# Boris Vian's most beautiful quotes

"I spend most of my time obscuring it", flowers that grow with the sound of snails kissing and "Mr President, I'm writing you a letter": the most quoted lines of Boris Vian, from Froth on the Daydream to his songs, with their source.

- 17 votes · 13 items
- Jul 29, 2026 · Clément Clement
- https://even.best/en/l/5153/boris-vian-s-most-beautiful-quotes

## Top 13

1. **She had amber skin, as delicious as marzipan.** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
2. **What interests me is not the happiness of all men, but the happiness of each one.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
3. **We're not here to get told off.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Song "On n'est pas là pour se faire engueuler" (1954).
4. **"I spend most of my time," said Colin, "obscuring it."** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
5. **He was so kind that you could see his blue and mauve thoughts stirring in the veins of his hands.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
6. **You stumbled into a dark corridor that smelled of religion.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
7. **We don't stay because we love certain people; we leave because we hate others.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Heartsnatcher (1953).
8. **Lost time is the time during which we are at the mercy of others.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Remark quoted in Boris Vian (2007), p. 27.
9. **"I accuse my teachers," said Wolf, "of making me believe the world could stand still."** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Red Grass (1950).
10. **Green and blue flowers grew along the pavements, and the sap wound round their thin stems with a soft wet sound, like a kiss between snails.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Froth on the Daydream (1947).
11. **My uncle, a famous handyman, / made atomic bombs / as a hobby.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Song "La Java des bombes atomiques" (1955).
12. **Mr President, / I'm writing you a letter / that you might read / if you have the time.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Song "Le Déserteur" (1954).
13. **What is the point of moving mountains when it is so easy to climb over them?** (-2 · ▲0 ▼2) — Remark quoted in Boris Vian (2007), p. 185.

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