the micro-blog version of “Taking Thoughts Captive” with brief quotes, fleeting thoughts, and other ephemera from the cutting room floor...
“Nationalism is about power: its adherent wants to acquire as much power and prestige as possible for his nation, in which he submerges his individuality. Whereas nationalism is accordingly aggressive, patriotism is defensive: it is a devotion to a particular place and a way of life one thinks best, but has no wish to impose on others.”
— George Orwell, “Notes on Nationalism,” Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters, vol. 3, 362
“There are few cheerier things than buying a bunch of used books and taking them to a cafe to read.”
— Paul Graham
“One is not, by decision, just a writer. One becomes a writer by writing, by shaping thoughts into the proper or improper words, depending on the subject, and by doing it constantly.”
— Louis L'Amour
“Books only have two smells. The smell of a new book, which is good, and the smell of an old book, which is even better.”
— Ray Bradbury
“People are strange. They are constantly angered by trivial things, but on major things like totally wasting their lives, they hardly seem to notice.”
— Charles Bukowski
“Every breathe we draw is a gift of God’s love: every moment of existence is a grace.”
— Thomas Merton
“When everything seems going against you, remember the airplane takes off into the wind, not with it.”
— Henry Ford