“We fear death, we shudder at life's instability, we grieve to see the flowers wilt again and again, and the leaves fall, and in our hearts we know that we, too, are transitory and will soon disappear. When artists create pictures and thinkers search for laws and formulate thoughts, it is in order to salvage something from the great dance of death, to make something last longer than we do.”
― Narcissus and Goldmund
― Narcissus and Goldmund
“He turned the presidency – and the President's House – into something it had not been before: a center of curiosity and inquiry, of vibrant institution that played informal but important roles in the broader life of the nation, from science to literature.”
― Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
― Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”
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“Broadly put, philosophers think: politicians maneuver. Jefferson's genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.”
― Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
― Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
“We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.”
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Monica’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Monica’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Favorite Genres
Art, Biography, Book Club, Business, Classics, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Manga, Music, Non-fiction, Paranormal, Philosophy, Poetry, Psychology, Science, and Science fiction
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