“Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”
― The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang Tzu
― The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang Tzu
“king is a servant when he mimics other kings without understanding. A king is a trader when he uses rules to get all the things that he desires. A king is a master when he uses rules to impose his thoughts on those around him. A king is a seer when he understands the thought behind the rules and so appreciates the many reasons why a rule is followed and why another rule is not.”
― Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
― Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
“It takes three to make love, not two: you, your spouse, and God. Without God people only succeed in bringing out the worst in one another. Lovers who have nothing else to do but love each other soon find there is nothing else. Without a central loyalty life is unfinished.”
― Seven Words of Jesus and Mary: Lessons from Cana and Calvary
― Seven Words of Jesus and Mary: Lessons from Cana and Calvary
“As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.”
― Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
― Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
“Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.”
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Arpna’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Arpna’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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