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Every aphorism here is about a Procrustean bed of sorts—we humans, facing limits of knowledge, and things we do not observe, the unseen and the unknown, resolve the tension by squeezing life and the world into crisp commoditized ideas,
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“The guiding metaphor of classic style is seeing the world. The writer can see something that the reader has not yet noticed, and he orients the reader’s gaze so that she can see it for herself. The purpose of writing is presentation, and its motive is disinterested truth. It succeeds when it aligns language with the truth, the proof of success being clarity and simplicity. The truth can be known, and is not the same as the language that reveals it; prose is a window onto the world. The writer knows the truth before putting it into words; he is not using the occasion of writing to sort out what he thinks. Nor does the writer of classic prose have to argue for the truth; he just needs to present it. That is because the reader is competent and can recognize the truth when she sees it, as long as she is given an unobstructed view. The writer and the reader are equals, and the process of directing the reader’s gaze takes the form of a conversation.”
― The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
― The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
― A Arte da Guerra
― A Arte da Guerra
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
― The Art of War
― The Art of War
“A saying by the brothers Geoff and Vince Graham summarizes the ludicrousness of scale-free political universalism. I am, at the Fed level, libertarian; at the state level, Republican; at the local level, Democrat; and at the family and friends level, a socialist.”
― Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
― Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”
― The Prince
― The Prince
Ivan’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Ivan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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