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“Man has an instinctive tendency to speak, as we see in the babble of our young children, but no child has an instinctive tendency to bake, brew, or write.”
― The Descent of Man
― The Descent of Man
“Initially all he dreamed and wished for, eventually it became his bitter lot. Those who live for power are destroyed by power, those who live for money by money; service is the ruin of the servile, pleasure the ruin of the pleasure-seeker.”
― Steppenwolf
― Steppenwolf
“be a person with knowledge not just opinions”
― Girl, Woman, Other
― Girl, Woman, Other
“I seem to be defying fate, or am I avoiding it?”
― Lunch Poems
― Lunch Poems
“Still? I have never understood why helping mortals made Zeus so angry.”
“Tell me,” he said, “who gives better offerings, a miserable man or a happy one?”
“A happy one, of course.”
“Wrong,” he said. “A happy man is too occupied with his life. He thinks he is beholden to no one. But make him shiver, kill his wife, cripple his child, then you will hear from him. He will starve his family for a month to buy you a pure-white yearling calf. If he can afford it, he will buy you a hundred.”
“But surely,” I said, “you have to reward him eventually. Otherwise, he will stop offering.”
“Oh, you would be surprised how long he will go on. But yes, in the end, it’s best to give him something. Then he will be happy again. And you can start over.”
“So this is how Olympians spend their days. Thinking of ways to make men miserable.”
―
“Tell me,” he said, “who gives better offerings, a miserable man or a happy one?”
“A happy one, of course.”
“Wrong,” he said. “A happy man is too occupied with his life. He thinks he is beholden to no one. But make him shiver, kill his wife, cripple his child, then you will hear from him. He will starve his family for a month to buy you a pure-white yearling calf. If he can afford it, he will buy you a hundred.”
“But surely,” I said, “you have to reward him eventually. Otherwise, he will stop offering.”
“Oh, you would be surprised how long he will go on. But yes, in the end, it’s best to give him something. Then he will be happy again. And you can start over.”
“So this is how Olympians spend their days. Thinking of ways to make men miserable.”
―
Emil’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Emil’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Emil
Lists liked by Emil
