“The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything. When Don Quixote went out into the world, that world turned into a mystery before his eyes. That is the legacy of the first European novel to the entire subsequent history of the novel. The novelist teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. In a world built on sacrosanct certainties the novel is dead. The totalitarian world, whether founded on Marx, Islam, or anything else, is a world of answers rather than questions. There, the novel has no place.”
― The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
― The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
“There is no way I can avoid thinking about the kind of world I belong to. The abuse of utopias disfigures everything.”
―
―
“It is their duty to be infantile, even against their inclination.”
― Brave New World
― Brave New World
“I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.”
― Bad Choices Make Good Stories - Finding Happiness in Los Angeles
― Bad Choices Make Good Stories - Finding Happiness in Los Angeles
Irine’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Irine’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Polls voted on by Irine
Lists liked by Irine






















