It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people-- people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Books provide companionship and comfort through various emotional states.
E. B. White's quote reflects the profound impact that books can have on our lives, suggesting that they serve as companions in both joyful and sorrowful moments. By anthropomorphizing books as people, White emphasizes the depth of connection one can find within the pages, illustrating how literature can offer understanding and solace during different emotional experiences.
Themes
BooksCompanionshipEmotionLiteratureComfort
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote at a book club meeting to discuss the emotional impact of literature.
More from E. B. White
All quotes βIt isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
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The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
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A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
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All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
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