31 quotes
Discovery of a Human Tooth
Writer
It was a human tooth?
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Skepticism Towards Son's Diverse Beliefs
Santosh Patel
* Mocking his son's accumulation of religious faiths.
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The Paradox of Belief and Doubt
Santosh Patel
Believing in everything at the same time, is the same as not believing in anything at all.
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Transformation and the Journey Ahead
Santosh Patel
You only need to convert to three more ] Piscine, and you'll spend your ] on holiday.
[[religions; [life]
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The Transformation of a Name
Pi Patel
With one ], my name went from an elegant French swimming pool to a stinking Indian latrine — I was "Pissing" everywhere.
[[word]
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A Moment of Reflection and Gratitude
Pi Patel
We're ], Richard Parker. I'm sorry. Can you feel the ]. ], thank you for giving me my ]. I'm ready ].
[[dying; [rain; [God; [life; [Present|now]
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A Turning Point in Pi's Journey
Pi Patel
Things changed after the day of Papa's lesson. The ] had lost some of its enchantment. ] was a bore, nothing but ], fractions and French. ] and patterns that went on and on without end, just like my irrational nickname. I grew restless, searching for something that might bring ] back into my ]. And then I met Anandi.
[[world; [School; [facts; [Words; [meaning; [life]
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The Origin of Pi's Nickname
Pi Patel
* Explaining his development of the nickname Pi, as a response to schoolyard taunting about his birthname "Piscine Molitor Patel
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Embracing Simplicity in Life's Journey
Pi Patel
Step 4: Disregard Steps 1 through 3.
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A Moment of Desperation and Connection
Pi Patel
Praise be to ]. ] ]! The ], the ]! Come out, Richard Parker! Come out you have to see this! It's ]! … Don't harm yourself! He's come to us! It's a ]! Come out and see ] Richard Parker! Why are you scaring him? I've lost my ]. I've lost everything. ]. What more do you want? I'm sorry Richard Parker.
[[God; [The All|God of all; [worlds; [compassionate; [merciful; [beautiful; [miracle; [God; to the sky; [family; [Kenosis|I surrender]
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Coexistence and Control in Survival
Pi Patel
I can't risk my ] every ] I have to climb on the boat for supplies. It's time to settle this. If we're going to live together, we have to ] to ]. Maybe Richard Parker can't be tamed — but with ]'s will he can be trained.
[[life; [time; [learn; [communicate; [God]
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Exploring Faith and Connection Through Experience
Pi Patel
Thank you ], for introducing me to ]. — I came to ] through ], and I found ]'s ] through Christ. But God wasn't finished with me yet. God works in ] ways, and so it was he introduced himself again. This time by the name of ]. — ]. My Arabic was never very good, but the ] and ] of the words brought me closer to ]. In performing ], the ground I touched became ], and I found a feeling of ] and brotherhood.
[[Vishnu; [Christ; [faith; [Hinduism; [God; [love; [Mystery|mysterious; [Allah; [w:Allāhu Akbar|Allāhu Akbar; [sound; [feel; [God; [w:Salah|salah; [Brahman|holy ground; [serenity]
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Understanding Belief in Diverse Faiths
Writer
I didn't know ] said "].
[[Hindus; [Amen]
Adult Pi Patel
Catholic Hindus do.
Writer
Catholic Hindus?
Adult Pi Patel
We get to feel ] before hundreds of ], instead of just one.
[[guilty; [gods]
Writer
But you're a Hindu first?
[laughs]
Adult Pi Patel
None of us knows ] until someone introduces us. I was first introduced to ] as a ]. There are 33 million gods in the Hindu religion. How can I not come to know a few of them? I met ] first.
[[God; [God; [Hinduism|Hindu; [w:Krishna|Krishna]
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Questioning Divine Sacrifice and Understanding
Pi Patel
Why would a God do that? Why would He send his own Son to suffer for the ] of ordinary people?
[[sins]
Priest
Because He loves us. ] made himself approachable to us — ] — so we could understand Him. We can't understand ] in all His ]. But we can understand God's Son, and his suffering, as we would a brother's.
