Good books tell the truth, even when they're about things that never have been and never will be. They're truthful in a different way
Interpretation
Good books reveal deeper truths about reality, regardless of their fictional nature.
This quote by Stanislaw Lem emphasizes the idea that literature, especially fiction, can convey profound truths about the human experience and the world, even if the stories themselves are imaginary. Through the exploration of fantastical themes and narratives, authors are able to reflect genuine insights about our existence, emotions, and societal issues, prompting readers to think critically and introspectively about their lives and the universe around them.
In practice
A book club discussion on how fictional stories reveal real life truths.
The only writers who have any peace are the ones who don't write. And there are some like that. They wallow in a sea of possibilities. To express a thought, you first have to limit it, and that means kill it. Every word I speak robs me of a thousand others, and every line I write means giving up another.
We didn't know each other well. I never had the time. Now I see that it doesn't make any difference. The ones who hurry and the ones who take their time all end up in the same place. Just don't have any regrets. No regrets.
Cripple God, who always desires more than he's able to have, and doesn't always realize this to begin with. Who has built clocks, but not the time that they measure. Has built systems or mechanisms that serve particular purposes, but they too have outgrown these purposes and betrayed them. And has created an infinity that, from being the measure of the power he was supposed to have, turned into the measure of his boundless failure.
We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors. We don't know what to do with other worlds. A single world, our own, suffices us; but we can't accept it for what it is.
No one reads; if someone does read, he doesn't understand; if he understands, he immediately forgets.
A writer should not run around with a mirror for his countrymen; he should tell his society and his times things no one ever thought before.
Isn't it strange that I who have written only unpopular books should be such a popular fellow?
I shall be as secret as the grave.
One time he was asked if he believed in an afterlife. After a moment's hesitation he said no, that he thought there was only "some kind of velvety cool blackness," adding then: "Of course, I admit I may be wrong. It is conceivable that I might well be reborn as a Chinese coolie. In such case I should lodge a protest."
We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another.
I am resolved that I will not through humility become the devil's attorney. I will endeavor to speak a good word for the truth.
Islands are metaphors of the heart, no matter what poet says otherwise.
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