And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
No book, however good, can survive a hostile reading.
Interpretation
A good book's value is diminished when met with negativity or bias from the reader.
This quote by Orson Scott Card emphasizes that the interpretation of a book can be severely impacted by the mindset of the reader. Even the most well-written and insightful books can be misunderstood or dismissed if they are approached with hostility or pre-existing negative biases, suggesting that open-mindedness is crucial for genuine understanding and appreciation.
In practice
In a discussion about literature, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of an open mind when reading.
And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Without initiation into the scientific spirit one is not in possession of the best tools which humanity has so far devised for effectively directed reflection. One in that case not merely conducts inquiry and learning without the use of the best instruments, but fails to understand the full meaning of knowledge.
The reader's ear must adjust down from loud life to the subtle, imaginary sounds of the written word. An ordinary reader picking up a book can't yet hear a thing; it will take half an hour to pick up the writing's modulations, its ups and downs and louds and softs.
My alma mater was books, a good library.
To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
In the universities, cheap, vulnerable labor means adjuncts and graduate students.
We had nothing, no television, no radio, nothing to get in the way. We read by the streetlight at the top of the lane, and we acted out the stories.
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