Aleea

“Culture isn’t necessary for the survival of mankind; for that, you only need bread and water. It’s also true that with bread and water to drink, humans survive; but with only this, humanity dies. If human beings aren’t deeply moved by beauty, if they don’t close their eyes and activate their imaginations, if they aren’t capable of asking themselves questions and discerning the limits of their ignorance, then they are men or women, but they are not complete persons: nothing significant distinguishes them then from a salmon or a zebra or a musk ox.”
― Antonio Iturbe, La bibliotecaria de Auschwitz

“Our desire for sharp divisions is at odds with evolution’s habit of making extremely smooth transitions.”
― Frans de Waal, Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves

“Emotions help us navigate a complex world that we don’t fully comprehend. They are our body’s way of ensuring that we do what is best for us.”
― Frans de Waal, Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves

“That means letting them read books that are too easy for them, or too hard for them. That means letting them read books that challenge them, or do nothing but entertain them. And yes, it means letting students read books with things in them we might disagree with and letting them make up their own minds about things, which is downright scary sometimes. But that’s what good education is all about.”
― Alan Gratz, Ban This Book