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“Words had to change their ordinary meaning and to take that which was now given them. Reckless audacity came to be considered the courage of a loyal supporter; prudent hesitation, specious cowardice; moderation was held to be a cloak for unmanliness; ability to see all sides of a question incapacity to act on any. Frantic violence became the attribute of manliness; cautious plotting a justifiable means of self-defense. [5] The advocate of extreme measures was always trustworthy; his opponent a man to be suspected. To succeed in a plot was to have a shrewd head, to divine a plot a still shrewder; but to try to provide against having to do either was to break up your party and to be afraid of your adversaries. In short, to forestall an intending criminal, or to suggest the idea of a crime where it was lacking was equally commended, [6] until even blood became a weaker tie than party, from the superior readiness of those united by the latter to dare everything without reserve; for such associations sought not the blessings derivable from established institutions but were formed by ambition to overthrow them; and the confidence of their members in each other rested less on any religious sanction than upon complicity in crime.”
― The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War
― The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War
“Why did people ask "What is it about?" as if a novel had to be about only one thing.”
― Americanah
― Americanah
“Racism should never have happened and so you don't get a cookie for reducing it.”
― Americanah
― Americanah
“The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners the small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience.”
― Americanah
― Americanah
“She thinks before she acts. Or more properly, she thinks instead of acts. A character flaw, not a virtue.”
― Dept. of Speculation
― Dept. of Speculation
Writers of Color Book Club
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— last activity May 30, 2026 12:12AM
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Harry Potter
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A podcast all about books. Hosted by Tod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, and Rider Strong. Old books, new books, and book-related games. Occasionally, a gues ...more
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
— 27008 members
— last activity Jul 17, 2026 11:52AM
An annual reading challenge to to help you stretch your reading limits and explore new voices, worlds, and genres! The challenge begins in January, bu ...more
A Book Club
— 8 members
— last activity May 07, 2015 09:33PM
A bi-monthly engagement in quite serious discussions about books and such.
Kelly’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Kelly’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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