“It is never too late to give up our prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.“
Tag Archives: Massachusetts
Resignation and Desperation
Quote
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.“
–Waldon by
The Tyrant of Self
Quote
“Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.“
–Waldon by
Delicate Bloom of Self
Quote
“The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly.“
–Waldon by
Dainty Ladies, Civil War and Thanksgiving
Quote
“Never underestimate dainty little ladies.”
–Thank You Sarah, written by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Matt Faulkner
“Whenever Sarah found a spare moment, she wrote. But this time it wasn’t for the thrill of seeing her work in print – it was to keep her family from starving. Soon Boston magazines began to feature Sarah’s writing. Much to Sarah’s delight, with many publications came payment.”
“Sarah made sure Ladies’ Magazine was different. She published articles on history and science and new schools for women.”
“When Lincoln received Sarah’s letter, the nation was in the middle of a civil war. Lincoln understood that sometimes it was hard to remember good things in bad times. People needed a day to be thankful for food on their tables, roofs over their heads, and the blessings in their lives. Thanksgiving was exactly what this nation needed.”
–Sarah Gives Thanks, written by Mike Allegra and illustrated by David Gardner
The Literary “I”
Quote
“I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience.“
–Waldon by
Body Pride and Ink
Quote
At the age of twenty-one, I got my first tattoo. I drove to Rhode Island with two of my friends, since tattoos were illegal in Massachusetts at the time.
After experiencing a great amount of pain for two hours, my beautiful tattoo was finished. I was so proud of it, I went to a party afterward and showed off my bloody and inky bandages to many partygoers. This was the first time I ever showed off an area of my body with pride and excitement.
My first tattoos didn’t have deep, significant meanings to me, but they provided me with a sense of pride in my body, which I never had before, and I got hooked.”
–Chick Ink: 40 Stories of Tattoos–And the Women Who Wear Them
Boston Library Update
Quote
“In Boston, the physical changes reflect the evolving nature of libraries…
“As it happens, the entrance, on Boylston Street, is close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where bombs last year killed three people and injured more than 260 others. With this wound at their front door, the architects are even more determined for the library to be inviting.
“This is a strong statement of pride in the city and its civic life, in spite of what happened across the street,” Mr. Gayley said. “The library is opening its doors and not retreating behind solid walls.”
–Breaking Out of the Library Mold, in Boston and Beyond by Katharine Q. Seelye at the New York Times
Other innovative libraries: