76,242 books
—
283,526 voters
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..”
― Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
― Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
“If there were no eternal consciousness in a man, if at the bottom of everything there were only a wild ferment, a power that twisting in dark passions produced everything great or inconsequential; if an unfathomable, insatiable emptiness lay hid beneath everything, what would life be but despair?”
― Fear and Trembling
― Fear and Trembling
“To be great is to be misunderstood.”
― Self-Reliance and Other Essays
― Self-Reliance and Other Essays
Classics and the Western Canon
— 4922 members
— last activity Jan 03, 2026 05:25AM
This is a group to read and discuss those books generally referred to as “the classics” or “the Western canon.” Books which have shaped Western though ...more
Academy of Ideas Reading List
— 1 member
— last activity Feb 20, 2022 11:41AM
Dedicated to great books covered by the amazing work of "Academy of Ideas" ...more
Gonçalo’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Gonçalo’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Gonçalo
Lists liked by Gonçalo



























