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HOPE IN TIMES OF DESPAIR

Bertrand Russell, writing in 1956:
But I remain convinced, whatever dark times may lie before us, that mankind will emerge, that the habit of mutual forbearance, which now seems lost, will be recovered, and that the reign of brutal violence will not last forever.

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THE BURDEN OF ADVERTISING

Scott Russell Sanders:
…ubiquitous merchandizing affects more than our buying habits. It monopolizes our attention. It trains us to think of ourselves as consumers, defined by our purchases and possessions, rather than as citizens, defined by our membership in communities.

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THE WONDER OF A CHILD

Rachel Carson:
A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.

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VANITY, VANITY EVERYWHERE

Blaise Pascal:
Vanity is so anchored in man’s heart that a soldier, a camp-follower, a cook, a porter, boast and wish to have admirers; and the philosophers wish the same; and those who write against the desire of glory, glory in having written well; and those who read it, desire to have glory for having read it; and I who write this have perhaps the same desire; and also those who will read what I write.

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ACTIVE READING

Arthur O. Lovejoy:
The student of the history of ideas must approach his historical sources certainly with an open but not with a passive mind.

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ONE'S UNIVERSE IS BUILT ON TRUST

Adrienne Rich:
We take so much of the universe on trust. You tell me: “In 1950 I lived on the north side of Beacon Street in Somerville.

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