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“I don’t understand why we must do things in this world, why we must have friends and aspirations, hopes and dreams. Wouldn’t it be better to retreat to a faraway corner of the world, where all its noise and complications would be heard no more? Then we could renounce culture and ambitions; we would lose everything and gain nothing; for what is there to be gained from this world?”
― On the Heights of Despair
― On the Heights of Despair
“It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”
― Meditations
― Meditations
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
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“What is a normal child like? Does he just eat and grow and smile sweetly? No, that is not what he is like. The normal child, if he has confidence in mother and father, pulls out all the stops. In the course of time, he tries out his power to disrupt, to destroy, to frighten, to wear down, to waste, to wangle, and to appropriate . . . At the start he absolutely needs to live in a circle of love and strength (with consequent tolerance) if he is not to be too fearful of his own thoughts and of his imaginings to make progress in his emotional development.”
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“A harmful truth is better than a useful lie.”
― The Magic Mountain
― The Magic Mountain
Duchess’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Duchess’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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