To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare.
Interpretation
Reading allows us to connect with the thoughts of those who came before us, providing unparalleled joy.
This quote emphasizes the unique pleasure of reading, highlighting how it enables individuals to engage deeply with the minds of past thinkers and writers. The act of sitting alone with a book symbolizes a solitary yet enriching experience where one can explore ideas and wisdom from different generations, fostering a sense of connection that transcends time.
In practice
During a book club meeting to discuss the importance of literature.
The hour of death waits for no order. Death does not even come from the front. It is ever pressing on from behind. All men know of death, but they do not expect it of a sudden, and it comes upon them unawares. So, though the dry flats extend far out, soon the tide comes and floods the beach.
Blossoms are scattered by the wind and the wind cares nothing but the blossoms of the heart no wind can touch.
On a moonlit night, after a snowfall, or under cherry blossoms, it adds to our pleasure if, while chatting at our ease, we bring forth the wine cups.
Helping people to connect with their personal creative capacities is the surest way to release the best they have to offer.
Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.
There is an old saying that the course of civilization is a race between catastrophe and education. In a democracy such as ours, we must make sure that education wins the race.
If you don't hit a newspaper reader between the eyes with your first sentence, there is no need of writing a second one.
My mother always told me I had to do 100 times better than a man. I had to work hard at maths, and learn four languages.
I sat down in 1989 and I made up my mind at that point that I was going to spend the rest of my life assisting women and youth to gain social and political empowerment through business and education. I convinced myself economic empowerment of women was going to be key, especially in a country like this where most women didn't go to school.
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