616 books
—
200 voters
to-read
(2995)
currently-reading (2)
read (334)
counterinsurgency (32)
non-fiction (137)
history (89)
philosophy (86)
tamil (85)
politics (73)
fiction (38)
biography (34)
sociology (34)
currently-reading (2)
read (334)
counterinsurgency (32)
non-fiction (137)
history (89)
philosophy (86)
tamil (85)
politics (73)
fiction (38)
biography (34)
sociology (34)
political-essays
(33)
must-read (32)
genocide-studies (25)
mathematics (24)
economics (23)
psychology (22)
religion (20)
law (18)
anthropology (14)
political-history (14)
popular-science (14)
intro (13)
must-read (32)
genocide-studies (25)
mathematics (24)
economics (23)
psychology (22)
religion (20)
law (18)
anthropology (14)
political-history (14)
popular-science (14)
intro (13)
“What they call "play" (gym, travel, sports) looks like work; the harder they try, the more captive they are.”
― The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
― The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
“To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open. It means deciding to voluntarily transform the chaos of potential into the realities of habitable order. It means adopting the burden of self-conscious vulnerability, and accepting the end of the unconscious paradise of childhood, where finitude and mortality are only dimly comprehended. It means willingly undertaking the sacrifices necessary to generate a productive and meaningful reality (it means acting to please God, in the ancient language).”
― 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
― 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
“As intellectuals they were brilliant, incisive, prescient, and creative (but also elitist, cantankerous, impatient, and conspiratorial). As friends they were bawdy, foulmouthed, and adolescent. They loved to smoke (Engels a pipe, Marx cigars), drink until dawn (Engels fine wine and ale, Marx whatever was available), gossip (mostly about the sexual proclivities of their acquaintances), and roar with laughter (usually at the expense of their enemies, and in Marx’s case until tears streamed down his cheeks).”
― Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution
― Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution
“you have a real life if and only if you do not compete with anyone in any of your pursuits”
― The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
― The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
“Life is suffering
Love is the desire to see unnecessary suffering ameliorated
Truth is the handmaiden of love
Dialogue is the pathway to truth
Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn
To learn is to die voluntarily and be born again, in great ways and small
So speech must be untrammeled
So that dialogue can take place
So that we can all humbly learn
So that truth can serve love
So that suffering can be ameliorated
So that we can all stumble forward to the Kingdom of God”
―
Love is the desire to see unnecessary suffering ameliorated
Truth is the handmaiden of love
Dialogue is the pathway to truth
Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn
To learn is to die voluntarily and be born again, in great ways and small
So speech must be untrammeled
So that dialogue can take place
So that we can all humbly learn
So that truth can serve love
So that suffering can be ameliorated
So that we can all stumble forward to the Kingdom of God”
―
The Chennai Book Club
— 3155 members
— last activity Feb 15, 2026 08:34AM
This is a place where readers from Chennai can discuss, share and exchange books. We also have monthly meet-ups, usually held on the penultimate Sund ...more
Philosophy
— 5809 members
— last activity Jan 22, 2026 12:10PM
What is Philosophy? Why is it important? How do you use it? This group looks at these questions and others: ethics, government, economics, skepticism, ...more
Maxwin’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Maxwin’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Maxwin
Lists liked by Maxwin











































