Jess Schmith

“All writers are to some extent inventors, describing people as they would like to see them in life.”
― Harold Bloom, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages

“that single embodiment of a world crippled by its legacy of recent cruelties and a self-lacerating worship of the proceeds of selfishness and greed.”
― Iain Banks, Transition

“So after some instruction, Joseph put on the apron and started carefully polishing the clean dishes even though it made no sense to him.
Over the course of the day, he learned how to wash the floors and clean the windows and empty out the iron stove. Soon the kitchen smelled of lemons and spices, fresh bread and soap.
There was a short break for lunch before resuming work. The light shifted during the afternoon and cascaded through the clean windows, burnishing the room with gold.
Joseph was so focused on the work, on the patters of the silverware and the curve of the handles on the ancient pitchers and measuring cups, that he forgot for a little while about his parents, and St. Anthony's, and the fire, and losing Blink. He felt a kind of pride in being allowed to touch all the delicate glassware, plates, and bowls, and he hadn't broken a single thing.”
― Brian Selznick, The Marvels

“Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be.”
― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?