”

New York, November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First – if you are in love – that’s a good thing – that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second – There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you – of kindness and consideration and respect – not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply – of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it – and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone – there is no possible harm in saying so – only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another – but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens – The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa

John Steinbeck, via Brain Pickings
4 months ago
”

The problem is that our government was created to protect our people from outside invasion with a military, to provide police protection for our citizens and to provide a court system governed by the law to address wrong-doing. No one ever intended our government to intercede for the poor, distribute wealth or “inject life” into the economy. The government’s job is not to pick, choose or determine the culture, its job is to preserve the current one by allowing (not promoting, allowing) the good and prohibiting the bad. I do believe that artwork is not a product, but rather a representation of truth and beauty that expresses ones’ culture and beliefs. It is praisworthy of the government that encourages it; but outside of the duty of government to fund it. As an expression of truth, beauty and culture it is important to preserve and encourage the arts. The private citizens have more diverse ideas and a greater understanding of the cultural needs than any government will; and the private citizen will do much more, and lasting, good for his own culture than any government program or handout.

A really awesome Etsy seller
5 months ago
”

I belong to nobody, and yet I belong to everyone. You were here before you entered, and you will still be here even after you’ve left.

To the Hermitage, Malcolm Bradbury
5 months ago
”

If this song was my girlfriend, I might listen to her.

Overheard on YouTube
5 months ago
fuckyeahhistorycrushes: Jean-Jacques RousseauPhilosopher, writer and general Romantic. Look at that stubble. 

fuckyeahhistorycrushes:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher, writer and general Romantic. Look at that stubble. 

5 months ago

I’ll Save You…

I’ll save you as my draft

And maybe I’ll go back to you later

Fix your faults

And maybe I won’t.

5 months ago
5 months ago

It’s one thing…

to ruin my life, and quite another to ruin my favorite book.  But you, sir, have succeeded in both.

5 months ago
”

I chose my clothing carefully. I made sure everything was black. I only wear black, and I will continue to wear black until there is something blacker than black. Even then, I will probably continue to wear black.

#amwriting (via bookalicious)
5 months ago

Her infinite variety - Shakespeare Quotes

6 months ago