“...legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
“Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another.”
― An Unforgivable Secret
― An Unforgivable Secret
“Perhaps, if you weren't so busy regarding my shortcomings, you'd find that I do possess redeeming qualities, discreet as they may be. I notice when the sky is blue. I smile down at children. I laugh at any innocent attempt at humor. I quietly carry the burdens of others as though they were my own. And I say 'I'm sorry' when you don't. I am not without fault, but I am not without goodness either.”
― Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
― Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
“I used to think that paired opposites were a given, that love was the opposite of hate, right the opposite of wrong. But now I think we sometimes buy into these concepts because it is so much easier to embrace absolutes than to suffer reality. I don't think anything is the opposite of love. Reality is unforgivingly complex.”
― Bird by Bird
― Bird by Bird
Erika’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Erika’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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