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Derek Sheehan
https://www.goodreads.com/damaliir
“He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn’t need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear.”
― As I Lay Dying
― As I Lay Dying
“I can remember how when I was young I believed death to be a phenomenon of the body; now I know it to be merely a function of the mind - and that of the minds of the ones who suffer the bereavement. The nihilists say it is the end; the fundamentalists, the beginning; when in reality it is no more than a single tenant or family moving out of a tenement or a town.”
― As I Lay Dying
― As I Lay Dying
“When a thousand people believe some made-up story for one month, that’s fake news. When a billion people believe it for a thousand years, that’s a religion, and we are admonished not to call it “fake news” in order not to hurt the feelings of the faithful (or incur their wrath). Note, however, that I am not denying the effectiveness or potential benevolence of religion. Just the opposite. For better or worse, fiction is among the most effective tools in humanity’s tool kit. By bringing people together, religious creeds make large-scale human cooperation possible. They inspire people to build hospitals, schools, and bridges in addition to armies and prisons. Adam and Eve never existed, but Chartres Cathedral is still beautiful.”
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories.”
― If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young
― If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young
“When the faithful are asked whether God really exists, they often begin by talking about the enigmatic mysteries of the universe and the limits of human understanding. ‘Science cannot explain the Big Bang,’ they exclaim, ‘so that must be God’s doing.’ Yet like a magician fooling an audience by imperceptibly replacing one card with another, the faithful quickly replace the cosmic mystery with the worldly lawgiver. After giving the name of ‘God’ to the unknown secrets of the cosmos, they then use this to somehow condemn bikinis and divorces. ‘We do not understand the Big Bang – therefore you must cover your hair in public and vote against gay marriage.’ Not only is there no logical connection between the two, but they are in fact contradictory. The deeper the mysteries of the universe, the less likely it is that whatever is responsible for them gives a damn about female dress codes or human sexual behaviour.”
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
University of Montana Alumni Book Club
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— last activity Aug 14, 2024 10:41AM
Connect with fellow University of Montana alumni through a shared love of reading. Engage by responding to discussion questions, joining our virtual m ...more
Derek Sheehan’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Derek Sheehan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
1,543 books
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63 friends
575 books
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108 friends
187 books
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93 friends
71 books
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61 friends
253 books
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6 friends
52 books
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224 friends
62 books
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117 friends
140 books
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107 friends
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