There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
Interpretation
Books have a powerful allure that can compel individuals to endure difficult situations.
In this quote, Ray Bradbury emphasizes the profound impact that literature can have on individuals, especially women, suggesting that the deep emotional or intellectual connection to books can be so strong that it motivates people to withstand great adversity. The metaphor of a 'burning house' symbolizes extreme danger or discomfort, further highlighting the extraordinary influence that reading can have on a person’s choices and priorities in life.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of reading in schools.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there was it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away.
Competitive sports may be where exercise becomes 'fun' for children who are good at it, but for those who are less talented, it is where exercise becomes not only physically demanding but also emotionally painful and socially humiliating.
The answer is not to standardize education, but to personalize and customize it to the needs of each child and community. There is no alternative. There never was.
I spent much of my childhood in northern Quebec, and often there was no radio, no television - there wasn't a lot to entertain us. When it rained, I stayed inside reading, writing, drawing.
In reading, we are both scientists and poets.
The new American dream is one of responsibility. What is the bottom-line number that you're going to be able to pay back toward a student loan responsibly if you're doing it yourself after you have a job? That dictates the amount of money you can borrow. That dictates the school you can go to, if you can even go to a four-year college at all.
The best way to get started on the path of sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others.
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