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Books and reading
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“An AGI?” I asked, because at the Serious Cybernetics Corporation it was important to make a distinction between Artificial General Intelligence and ordinary AI. AGI being the sort that was self-aware enough to pass the Turing test and ask difficult philosophical questions before going “Daisy-Daisy” and trying to wipe out humanity, while ordinary AI mainly tried to sell you books on Amazon.”
Ben Aaronovitch (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Is historical writing to be addressed to a small group of academics or is it to be communicated to the educated world at large? I stand with the latter proposition, that history books are communicable to and accessible by the educated public at large. The ultimate task and obligation of a historian is to bring this kind of illumination to as wide an audience as possible.”
Norman Cantor (1929–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My main job as a curator is to try to get people interested in history, to visit our palaces, to enjoy themselves, and to learn something, too. I try to do the same with my books, to entertain as well as to inform.”
Lucy Worsley (born 1973) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview: Lucy Worsley (1 January 2012)
“Curses and insults about the companions of the Prophet, which they called "Tabarra", is another basis of Shiism, and this is a disgraceful ugliness. Shiite books are full of curses and insults.”
Ahmad Kasravi (1890–1946) said by 1946 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The thing is, kids love scary stories. They love dramatic stories. They love that kind of stuff. It’s one of the reasons why I write books now. I’m able to write the kind of stuff I like, whereas in TV I can’t do that anymore.”
D. J. MacHale (born 1955) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rejection, Scares, and Ryan Gosling: Looking Back at Nickelodeon’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” (October 30, 2014)
“Walter Hilton, in The Scale of Perfection, one of the most popular books of devotion in England in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, has a long discussion on three ways of loving God.”
Helen Gardner (critic) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He continued talking. "When you find out about real education you can never leave it alone. I don't mean A-levels and things like that - you are just proving something to yourself with them - but books, ideas, feelings. Everything to do with up here." He tapped his temple. "And here." He tapped the middle of his chest.”
Bernard MacLaverty (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[W]e have opened roll books. Our names and the names of those who stand with us are inscribed thereon. ...[W]e are issuing passports to identify each citizen who stands with us.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE VOICE OF HUMANITY
“Science books go out of date. We throw the old one away when a newer one comes out, when we have new theories. But we don't throw away our old data; we merely interpret them differently. New theories try to account for old data (and new data) in new ways.”
Guy Consolmagno (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“An angel of heaven appeared to me in a dream: «I was sent by providence to warn you. Do know, lonely wanderer, that for everything you have done: traveling around the globe, books, photo exhibitions... you will be severely punished in old age! Nobody will give you even a mug of water…» — «Go away, depressive nerd bore.. — I interrupted the feathered one, — you utter banal phrases!»”
Viktor Pinchuk (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She did find that the books displayed prominently in every chamber had been dusted, but the spines were pristine and uncreased. They had the sad, untouched air of literature paraded for display purposes but never actually used. It was profoundly depressing.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have spent most of my life preferring books to people,” Irene said sharply. “Just because I like a few specific people doesn’t change anything.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The room on the other side was elegant and gracious, even in the moonlight that slanted in through the long rectangular windows. It breathed with the scent of old books and wax polish: the dark volumes that filled the shelves promised countless secrets, and Irene itched just to reach out and touch them.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Catherine looked as if she was about to boil over. “We have been poisoned,” she said again. “We’re about to die! I’ll never get at those books!” “Now, that’s the right attitude,” Kai agreed, glad to see her demonstrating a proper sense of priorities.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don’t care about politics or the greater good or universal peace or whatever. I just want to be left in peace with books.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But that’s what’s great about books- they carry you up, out and away, lifting you away from the mundane to the extra ordinary.”
Irene Sabatini (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Modern writers like Solonin take only one side in their books. That everyone ran, threw down their weapons and ran. But if Solonin was right, then we would be defeated. This is the logic of life, the logic of historical events, and if people do not see this, it is useless for them to study history.”
Makhmut Gareev (1923–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sultan Alla-ud-din Khilji burnt the famous library at Anhalwara Patan. The Tarikh Firoz Shahi says that Firoz Shah Tughlak burnt a large library of Sanskrit books at Kohana.”
