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Quote by Jacob August Riis

“I do not want [photography] explained to me in terms of... formulas, learned, but so hopelessly unsatisfying. I do not want my butterfly stuck on a pin and put in a glass case. I want to see the sunlight on its wings as it flits from flower to flower and I don't care a rap what its Latin name may be.”

Quote by Jacob August Riis

Work

The Making of an American

This book delves into the formation of the American character, examining the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to the nation's unique identity. more

Author

Jacob August Riis
Jacob August Riis

Jacob August Riis was a renowned journalist and social reformer. Born on May 3, 1849, and died on May 26, 1914, Riis is best known for his in-depth reporting on the living conditions in the slums of New York City. His work, 'How the Other Half Lives,' had a profound impact on urban reform movements. more

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“No matter how frustrated you may feel, there is always a way out. In every situation that arises, we choose to be powerful or powerless. It may not always feel like it, but it is a choice. And there are consequences for these choices in terms of the results we get, and the subsequent increase or decrease in our power and influence. If we choose powerlessness, it is often because we doubt there is any other option.”

“Surrender becomes so much easier when you realize the fleeting nature of all experiences and that the world cannot give you anything of lasting value. You then continue to meet people, to be involved in experience and activities, but without the wants and fears of the egoic self. That is to say, you no longer demand that a situation, person, place, or event should satisfy you or make you happy. It's passing and imperfect nature is allowed to be.”

“We passionately long that there may be another life in which we shall be similar to what we are here below. But we do not pause to reflect that, even without waiting for that other life, in this life, after a few years we are unfaithful to what we have been, to what we wished to remain immortally.”