How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Even in the depths of winter, Sig spent much time outside, thinking, thinking, thinking. Trying to work out what to do with himself […] And though he spent much of his time looking, thinking, watching, he could never quite shift the feeling that he was waiting for something. (3.5)
Sig's one of those contemplative types, always thinking and evaluating, even if there is nothing to really consider. Maybe he gets that from his dad, who also seems obsessed with figuring stuff out.
Quote #2
Again he was reminded of his father, who would always say, "Know what you can. Know everything you can know." (4.2)
Well it's pretty hard to know what you cannot know… But we think what Einar's getting at here is that knowledge is a valuable commodity. It should be treasured and sought, just like the gold-rushers treat gold in the book.
Quote #3
"Know what you will of the world. Know what you can, know what men are and the things they do. Understand what God is to you, understand what you are to your loved ones. Love, sing, cry, and fight, but all the time, seek to know everything you can about the earth upon which you stand, till your time is done." (10.1)
As different as Sig's parents are, they both try to teach him the same thing about knowledge. It's important to note that even Maria—who is obsessed with faith—thinks knowledge is vital to growing up.
Quote #4
"Anna," said Einar. "Things are not only beautiful from the way they look on the outside, like you. Things can also be beautiful from the inside, because of what they can do." (18.34)
Anna is frightened by the gun and can't see what's so special about it, but to Einar, it's beautiful because of the way it's made—for him it's about the process. Notice how he spends a bunch of time explaining how it works, just so his kids can have that knowledge.
Quote #5
"No, sir," he said truthfully. "I've always had the kind of mind that likes to know things. Things about the world , about how things work. Do you know what I mean, sir?" (22.10)
When Salisbury asks if he's had trouble learning, Einar answers honestly that he hasn't. Check out how he puts it—as if his brain just absorbs facts and info like it's no big deal.
Quote #6
"Know everything you can know," his father used to say, but sickeningly Sig wondered if he had ever really known his father, and if he didn't know him, how could he love him? (30.6)
The more Sig learns about his dad, the more he wonders whether he really knew the guy at all. It's a funny thing to think about, since his dad was obsessed with the idea of learning, knowing, and understanding. Perhaps knowledge isn't always as straightforward as Sig would like it to be.
Quote #7
With the passing of the night, there came time. A long, aching, hurting time, cursed and forlorn, in which there was nothing to do but think. (32.1)
Check out how thinking is described here, as if it's a negative thing, whereas earlier we get the sense that learning and processing are wonderful things to do. Hmm… is this because Sig doesn't like what he learns about his dad?
Quote #8
You cannot see the future. You cannot hear what has not yet been said, nor do the days that have yet to be have any place in the huddled collection of memories which fight for your attention. (33.1)
Memory plays a big part in helping Sig think about who his dad was and what he did. Yet Sig realizes that he can remember all he wants, but he doesn't know the future. There's a limit to what he can know.
Quote #9
"You know, I understand it now. There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it. (39.35)
It takes Anna a while to get why Sig doesn't just shoot Wolff in the cabin, and here we see that insight into their situation comes to the characters at different times. For Sig, he thinks and understands in the moment; for Anna, it's not until she's reflected on it much later.
Quote #10
The first thought was this: that he was a foolish old man, because all his life he'd been looking for something, and it was only when Anna joined him in the bar that evening that he realized that home is not something you find outside yourself. (39.38)
Sig's revelation about what's important in life comes some fifty years after these events go down. We notice that Sig is super smart and intuitive in the moment, but it takes him a while to figure out bigger ideals.