Har Bilas Sarda (1867–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I asked the guys that could afford to go to school (for) notebooks. I also asked those who had written their O-levels to give me their old books. I studied at home and managed to write five subjects, Maths, English, Commerce, Integrated Science and Religious Studies”
Maud Chifamba (born 1997) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are so many facets to the ways we learn about ourselves, and then therefore treat ourselves and others; the stories that young boys and girls learn about themselves, and the way that that translates into the ways they treat each other. We learn these lessons at home, we learn them on television and in movies and books.”
Penn Badgley (born 1986) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Penn Badgley Talks You, Gender Equality, and Violence Against Women" in Teen Vogue (28 January 2020)
“With books or film I want to commemorate our youth and the sacrifices they made. No matter how bitter the time was, there is always something beautiful. I want to satisfy my nostalgia and hope [my work] is touching enough to move audiences who may not have the same experiences.”
Geling Yan (born 1958) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Turning Loss into Beauty: The Tragedies of Geling Yan" in The Wall Street Journal (25 June 1999)
“Recommending any one of my books would depend on the target audience. For young adults, ‘The Stillborn’, for the teens, ‘The Virtuous Woman’, for a variety of readers, ‘From The Housewife’, to the university undergraduate to the footloose, ‘Cobwebs and Other Stories’, for those interested in family values, ‘The Descendants’ and for the symbolist, ‘The Initiates’.”
Zaynab Alkali (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would love to write more children’s books. I think children can understand complex things so long as you explain them in words they can wrap themselves around.”
Padma Lakshmi (born 1970) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: What I’ve Learned: Padma Lakshmi" in Esquire (2 November 2021)
“[Academic criticism] is not concerned with taste, but with technique; not with the common readers’ response to books and their connection with life as lived, but with specialist academic interest in methods and classifications, schools and “-isms”, unconscious influences, supposed hidden meanings, patriarchal oppressions, deconstruction of texts, and multiple readings.”
A. C. Grayling (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now the books are arranged according to which characters I believe ought to be talking to each other.”
Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thanks to my character, I too have begun to group my books in non-traditional ways. Thus far, my groupings, unlike Morayo’s, have been less about characters talking to each other and more about pairing authors. For example, I have Marilynne Robinson and Toni Morrison’s Home’s next to each other as well as God Help the Child next to Lila as there are thematic similarities in both pairings.”
Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a child, I was a voracious reader, of books and of people, and still am an inveterate eavesdropper and people-watcher. Snippets of overheard conversations and the faces of people not usually noticed often inspire the stories I write. Wondering about other people’s life stories is what I do.”
Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The peripatetic nature of my childhood compounded my teenage sense of not quite belonging, nudging me ever closer to books in an on-going search for home.”
Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I also love books of people learning to do this like going to ballet school, or how to ride horses. There's just something about the process and setback's it's very interesting.”
Helen Oyeyemi (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A library at night is full of sounds: the unread books can't stand it any longer and announce their contents, some boasting, some shy, some devious.”
Helen Oyeyemi (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There have been more than 70 studies done on my books at various levels of education-NCE, Bachelors, Masters, Diploma etc. Many of these students are fascinated that Hausa writers have such great ideas... This is great that we contribute in positive ways to our society’s attitudinal change and by extension national development. Writers are diamonds. We crystalize societies.”
Balaraba Ramat Yakubu (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I write, I feel lifted. I grew up with a strong father whom I could not confront. My books gave me a window to express myself. I write my stories as if I was in your house, or at your neighbours'. Women recognise them. I feel I have an obligation to society to tell those stories that otherwise would not have been told.”
Balaraba Ramat Yakubu (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The books I write try to undo the silent posture African women have endured over so many decades”
Yvonne Vera (1964–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We have a land war in Europe that we thought was only to find in history books. It is a flagrant breach of international law. For Russia, this attack (against Ukraine) will have severe political and economic consequences.”
Robert Habeck (born 1969) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Robert Habeck (2022) cited in: "Germany assures Ukrainians of solidarity, warns of severe consequences for Russia" in Devdiscourse, 24 February 2022.
