“The real damage is done by those millions who want to 'survive.' The honest men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves—or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, mate small, die small. It’s the reductionist approach to life: if you keep it small, you’ll keep it under control. If you don’t make any noise, the bogeyman won’t find you. But it’s all an illusion, because they die too, those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe?! From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does. I choose my own way to burn.”
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“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
― Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 2nd Series
― Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 2nd Series
CJ’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at CJ’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Fiction and Non-fiction
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