The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Search results for “John steinbeck”

Emerson on the Two Pillars of Friendship
Emerson on the Two Pillars of Friendship

“A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.”

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Leo Tolstoy on Finding Meaning in a Meaningless World
Leo Tolstoy on Finding Meaning in a Meaningless World

“For man to be able to live he must either not see the infinite, or have such an explanation of the meaning of life as will connect the finite with the infinite.”

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The Science of Smell: How the Most Direct of Our Senses Works
The Science of Smell: How the Most Direct of Our Senses Works

Why the 23,040 breaths we take each day are the most powerful yet perplexing route to our emotional memory.

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Vladimir Nabokov on Writing, Reading, and the Three Qualities a Great Storyteller Must Have
Vladimir Nabokov on Writing, Reading, and the Three Qualities a Great Storyteller Must Have

“Between the wolf in the tall grass and the wolf in the tall story there is a shimmering go-between. That go-between, that prism, is the art of literature.”

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How to Be a Writer: Hemingway’s Advice to Aspiring Authors
How to Be a Writer: Hemingway’s Advice to Aspiring Authors

“As a writer you should not judge. You should understand.”

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Chinua Achebe on the Meaning of Life and the Writer’s Responsibility in the World
Chinua Achebe on the Meaning of Life and the Writer’s Responsibility in the World

The difference between blind optimism and the urge to improve the world’s imperfection.

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Letters to a Young Artist: Anna Deavere Smith on Confidence and What Self-Esteem Really Means
Letters to a Young Artist: Anna Deavere Smith on Confidence and What Self-Esteem Really Means

“Real self-esteem is an integration of an inner value with things in the world around you.”

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The Public Library: A Photographic Love Letter to Humanity’s Greatest Sanctuary of Knowledge, Freedom, and Democracy
The Public Library: A Photographic Love Letter to Humanity’s Greatest Sanctuary of Knowledge, Freedom, and Democracy

“When a library is open, no matter its size or shape, democracy is open, too.”

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Anne Lamott on Writing and Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity
Anne Lamott on Writing and Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.”

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Life-Advice to His Children
Kurt Vonnegut’s Life-Advice to His Children

Educate yourself, welcome life’s messiness, read Chekhov, avoid becoming an architect at all costs.

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