“Amongst the sacred books of the past, the Upanishads can be called the truth the Himalayas of the soul. Their passionate wanderings of discovery to find that sun of the spirit in us, from whom we have the light of our consciousness and the fire of our life; the greatness of their questions, and the sublime simplicity of their answers; their radiance of joy...”
Juan Mascaró (1897–1987) said by 1987 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The books of the Holy Fathers, according to the words of one of their number, are like a mirror—the soul who looks at them often and with attention will be able to see its deficiencies.”
Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867) said by 1867 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This library is much more than a building filled with shelves of books; it’s a gateway and window to the world”
Jeannette Kagame (born 1962) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: https://en.igihe.com/news/modern-public-library-officially-opened/. IGIHE (6 October 2012)
“Even though the media has repeated it so many times, the Pope has not decided that we are going to return to celebrating the Mass in Latin. To say such a thing is not only ignorant, it's also thoughtless. It has always been permitted to celebrate the Mass in Latin, even after Vatican II, and the books of the liturgical reform were written in Latin and later translated into the different languages.”
Braulio Rodríguez Plaza (born 1944) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Archbishop clears up media distortions about Pope’s Motu Propio on Latin Mass (25 July 2007)
“These are weird people on the other side. They wanna take books away, they wanna be in your exam room. That’s what it comes down to and don’t, you know, get sugar-coating this: these are weird ideas.”
Tim Walz (born 1964) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a USA Today story published when Kamala Harris announced she had chosen Walz as a running mate; Walz used the "weird" epithet during an MSNBC interview two weeks earlier. (July 23, 2024)
“All of humanity knows me. My name is in encyclopedias, in registers and databases. Books have been written; films recorded. I’m happy, I’m satisfied.”
Vladimir Zhirinovsky (1946–2022) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Aging Rebel: Vladimir Zhirinovsky Is Enjoying Another Moment" in The Moscow Times (2 September 2016)
“For a child who found herself transported overnight to other side of the world, where she knew no one other than her parents, books were my salvation.”
Qian Julie Wang (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those pedagogues were not then in existence, and secondly, the Russians in general knew little about books. They brought up their children as nature rears her plants.”
Nikolay Karamzin (1766–1826) said by 1826 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Habent sua fata libelli et balli [Books and bullets have their own destinies]”
Ernst Jünger (1895–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was to see more of the class struggle in the near future without knowing what it meant. Indeed, at that time, when I was 20 years old, I knew hardly anything except that I had a knack for drawing pictures and was pretty good at reciting selections from books of poetry. (Chapter 8. I see Chicago Justice at Close Range)”
Art Young (1866–1943) said by 1943 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The world is not in a slow moment... So many people are practicing how to be faster and we all want our books out yesterday and so many things are demanding speed of us or we are demanding it of ourselves, but learning new approaches requires slowness.”
Tjawangwa Dema (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I, for one, think good political cartoons retain their value for decades. You can learn a lot from those old "Doonesbury" books. I might add that we cartoonists who lambasted the Bush administration from the beginning have been proven more accurate than most of the highly-paid gasbags you see on television. Historians and television producers, please take note.”
Jen Sorensen (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every parent wishes their kids came with a Pause button. But they don’t have one, and you begin to realize that every age is fascinating. Still, I think I made these books to keep a piece of their childhoods with me. Later, I’ll get to show them how incredible—how small, goofy, and wild—they all were.”
Liniers (cartoonist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I fell in love with making art because of the images in children’s books.”
Ekua Holmes (born 1955) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Article (2021)
“There have been many times in my life when I’ve chosen art over people, but like my mom, I thought it was a choice. I think that’s a very romantic notion and it’s a good notion to put in books, but it’s not a good one to live by. I think seeing people does broaden your world a lot and art will come back when it’s ready. Even if you walk away from it for a minute.”
Liana Finck (born 1986) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So, I remember myself dreaming about to be a part of a cosmic expedition and work in science checking how the human body is relating with cosmic space, it was a very fantastic idea. Of course, I think that I overestimated the time of development of science. Now I can realise that this is the same subject in my books – thank you for this question.”
Olga Tokarczuk (born 1962) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Transcript from an interview with Olga Tokarczuk" (6 December 2019)