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Lying is universal—we all do it. Therefore, the wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with a good object, and not an evil one; to lie for others' advantage, and not our own; to lie
...more
“Lying is universal—we all do it. Therefore, the wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with a good object, and not an evil one; to lie for others' advantage, and not our own; to lie healingly, charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, maliciously; to lie gracefully and graciously, not awkwardly and clumsily; to lie firmly, frankly, squarely, with head erect, not haltingly, tortuously, with pusillanimous mien, as being ashamed of our high calling. Then shall we be rid of the rank and pestilent truth that is rotting the land; then shall we be great and good and beautiful, and worthy dwellers in a world where even benign Nature habitually lies, except when she promises execrable weather. Then—But am I but a new and feeble student in this gracious art; I cannot instruct this club.”
― On the Decay of the Art of Lying
― On the Decay of the Art of Lying
“In fact, while we read a novel, we are insane – bonkers. We believe in the existence of people who aren’t there, we hear their voices, we watch the battle of Borodino with them, we may even become Napoleon. Sanity returns (in most cases) when the book is closed.”
― The Left Hand of Darkness
― The Left Hand of Darkness
“Love is anti-mechanical, anti-materialist: that’s why bad love is still good love. It may make us unhappy, but it insists that the mechanical and the material needn’t be in charge”
― A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
― A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
“History just burps, and we taste again that raw-onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.”
― A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
― A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
“For a moment, as I listened to her, I felt as if I could step through the distance between us and hear an echo of the world through her ears, see the stars through her eyes: an austere clarity that made my heart leap.”
― The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
― The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
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Calling on all the closet bookworm denizens of Mumbai who like to engage in pretty much anything dealing with a book - read, write, review, discuss - ...more
Karn’s 2025 Year in Books
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