it’s the opposite of how India usually talks about strays. Most conversations about street dogs start from what they cost or threaten. Bond starts from what they’re owed: to just be. That’s closer to what I’ve seen in fifteen years of rescue work than most “animal welfare” language manages — the dogs who do best aren’t the ones we manage hardest, they’re the ones we finally leave alone to trust us.
Ever craved a way to capture the heartwarming essence of the human-animal bond in a few perfect words? Look no further than the timeless works of Ruskin Bond, the iconic author known for his idyllic tales set in the foothills of the Himalayas. Ruskin Bond’s poignant observations about nature have resonated with readers for generations, offering a glimpse into the profound loyalty, unconditional love, and simple joys that our canine companions bring to our lives.
Dive into this post to explore some of Ruskin Bond’s most cherished quotes, perfect for inspiring your next heartwarming Instagram caption or even a permanent reminder etched in ink!
Here are our favorite Ruskin Bond quotes on love and life, hills and heartbreaks, seasons and sorcery and the ghosts and geraniums.
Ruskin Bond quotes on life
Ruskin Bond observes and reports on life like he only can. His succinct phrases tell me more about the meaning and motive of life than all the gospels.
1. A story never really ends and happiness is something that comes and goes. It is as rare as a rainbow. ~The Kashmiri Storytellers
2. We must move on, of course. There’s no point in hankering after distant pleasures and lost picture palaces. But there’s no harm in indulging in a little nostalgia. What is nostalgia, after all, but an attempt to preserve that which was good in the past?
4. In our imperfect world, there is far too much talk and not enough thought.
5. “Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them.” ~The Eyes Have It
6. One sure way to lose the world and everything in it, is to try grasping it.
7. “On books and friends I spend my money; for stones and bricks I haven’t any.”
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Ruskin Bond quotes on nature
Ruskin’s father introduced him to nature as the best friend of human beings. To this day, Mr Bond hasn’t forgotten this. His writings on the wild-flowers, ladybirds, the smell of the rains, and thunderlights over Pari tibia retain this rustic charm.
8. “The plainsman looks to the hills for the needs of his spirit, but the hillman looks to the plainsfor a living.” ~Panther’s Moon
9. Listen to the night wind in the trees, Listen to the summer grass singing; Listen to the time that’s tripping by, And the dawn dew falling. Listen to the moon as it climbs the sky, Listen to the pebbles humming; Listen to the mist in the trembling leaves, And the silence calls.
10. The best kind of walk and this applies to the plains as well as to the hills, is the one in which you have no particular destination when you set out.
11. For nature does things in good order: And birds and butterflies recognize No man-made border
12. Animals have simple needs, and all they want is to be left alone. We are the interlopers.
13. For every time I see the sky, I’m aware of belonging to the universe than to just one corner of the earth.
14. It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape.
18. “And when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.”
20. Trees make you feel younger. And the older the tree, the younger you feel.
21. And I knew that as long as I responded, in both a physical and mystical way, to the natural world-sea, sun, earth, moon and stars – I would never feel lonely upon this planet.
The slopes of the hill we’re on are full of deodars. Bond had written of them in Notes From A Small Room—
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Ruskin Bond quotes on love
Ruskin Bond’s writings on love, be it The Night Train At Deoli or Death of a familiar, did more for my teenage ideas of romance than any Bollywood movie. To understand that depth and pause in today’s digital age makes one return to her elements.
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25. You find love when you least expect to, and lose it when you are sure that it is in your grasp.
~Death Of A Familiar
And so often I wondered how real was Sushila from ‘Love is a sad song’? The beautiful short story has the writer reminiscing his past.
26. I may stop loving you, but I will never stop loving the days I loved you.
27. “We Must Love Someone We Must Love Someone If we are to justify Our presence on this earth. We must keep loving all our days, Someone, anyone, anywhere Outside our selves; For even the sarus crane Will grieve over its lost companion, And the seal its mate. Somewhere in life There must be someone To take your hand And share the torrid day. Without the touch of love There is no life, and we must fade away.”
― Ruskin Bond, Falling in Love Again: Stories of Love and Romance
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28. You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, But the scent of the roses will linger there still. ~A Handful Of Nuts
29. “The past is always with us, for it feeds the present”
31. She did not know it then, but some of the moving forces of our lives are meant to touch us briefly and go their way. ~Sita and the river
32. For the most time I’ve followed instinct rather than intelligence, and this has resulted in a modicum of happiness.
Sometimes I wonder if this is my life or a reverie. The trouble with reading Bond is, that you don’t want to return to the real world. I want to play Ruskin Bond, to be amidst hills, without an eye to judge me on stakes of money, stature or profile.
Meeting Ruskin Bond (either through his books or in-person) is an exorcism that cleanses all the demons of adulthood and makes one who we once were, innocent. His stories smell of the hills. The way hills no longer smell of them.
And as I told him of my lost sister Rusty, named after Ek Tha Rusty, a show based on his stories, aired on Doordarshan. He chuckled and remarked, ‘Oh, she must have been an adventurous dog!’
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34. “It’s courage, not luck, that takes us through to the end of the road.”
― Ruskin Bond
Where can you meet Ruskin Bond?
Well, apart from the books, you may meet Ruskin Bond at Cambridge Book Depot, Mall Road, Mussoorie where he meets his fans every Saturday.
Whether you’re a seasoned Ruskin Bond fan or just discovering the magic of his words, these quotes offer a timeless perspective on the special connection we share with our furry friends. So, curl up with a cup of chai and your favorite pup, and let Ruskin Bond’s heartwarming words inspire you. You might just find the perfect quote to capture the essence of your canine companion!
A quote won’t need a home. A dog will.
Bond’s own dogs were never pedigree — they were the ones that showed up. If his words on love and loyalty moved you, meet the dogs and cats waiting for adoption right now and give one of them the “and they lived happily ever after” Bond writes so well.
Great quotes…all of them..:-D
Thank you Maniparna 🙂
Excellent collection. I have read most of Ruskin Bond’s autobiographical books but a couple of these were new to me too. Being an ardent dog lover and a voracious reader I loved this blog. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Priya 🙂
The quotes were so fantastic..gave me so much happiness..want to read them again and again.
The very best Ruskin Bond.