[[God; [human; [God; [perfection]
Adult Pi Patel
That made no ]! Sacrificing the ] to atone for the sins of the ]. What kind of ] is that? But this Son… I couldn't get Him out of my head.
[speaking to the writer of his memories; [sense; [innocent; [guilty; [love]
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The Dangers of Excessive Consumption
Mamaji
A mouthful of ] will not harm you, but ] will.
[[water; [panic]
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Belief Through Personal Storytelling
Adult Pi Patel
What has Mamaji already told you?
Writer
He said you had a ] that would make me ] in ].
[[story; [believe; [God]
Adult Pi Patel
He would say that about a nice meal. As for God, I can only tell you my story — you'll then decide for yourself what you believe.
[laughs]
Writer
Fair enough.
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Struggling with Reality and Illusion
Pi Patel
] are all I have left to hang on to. Everything mixed up. Fragmented. Can't tell daydreams, night ] from ] any more.
[[Words; [dreams; [reality]
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The Value of Companionship in Survival
Pi Patel
I never thought a small piece of shade could bring me so much ]. That a pile of tools, a bucket, a knife, a pencil might become my greatest treasures. Or that knowing Richard Parker was here might ever bring me ]. In times like these, I remember that he has as little experience with the real world as I do. We were both raised in a zoo by the same master. Now we've been orphaned, left to face our ultimate master together. Without Richard Parker, I would have died by now. My ] of him keeps me alert. Tending to his needs gives my life ].
[[happiness; [peace; [fear; [purpose]
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Understanding Animal Behavior and Relationships
Santosh Patel
You think that ] is a ]? He is an ], not a playmate!
[[tiger; [friend; [animal]
Pi Patel
Animals have ]. I have seen it in their ].
[[souls; [eyes]
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Setting the Scene in Life of Pi
Writer
I think, you've set the stage. So far we have an Indian boy named after a French swimming pool, on a Japanese ship full of animals, heading to Canada.
Adult Pi Patel
Yes. Now we have to send our boy into the middle of the Pacific, and uh…
Writer
And make me believe in ].
[[God]
Adult Pi Patel
Yeah. We'll get there. It was four days out of Manila, above the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot on Earth. Our ship, the Tsimtsum, pushed on, bullishly indifferent to its surroundings. It moved with the slow, massive confidence of a continent.
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Survival Tips for Adverse Conditions
Pi Patel
Set your house in ] and ] for the battle to ]. Establish a strict schedule for eating, keeping watch, and getting rest. Do not drink urine or seawater. Keep busy, but avoid unnecessary exertion. The ] can be kept occupied by playing card ], Twenty Questions, or I Spy. ] ] is another surefire way to lift the ]. Telling stories is highly recommended. Above all, don't lose ]. Few things can sap the spirit faster than seasickness. Waves are most strongly felt when a boat turns sideways to the current. A ] anchor is used as a drag to keep the boat's head to the ]. Proper use of them can increase control and reduce seasickness during rough seas.
[[order; [begin; [survive; [mind; [games; [Community; [singing; [spirits; [hope; [sea; [wind]
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Gratitude for Divine Intervention in Crisis
Pi Patel
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you Lord ]. Thank you for coming in the form of a fish and saving our lives. Thank you.
[[Vishnu]
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The Illusion of Spectacle in Life
Santosh Patel
Spectacle. Don't let the stories and pretty ] ] you. Boys, ] is ].
[[lights; [fool; [religion; [darkness]
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Survival and the Necessity of Feeding Richard Parker
Pi Patel
In the zoo we fed our ] an average of 5 kilos of meat a day. Richard Parker will be getting ] soon. Tigers are powerful swimmers, and if he gets hungry enough, I'm afraid the little bit of water between us won't be any protection. I need to find a way to feed him. I can eat the biscuits, but ] made tigers carnivores, so I must learn to catch ]. If I don't, I'm afraid his last meal will be a skinny vegetarian boy.
[[tigers; [hungry; [God; [fish]
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Exploring Identity and Perspective in Life of Pi
Writer
So, you're a ], and a ].
