Human affairs inspire in noble hearts only two feelings-admiration or pity.
Anatole FranceRead
There are no bad books any more than there are ugly women.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that all books have value, just as all people have beauty in their own way.
Anatole France's statement about books compares them to women, asserting that just as there is no such thing as an ugly woman, there are no bad books. This implies that every book has its unique qualities and lessons to offer, and it dismisses the tendency to judge based solely on superficial criteria. It encourages readers to appreciate diverse perspectives and the inherent worth of literature.
In practice
During a book club discussion, to emphasize the importance of every author's voice.
Human affairs inspire in noble hearts only two feelings-admiration or pity.
Awaken people's curiosity. It is enough to open minds, do not overload them. Put there just a spark.
In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.
Justice is the means by which established injustices are sanctioned
There is a certain impertinence in allowing oneself to be burned for an opinion.
Lovers who love truly do not write down their happiness.
When the panting and thirsting soul first drinks the delicious waters of truth, when the moral and intellectual tastes and desires first seize the fragrant fruits that flourish in the garden of knowledge, then does the child catch a glimpse and foretaste of heaven.
If my books can help children become readers then I feel I have accomplished something important.
Reading, because we control it, is adaptable to our needs and rhythms. We are free to indulge our subjective associative impulse; the term I coin for this is deep reading: the slow and meditative possession of a book. We don't just read the words, we dream our lives in their vicinity. The printed page becomes a kind of wrought-iron fence we crawl through, returning, once we have wandered, to the very place we started.
We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.
A nation that does not read much does not know much. And a nation that does not know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect the entire nation...the literate and illiterate.
Offense is not equal opportunity
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