251 books
—
30 voters
Giang Le
https://www.goodreads.com/lhgiang
to-read
(752)
currently-reading (268)
read (193)
history (222)
fiction (198)
politics-and-ir (197)
audible (145)
byzantium (45)
classics (44)
autobiography (40)
kindle (39)
medieval (38)
currently-reading (268)
read (193)
history (222)
fiction (198)
politics-and-ir (197)
audible (145)
byzantium (45)
classics (44)
autobiography (40)
kindle (39)
medieval (38)
biography
(36)
fantasy (36)
music (33)
lgbt (30)
manga-and-comics (28)
philosophy (28)
academia (22)
historical-theory (21)
historical-fiction (20)
international-society (20)
self-help (19)
literature-english (18)
fantasy (36)
music (33)
lgbt (30)
manga-and-comics (28)
philosophy (28)
academia (22)
historical-theory (21)
historical-fiction (20)
international-society (20)
self-help (19)
literature-english (18)
“Other men fought bravely, but they flinched from war’s true nature. Only I had the stomach to see what must be done... You promise mercy to spies so they will spill their story, then you kill them after. You beat men who mutiny. You coax heroes from their sulks. You keep spirits high at any cost. When the great hero Philoctetes was crippled with a festering wound, the men lost their courage over it. So I left him behind on an island and claimed he had asked to be left. Ajax and Agamemnon would have battered at Troy’s locked gates until they died, but it was I who thought of the trick of the giant horse, and I spun the story that convinced the Trojans to pull it inside. I crouched in the wooden belly with my picked men, and if any shook with terror and strain, I put my knife to his throat. When the Trojans finally slept, we tore through them like foxes among soft-feathered chicks.”
― Circe
― Circe
“For pomp is a tenacious force. And a wily one too.
How humbly it bows its head as the emperor is dragged down the steps and tossed in the street. But then, having quietly bided its time, while helping the newly appointed leader on with his jacket, it compliments his appearance and suggests the wearing of a medal or two. Or, having served him at the formal dinner, it wonders aloud if a taller chair might not have been more fitting for a man with such responsibilities.”
― A Gentleman in Moscow
How humbly it bows its head as the emperor is dragged down the steps and tossed in the street. But then, having quietly bided its time, while helping the newly appointed leader on with his jacket, it compliments his appearance and suggests the wearing of a medal or two. Or, having served him at the formal dinner, it wonders aloud if a taller chair might not have been more fitting for a man with such responsibilities.”
― A Gentleman in Moscow
“In studying a philosopher, the right attitude is neither reverence nor contempt, but first a kind of hypothetical sympathy, until it is possible to know what it feels like to believe in his theories, and only then a revival of the critical attitude, which should resemble, as far as possible, the state of mind of a person abandoning opinions which he has hitherto held. Contempt interferes with the first part of this process, and reverence with the second. Two things are to be remembered: that a man whose opinions and theories are worth studying may be presumed to have had some intelligence, but that no man is likely to have arrived at complete and final truth on any subject whatever. When an intelligent man expresses a view which seems to us obviously absurd, we should not attempt to prove that it is somehow true, but we should try to understand how it ever came to seem true. This exercise of historical and psychological imagination at once enlarges the scope of our thinking, and helps us to realize how foolish many of our own cherished prejudices will seem to an age which has a different temper of mind.”
―
―
“Glory, for the translator, is borrowed glory. There is no way around this. Translators are celebrated when they translate celebrated books.”
―
―
“Building a civilization is ugly, Jasmine. But the alternative is no civilization at all.”
― Artemis
― Artemis
The History Book Club
— 25977 members
— last activity 12 hours, 22 min ago
"Interested in history - then you have found the right group". The History Book Club is the largest history and nonfiction group on Goodread ...more
A Reading Club for Vietnamese
— 1905 members
— last activity Jul 29, 2024 08:42AM
This is a public reading club intended for Vietnamese readers. Vietnamese is the primary language used for discussion or book recommendation, but En ...more
Hội Thích Đọc Sách
— 8139 members
— last activity 6 hours, 58 min ago
Hãy chia sẻ và lan toả tình yêu của mình với sách
Bookaholic
— 303 members
— last activity Sep 05, 2016 12:07PM
Bookaholic is a non-governmental organization by the Vietnam Youth established for your child love reading. Founded on May 4 / 2009, Bookaholic to bui ...more
Giang’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Giang’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Classics, Crime, Historical fiction, History, Manga, Mystery, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Psychology, and Science
Polls voted on by Giang
Lists liked by Giang


































































