Kami

“Behind the newspaper Julian was withdrawing into the inner compartment of his mind where he spent most of his time. This was a kind of mental bubble in which he established himself when he could not bear to be a part of what was going on around him. From it he could see out and judge but in it he was safe from any kind of penetration from without. It was the only place where he felt free of the general idiocy of his fellows. His mother had never entered it but from it he could see her with absolute clarity.
Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories”
― Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge

“My cove, my home may be empty, but in my mind, there are many people whose spirits remain. They represent the richest inheritance and finest examples of the cove's existence as an organized community since 1818.”
― Catherine Astl, Oliver's Crossing: A Novel of Cades Cove

“Winter is a time for libraries, the muffled quiet of bookstacks and the scent of old pages and dust. In winter, I can spend hours in silent pursuit of a half-understood concept or a detail of history. There is nowhere else to be, after all.”
― Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

“Keep warm old man,” the boy said. “Remember we are in September.” “The month when the great fish come,” the old man said.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man & The Sea