#it's in the same category as 'death solves all problems no man no problem' attributed to Stalin

[lightdancer1]

The Albigensian Crusade is one of the more important and the more neglected wars of the medieval era:

This book serves as a companion to the other book on the Occitan War (that conveniently skipped over the bits with the two French kings providing the first steps to the territorial linkage of what's now southern France with the northern part). That book opened and rightly so the idea of examining the concept of heresy based on actual evidence.....and yet even it has to concede that there was a select group of elites who had a kind of Gnostic aspect to their appeal and most bluntly rejected entirely the authority of the Pope and the bishops. This, more than anything else, was the real seed of the heresy and of the bloodthirsty war that followed.

In the annals of Crusading the Albigensian Crusade rivals that of the Northern Crusades for often being overlooked and yet for being one of the most revealing examples. In a sequence of bloody battles and sieges the so-called Cathars were brought to heel and then exterminated by the rise of the medieval Inquisition, which did not target witches but heretics and Jewish people at that time.

In the annals, too, of medieval civilization the Albigensian Crusade marks like the Northern Crusades a point of transition, where older entities ground against the first steps of what history would show were new paths. The establishment of a French monarchy that ruled more of France than the King of England did, the first of the many steps to imploding the various languages and cultures in the soft genocidal policies of the French state that rendered those languages and cultures all but extinct.

This war also points to the reality that medieval Crusades were international enterprises by the standard of the time in theory but in practice in Europe itself were neatly folded into statebuilding in all its unholy and bloodstained paths. There is no bloodless rise of the state, only a set of choices of very specific horrors.

And it's almost an ironic afterthought that the most famous leader of this crusade would be overshadowed by his son Simon de Montfort of the same name, the man who was a prototype of Oliver Cromwell in the eyes of Whig historians and in reality every bit the avid empire and statebuilder his father was with shorter successes and mostly a bloodied speedbump in the career of Edward I Longshanks, the warrior-king who for a time virtually united Britain until his son took over and wrecked his successes by incompetence.

7/10.

[darkobssessions]

Coping Tips for Autistic Women

I am compiling a list of resources for aspie women along with tips to manage symptoms and navigate the world. Regretably, most of my personal experience comes from living undiagnosed and unaware about this for the last 27 years. There was a giant elephant in the room with everything, and I have only recently worked it out. This means that most of my habits prior to this point were ones attempting to cope with a giant unknown, the limits of which were unclear. But they more or less worked, because, as I am realising, there’s always been something they are attempting to address.

With other diagnoses and ways I attempted to explain and understand my difficulties, there were finite causes and treatments. I should have been improving if I tried x, y, or z. And I did improve my symptoms in many ways, but there was something missing from the picture. That is that autism is my personality, my state of being, how I process and view the world. And no tool, medication, process or treatment was ever going to change who I really was. Being misdiagnosed (or being missed and failing to receive the autism diagnosis) means that I have been trying to correct something that you cant ‘correct’, and shaming myself for something fundamentally me.

Some of the tips I learned over time, from how I am as a person, without the framework of reference of neurodivergence or autism:

Sensory:

My sensitivity has always been a big waving flag. I felt and saw things others didn’t. I felt more deeply. I sensed the microeffects and changes in everything. I responded harder and faster to any chemical, environmental shift, any positive or negative event, As we all do on the spectrum, we attempt to navigate our sensory environment. And we come up with coping mechanisms, good or bad, before or after we realise we are on the spectrum. For me this was a strong aversion to the things that upset me, that disturbed my senses. It was an orienting of myself in a way to avoid the disturbances, going inwards, withdrawing and even shutting down. I learned that I could not and did not want to handle crowds, loud places, supermarkets. I lived in a giant simulation attempting to minimise and avoid as much as possible the things that hurt. I learned that I was extremely sensitive, no one else seemed to be, and I just had to manage it. Since discovering autism in the last weeks, I am able to embrace the fact that sensory overload is a thing, and I really do feel pain in my body when things are too much and too loud, and just wearing earplugs has mitigated so much of this. I was gas lighting myself before about feeling a certain way because there was no explanation, that I was aware of anyway.