[[Christian; [Muslim]
Adult Pi Patel
And a ] of course.
[[Hindu]
Writer
And a ], I suppose?
[[Jew]
Adult Pi Patel
Well, I do teach a course on ] at the university. And why not? ] is a house with many rooms.
[[w: Kabbalah| Kabbalah; [Faith]
Writer
But no room for ]?
[[doubt]
Adult Pi Patel
Oh plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful, it keeps ] a ] thing. After all, you cannot ] the ] of your faith until it has been ].
[[faith; [Life|living; [know; [strength; [Tests|tested]
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Childhood Heroes and Divine Imagery
Pi Patel
The ] were my superheroes growing up. ], the ] god, lifting an entire ] to save his ] ]. ] the elephant headed, risking his life to save the honor of his mother ]. ], the Supreme Soul. ]. Vishnu sleeps, floating on the shoreless ] ], and we are the stuff of his ].
[[gods; [w:Hanuman|Hanuman; [monkey; [mountain; [friend; [w:Lakshmana|Lakshman; [Ganesha|Ganesh; [w:Parvati|Pārvati; [Vishnu; [The All|The Soul of ''all'' things; [Cosmos|cosmic; [ocean; [dreams]
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Navigating Faith and Family Expectations
Santosh Patel
You only need to convert to three more religions, Piscine, and you will spend your life on holiday.
Ravi Patel
Are you going to Mecca this year, Swami ]? Or to Rome for your coronation as Pope Pius?
[laughing; [Jesus]
Gita Patel
You stay out of this, Ravi. Just as you like cricket, Pi has his own interests.
Santosh Patel
No, Gita, Ravi has a point. You cannot follow three different religions at the same time, Piscine.
Pi Patel
Why not?
Santosh Patel
Because, believing in everything at the same time, is the same as not believing in anything at all.
Gita Patel
He's young, Santosh. He's still finding his way.
Santosh Patel
And how can he find his way if he does not choose a path? Listen, instead of leaping from one religion to the next, why not start with ]? In a few hundred years, ] has taken us farther in ] the universe than religion has in 10,000.
[[reason; [science; [understanding]
Gita Patel
That is true. Your father is right. Science can teach us more about what is out there, but not what is in here.
[touches chest]
Santosh Patel
Some eat meat, some eat vegetable. I do not ] us to all agree about everything, but I would much rather have you believe in something I don't agree with than to accept everything blindly. And that begins with thinking rationally. You understand? Good.
[[expect; Pi nods]
Pi Patel
I would like to be baptized.
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The Value of Rational Disagreement
Santosh Patel
I don't expect us all to agree about everything, but I'd much rather have you ] in something I don't agree with rather than have you accept everything blindly. And that begins with ] rationally. Do you ]?
[[believe; [thinking; [understand]
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Understanding Perspectives in Life and Survival
Santosh Patel
] do not think like we do. ] who forget that get themselves killed. That tiger … is not your ]. When you look into his ] you are seeing your own ] reflected back at you. Nothing else!
[[Animals; [People; [friend; [eyes; [emotions]
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Self-Discovery Through Change
Pi Patel
] can change everything you ever ] you ] about yourself.
[[Hunger; [thought; [knew]
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Vegetarian Preferences Discussed in Life of Pi
Gita Patel
My sons and I are vegetarians. Do you have anything…? No, no, no. Not more gravy.
Cook
You don't want gravy?
Gita Patel
No, I want something vegetarian.
Cook
Oh. No problem.
Santosh Patel
She asked if you have something vegetarian.
Cook
The cow that produced this liver was vegetarian, the pigs that went into these sausages were vegetarian.
Santosh Patel
Very funny. But my wife doesn't eat liver.
Cook
Then she can eat the sausage, the rice, and the gravy. Or you can cook your own food.
Santosh Patel
How dare you talk to my wife like that?
Cook
Here's your rice. I cook for sailors, not curry-eaters.
Santosh Patel
What did you say?!
[strangles him]
Cook
Let go of me! Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a servant! I feed people! You feed monkeys!
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