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125 books
—
117 voters
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(225)
currently-reading (2)
read (467)
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fiction (129)
non-fiction (66)
classics (61)
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read (467)
did-not-finish (0)
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non-fiction (66)
classics (61)
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spirituality (41)
buddhism (32)
memoir (29)
psychology (28)
poetry (23)
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spirituality (41)
buddhism (32)
memoir (29)
psychology (28)
poetry (23)
historical-fiction (21)
“When you find yourself in dark places, there's always a light somewhere in that darkness, and even if that light is inside of you, you can illuminate your own darkness by shedding that light on the world.”
― Punching the Air
― Punching the Air
“Even though some of you may experience some peace when you sit in meditation, don’t be in a hurry to congratulate yourselves. Likewise, if there is some confusion, don’t blame yourselves. If things seem to be good, don’t delight in them, and if they’re not good don’t be averse to them. Just look at it all, look at what you have. Just look, don’t bother judging. If it’s good, don’t hold
fast to it; if it’s bad, don’t cling to it. Good and bad can both bite, so don’t hold fast to them.”
― Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah
fast to it; if it’s bad, don’t cling to it. Good and bad can both bite, so don’t hold fast to them.”
― Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah
“Today, luxury resides in everything that is becoming rare: communion with nature, silence, meditation, slowness rediscovered, the pleasure of living out of step with others, studious idleness, the enjoyment of the major works of the mind - these are all privileges that cannot be bought because they are literally priceless.”
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
“Happiness is no longer a stroke of good luck, a moment of splendor wrung from the monotony of the everyday, it is our condition, our destiny. when the desirable becomes possible, it is immediately integrated into the category of the necessary. What used to be edenic is now ordinary. Social status is no longer determined soley by wealth or power, but also by appearance: it is not enough to be rich, you also have to look good, and this produces a new kind of discrimination and invidious comparison that is no less severe. There is a whole ethic of seeming to feel good about oneself that governs us and is supported by the smiling intoxication of advertising and merchandise.”
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
“Formerly irreconcilable enemies, morality and happiness have fused; today, it is being unhappy that is immoral; the superego has moved into the citadel of felicity and governs it with an iron hand. The end of culpability comes at the price of endless torment. Pleasure is no longer a promise but a problem. The idea of full satisfaction has replaced that of constraint, and it has in turn become a requirement that full satisfaction be achieved. Each of us is responsible for being in good shape, in a good mood, and no longer has to renounce anything; instead, we have to adapt to a process of improvement that rejects any resistance to change. Order has ceased to condemn us or deprive us; now it shows us, with maternal solicitude, how to fulfill ourselves.”
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
― Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy
Michelle’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Michelle’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
252 books
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15 friends
4 books
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8 friends
0 books
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2 friends
138 books
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325 friends
160 books
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226 friends
3 books
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42 friends
5 books
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24 friends
0 books
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42 friends
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