The non-artists among us are always terribly busy, but finally disappear without a trace.
Helen VendlerRead
For the mind and the imagination, bookstores aren't enough, college courses aren't enough, the Internet isn't enough. Those resources are all governed by the tastes and needs of the moment. Only libraries take the long view, quietly shelving the unused with the used, knowing that one of these days the two categories will be reversed by a student's discovery of those hitherto undisturbed volumes whose contents will unsettle the learned world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Libraries preserve knowledge over time, allowing for future discoveries that can challenge existing understandings.
In this quote, Helen Vendler emphasizes the unique role that libraries play in society. Unlike bookstores, college courses, or online resources that cater to current trends, libraries provide a vast repository of knowledge that remains accessible for future generations. The quote suggests that the true value of libraries lies in their ability to maintain a comprehensive collection of works, including those that may not be popular or widely recognized at the moment. This long-term perspective nurtures curiosity and potential discoveries that can dramatically shift established academic and cultural norms.
Themes
LibrariesKnowledgeEducationDiscoveryBooks
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of education, this quote could highlight the value of libraries.
More from Helen Vendler
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A teacher who establishes rapport with the taught, becomes one with them, learns more from them than he teaches them. He who learns nothing from his disciples is, in my opinion, worthless. Whenever I talk with someone I learn from him. I take from him more than I give him.
Mahatma GandhiRead
The least of the work of learning is done in the classroom.
Thomas MertonRead
There are many great authors of the past who have survived centuries of oblivion and neglect, but it is still an open question whether they will be able to survive an entertaining version of what they have to say.
Hannah ArendtRead
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
Ray BradburyRead
I read for the 'ah-ha's,' the information that makes a light bulb go off in my mind. I want to put information in my mind that is going to be the most beneficial to me, my family and my fellow man - financially, morally, spiritually, and emotionally.
Zig ZiglarRead
Feminist education β the feminist classroom β is and should be a place where there is a sense of struggle, where there is visible acknowledgment of the union of theory and practice, where we work together as teachers and students to overcome the estrangement and alienation that have become so much the norm in the contemporary university.
Bell HooksRead