“A poet of the Song dynasty, Sū Dōngpō (1037–1101), wrote of the Tang poet-painter Wáng Wéi (699–759), whose work is considered a forerunner: ‘Savour his poetry, and there is a painting in each poem; look carefully at his paintings, and each one contains a poem.’9”
― The Shortest History of China
― The Shortest History of China
“Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it anyway.”
― Atmosphere
― Atmosphere
“The Inquisitors’ attack on her was rather like a pile of firewood condemning a life-giving fire in winter for not being unburned wood.”
― Sun House
― Sun House
“Interestingly, Jesus’s last supper was the Jewish Passover meal, which according to the Gospel accounts Jesus shared with his disciples just before his crucifixion. In Jewish tradition, the whole purpose of the Passover meal is to create and reenact artificial memories. Every year Jewish families sit together on the eve of Passover to eat and reminisce about “their” exodus from Egypt. They are supposed not only to tell the story of how the descendants of Jacob escaped slavery in Egypt but to remember how they personally suffered at the hands of the Egyptians, how they personally saw the sea part, and how they personally received the Ten Commandments from Jehovah at Mount Sinai.”
― Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
― Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
“A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it. A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me.”
― The Four Winds
― The Four Winds
Joel’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Joel’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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