There is first the literature of knowledge, and secondly, the
literature of power. The function of the first is--to teach; the
function of the second is--to move, the first is a rudder, the
second an oar or a sail. The first speaks to the mere discursive
understanding; the second speaks ultimately, it may happen, to
the higher understanding or reason, but always through affections
of pleasure and sympathy.
- Thomas De Quincey ("The Opium Eater"),
You May Also Like / View all maxioms
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and read more
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.
Literature is news that stays news.
Literature is news that stays news.
A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images.
A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images.
Learning why one great book is just like every other great book is the key to understanding literature
Learning why one great book is just like every other great book is the key to understanding literature
When a man can observe himself suffering and is able, later, to describe what he's gone through, it means he read more
When a man can observe himself suffering and is able, later, to describe what he's gone through, it means he was born for literature.
Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a read more
Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.
Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.
Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.
One learns little more about a man from his feats of literary memory than from the feats of his alimentary read more
One learns little more about a man from his feats of literary memory than from the feats of his alimentary canal.
As I was going up the stairI met a man who wasn't thereHe wasn't there again todayI wish, I wish read more
As I was going up the stairI met a man who wasn't thereHe wasn't there again todayI wish, I wish he'd stay away. - The Psychoed.
