No two persons ever read the same book.
Edmund WilsonRead
I find more and more that I am a man of the 1920s. I still expect something exciting. Drinks, animated conversation, gaiety: the uninhibited exchange of ideas.
Interpretation
The quote reflects a longing for the vibrant social atmosphere and intellectual excitement of the 1920s.
In this quote, Edmund Wilson expresses nostalgia for the lively and dynamic essence of the 1920s, emphasizing the importance of engaging conversations and the free flow of ideas. This longing highlights a desire for a more vibrant, stimulating, and joyous social experience, reflecting his belief in the value of connection and creativity in human interactions.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of creativity in modern life.
All the stories are fictions. What matters is which fiction you believe.
I think that if anything can be proved by natural theology, it is that slavery is morally wrong. God gave man a mouth to receive bread, hands to feed it, and his hand has a right to carry bread to his mouth without controversy.
We would like otherworldly visitations to come as distinct voices with clear instructions, but they may only give small signs in dreams, or as sudden hunches and insights that cannot be denied. They feel more as if they emerge from inside and steer you from within like an inner guardian angel. . . . And, most amazing, it has never forgotten you, although you may have spent most of your life ignoring it.
We obey people we don't trust, to buy things we don't need, to impress people we don't like, using money we don't have, for gratifications that don't last, killing animals we don't hate, for pleasures that don't satisfy, dreaming of a life we don't deserve, and praying for an afterlife that doesn't exist, we are a stupid species
What's happening now is what happened before, and often what's going to happen again sometime or other
A country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbours
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