“You can’t read any genuine history—as that of Herodotus or the Venerable Bede—without perceiving that our interest depends not on the subject but on the man,—on the manner in which he treats the subject and the importance he gives it. A feeble writer and without genius must have what he thinks a great theme, which we are already interested in through the accounts of others, but a genius—a Shakespeare, for instance—would make the history of his parish more interesting than another’s history of the world.”
Source: The Journal, 1837-1861
“Art, in its making and in its enjoying, demands long tracts of time. Books, like cats, do not wear watches”
“Una persona debería leer un libro porque este provoca algo en su corazón.”
Source: Os Rokesbys
“All I want is to read quietly the books that I at present prefer.”
Source: The Solitary Summer
“Reading is a unique form of consciousness, while we read we direct attention outward to the page but also at the same time inwards as we imagine and mentally stimulate.”
Source: Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention— and How to Think Deeply Again
“Nun stürzte ich mich voller Eifer auf die sozialistische Literatur. […] Ich las viel, ohne jede Ordnung und ohne System, die ‚Welträtsel‘ von Haeckel, Bücher von Forel, Darwin, die Reden von Ferdinand Lassalle, Engels´ ‚Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England‘, Gedichte von Freiligrath, Herwegh und Heine. Weil die Abendstunden nicht ausreichten, um meinen Lesehunger zu befriedigen, meldete ich mich im Betrieb krank und begann mehrere Wochen ‚Weltgeschichte‘ zu studieren. […] Das Leben hatte plötzlich einen anderen, neuen Inhalt bekommen. Der Lohn war nicht gestiegen, der Hunger nicht kleiner, trotzdem schien das Leben reicher und sonniger. Jedes neue Buch war ein Erlebnis, jedes neue Wissen erweckte ein bisher unbekanntes Kraftgefühl, das Dasein war nicht mehr hoffnungslos, wir fühlten, daß es eine Erlösung aus dem täglichen Grau und Einerlei des trüben Fabriklebens geben mußte.”
“Ai que prazer
Nao cumprir um dever,
Ter um livro para ler
E não o fazer!”
Source: Poemas Escolhidos de Alberto Caeiro
“So what if I break? It won't be forever. Because I will rise again, and this time, without you.”
Source: Life Simplified: Quote - Unquote
“The daily reading of good books can be a remedy for sadness, comfort in distress, and a helpful way to foster hope and fortitude.”
Source: The Catholic Guide to Depression: How the Saints, the Sacraments, and Psychiatry Can Help You Break Its Grip and Find Happiness Again
“Reading, she says, is for the underemployed.”
Source: We Are Made Of Diamond Stuff