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“Beauty is nothing other than the promise of happiness.”
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“... you’ll have to fall in love at least once in your life, or Paris has failed to rub off on you.”
― Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
― Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
“In Japan, a number of time-honored everyday activities (such as making tea, arranging flowers, and writing) have traditionally been deeply examined by their proponents. Students study how to make tea, perform martial arts, or write with a brush in the most skillful way possible to express themselves with maximum efficiency and minimum strain. Through this efficient, adroit, and creative performance, they arrive at art. But if they continue to delve even more deeply into their art, they discover principles that are truly universal, principles relating to life itself. Then, the art of brush writing becomes shodo—the “Way of the brush”—while the art of arranging flowers is elevated to the status of kado—the “Way of flowers.” Through these Ways or Do forms, the Japanese have sought to realize the Way of living itself. They have approached the universal through the particular.”
― Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
― Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
“If you try to learn with your intellect, it is more difficult to absorb the teachings on a deep level. The mind looks at something and says, I don't want that; I want this instead. But as you simply continue to train, something changes. What changes is deeper than your intellectual knowledge, deeper than mind or heart.”
― Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei
― Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei
“In Paris the cashiers sit rather than stand. They run your goods over a scanner, tally up the price, and then ask you for exact change. The story they give is that there aren't enough euros to go around. "The entire EU is short on coins."
And I say, "Really?" because there are plenty of them in Germany. I'm never asked for exact change in Spain or Holland or Italy, so I think the real problem lies with the Parisian cashiers, who are, in a word, lazy. Here in Tokyo they're not just hard working but almost violently cheerful. Down at the Peacock, the change flows like tap water. The women behind the registers bow to you, and I don't mean that they lower their heads a little, the way you might if passing someone on the street. These cashiers press their hands together and bend from the waist. Then they say what sounds to me like "We, the people of this store, worship you as we might a god.”
― When You Are Engulfed in Flames
And I say, "Really?" because there are plenty of them in Germany. I'm never asked for exact change in Spain or Holland or Italy, so I think the real problem lies with the Parisian cashiers, who are, in a word, lazy. Here in Tokyo they're not just hard working but almost violently cheerful. Down at the Peacock, the change flows like tap water. The women behind the registers bow to you, and I don't mean that they lower their heads a little, the way you might if passing someone on the street. These cashiers press their hands together and bend from the waist. Then they say what sounds to me like "We, the people of this store, worship you as we might a god.”
― When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Ask Guy Gavriel Kay - Tuesday, April 30th!
— 421 members
— last activity Apr 08, 2015 08:20PM
Join us on Tuesday, April 30th for a special discussion with author Guy Gavriel Kay! Guy will be discussing his work, including his most recent book ...more
Lauren’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Lauren’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
2,109 books
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152 friends
467 books
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28 friends
766 books
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8 friends
548 books
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379 friends
138 books
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8 friends
54 books
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180 friends
107 books
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18 friends
1 book
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109 friends
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