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Almost halfway through and deeply enchanted by Steinbeck's writing. I didn't think I was able to enjoy a lecture so thoroughly. And there is so much to chew on - themes like original sin, fall of men, disordered loves, child neglect, psychiatric disorders, religiosity, human deceitfulness - my cup of tea always and forever. May my cup overflow with such delightful literature.

In the secular age, cognitive dissonance is the normal state of things.

Nor even halfway through the book and deeply shaken, troubled and way too emotionally involved. Goodness, what a life.
The biographer is quite an author. Would highly recommend.

"Nu adevărul fondează o civilizație -căci toate se cred adevărate- ci credința într-un adevăr. Numai această credință garantează rezistența în timp a opțiunilor originare."

"Nu, sfârșitul creștinătății nu va da naștere unor societăți ateiste, din moment ce așa ceva nu există. Societățile nu se compun din câțiva intelectuali, ci din popoare cărora bunul simț le șoptește că există taine îndărătul porții și care sunt cel puțin agnostice, dacă nu credincioase."

"Deși e nemuritor, creștinismul a creat o civilizație (creștinătatea), adică o realitate efemeră, supusă timpurilor, dar mai cu seamă fragilă, căci este muritoare."

"that's the problem with vaccines: when they work, absolutely nothing happens"

"Din aluatul ăsta suntem făcuți, jumătate indiferență, jumătate răutate."
"... fără îndoială telefonista îl întrebase, Ce mai faceți, domnule doctor, așa vorbim când nu vrem sa părem slabi, spunem, Bine, și murim."

Reading Flannery's stories feels like seating in an old theatre by yourself and seeing quite the same stage setup, with almost the same characters, doing almost the same stuff, giving you almost the same sordid thrills in every ending.
How the spotlight constantly shifts from one story to another and and manages to captivate the reader is unique though.

"Prayer adjusts our eyes to see God in the darkness"

"The heart of God's restaurative grace is His zeal to rescue us from us."

Toate noțiunile noastre umaniste sunt relative. Într-o situație extremă omul real nu e omul din cărți. Omul nu este un erou. Noi toți suntem comercianți ai apocalipsei.
Mecanismul răului va funcționa și în timpul apocalipsei. Mi-am dat seama de asta. Și vor bârfi la fel oamenii, vor crește în ochii șefilor, o să-și salveze televizorul și haina de astrahan. Și înainte de sfârșitul lumii, omul va rămâne așa cum e acum

Delicious read :)

Marriage is joined upon a field of great spiritual battles. But it rests within a war that is already won.

He who always hopes for the best becomes old, deceived by life, and he who is always prepared for the worst becomes old prematurely; but he who has faith retains eternal youth.

He who always hopes for the best becomes old, deceived by life, and he who is always prepared for the worst becomes old prematurely; but he who has faith retains eternal life.

Why haven't I read it earlier?... unexpectedly insightful. This book should accompany the instruction manual of every smartphone when bought by a Christian.

Not the sort of book I'm into. It just doesn't work for me this way, reading Lewis in fragmented daily texts taken from his work.
I could better use an entire lecture of any of his own books than to get Lewis quotes in homeopathic daily dosages, that only stir the frustration of not being able to put all those ideas into their fluent, contextually relevant background.

"O all ye who passe by, behold and see: Man stole the fruit, but I must climbe the tree; The tree of life to all, but onely me: Was ever grief like Mine?"

I thought of you when I read this quote from "The Complete Works of George Herbert" by George Herbert -

"If thou do ill, the joy fades, not the pains: If well; the pain doth fade, the joy remains."

Pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high;
So shalt thou humble and magnanimous be.
Sink not in spirit:
who aimeth at the sky
Shoots higher much than he that means a tree.

True victory over self is the victory of God in the man, not of the man alone. It is not subjugation that is enough, but subjugation by God. In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably—or succeed more miserably.

True victory over self is the victory of God in the man, not of the man alone. It is not subjugation that is enough, but subjugation by God. In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably—or succeed more miserably.

It is the same with wretchedness as with everything else. It ends by becoming bearable.

Se pare că există o regulă generală în universul moral care poate fi formulata astfel: "cu cât mai sus, cu atât mai expus pericolului".

Se pare că există o regulă generală în universul moral care poate fi formulata astfel: "cu cât mai sus, cu atât mai expus pericolului".

There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.

Of all evils, pain is only sterilised or disinfected evil.

The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world; but joy, pleasure, merriment, He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy... Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.