Literatures Quotes
More Literatures Quotes
A knowledge of different literatures is the best way to free one's self from the tyranny of any of them.
josé martí— On Oscar Wilde (1882)
To view an object in the proper light we must stand away from it. The study of the classical literatures gives the aloofness which cultivates insight. In learning to live with peoples and civilizations that have long ceased to be alive, we gain a vantage point, acquire an enlargement and elevation of thought, which enable us to study with a more impartial and liberal mind the condition of the society around us.
john lancaster spalding— p. 106 (Aphorisms and Reflections (1901))
Aphorisms are literature’s hand luggage. Light and compact they fit easily into the overhead compartment of your brain and contain everything you need to get through a rough day at the office or a dark night of the soul.
— James Geary (b. 1962), American journalist, author and aphorist. The World in a Phrase (2005), Ch. 1