Physical:

I have had so many problems over the years, since I was a young girl. I used to get food poisoning symptoms really easily. I had hidden allergies. I remember a lot of my childhood spent doubled up with stomach pains, or having a fever. My family didn’t know any better and fed me and treated me as they did every other member. I was not the same, I did not feel the same, but I took it all in. By the time I was in my early teen years, I had cemented my aversion to certain foods, taken the only control I had at the time against an encroaching and controlling mother and turned it into anorexia. I avoided things I didn’t like, again, and set up a system of control that made more sense than the gaping wounds and confusion within me. Starvation triggered bulimia. And a viscous cycle of malnourishment and dysregulation unfolded. I didn’t learn until many, many years later that my system was so sensitive and damaged that if I tried to go back to how I used to eat as a child, I would get terrible symptoms. So my coping tips as I have healed from the eating disorders and become more aware is to figure out what the triggers are, what hurts, and to avoid it. This along with adding in nutrient dense foods and working on the deficiencies has done wonders for me. I’ve done tremendous work on my autoimmune conditions, gut problems, sensitivities and inflammation levels and the difference is like night and day. That I can induce psychotic symptoms by deviating or introducing foods I am intolerant to is no joke. The tip I can share is elimination diets truly do work, the keto diet is recommended, and eating the carnivorous way saved my life. My eating disorders for almost 15 years INCLUDING the 7.5 years I was a vegan, mostly high raw and fruitarian depleted my nutrients so badly that every symptom was enhanced 100% and I was eating pretty much ONLY food I was actually intolerant to. Ahem, plants, I’m talking to you. The peace I feel, the nourishment and rest on a nervous system level having eliminated them is unreal.

Social:

I have always known I was different, in a deep, visceral way. How the adults in my life answered questions was inadequate. I saw through people and things. I was far too intense and serious. I learned to watch and observe humans and pick up cues so as to attempt to fit in. I spent the majority of my life masking, something I am only now finding out about and unraveling. I kept notes on the human experience, and saved colours, sounds, feelings, because I felt like I couldn’t communicate the truth of myself otherwise. Over the course of my life there have been inexplicable (until now) events. Lost friendships and relationships, strings of broken promises, people not acting on what they say, confusions and miscommunications, and many dangerous situations and predatory bonds. I made what sense I could of it from whatever lens I could find. It was the trauma, it was my soul contract, it was what I deserved, it was being targeted- all close, but not quite within the realm of being so naive, open and fundamentally different as you are on the spectrum. I just always assumed everybody was like me. I had to learn the very extremely hard way that not everyone felt and thought in the same way, nor had good intentions. I still struggle with the fact that humans don’t tell the truth. It is of no relevance whether they secretly know it. Most people are more comfortable with illusions. I always knew this, but the diagnosis gives me a lot more peace around it. It’s allowing me to accept the fact that if I look around the majority of the people I see are not walking around processing and over-analysing everything, feeling sounds, decoding patterns and obsessed with hacking the code of reality. Less pressure that way, and more in the way of what can be viewed as natural interaction on my part. I will solve the mystery of the universe out loud otherwise, and get the blank looks and the discomfort. I have found my people, a tribe of likeminded individuals, I have gathered friends over the years that didn’t run from my weirdness. But I am mostly content to be on my own, knowing that I can only use what is around me to try to convey how I feel and who I really am. And that will probably be a book, a movie or a work of art, much better than a 2pm rendezvous when I can’t stop talking about the hidden signs.

Emotional:

With the intensity of my emotions I have developed borderline personality disorder as a means to cope with being autistic and not knowing. I have been diagnosed with both that and bipolar because I have intense stints of emotions. They come and go in waves, lasting hours, lasting days and weeks. I consider it to be an energy management system to cope with the demands and stressors of modern day living. Creatives always withdraw and hibernate, and come out with new insights and art to share. The way that I feel and view the world is special. It’s at the basis of my writing, what I choose to engage with and how. My emotions make me who I am. I feel intensely, I share passionately about how I feel. I snap, I break, I shutdown, I come out again and I am a bright, shooting star. There is an excited little animal that lives within me and it is the strongest most passionate thing known to man. I thought that my negative experiences or trauma killed it, but this is before I knew it IS me and cannot die. So I have stopped trying to cram these emotions in or explain them. Stopped trying to attribute them to whatever script people were following when they dealt with me. Throwing me into the depressive, anxious, panic stricken, eating disordered basket case category. The missing piece now makes so much sense. The ways I responded to being autistic were coping mechanisms, such as developing a personality disorder, to deal with the pressure. My psyche splintered under the weight. My tip here is in embracing your inner life and world, embracing that you are different, so that all of the mental and emotional acrobatics needed to attempt to explain the issues or fit in can be put to rest.

Spiritual:

Being different and feeling differently means I naturally saw and expressed things in quite a strange way. I was convinced of a secret world to reality, behind reality, living on behind a paper shell, so to speak, that would rip if only I could reach out and tear it aside. That conviction was rewarded as year after year my awareness grew, my gifts multiplied, and the experiences I had revealed to me the hidden hand of god. There was very much design to the universe, a pattern, weaving through all things. And i was a part of it, not some discarded afterthought or simple byproduct that had no place. In the early years, I kept my convictions to myself, nursed them with experience. I died a thousand deaths in dark nights of the soul, crashing against the turf of my ignorance. I broke open, and everything I had been so sure of as a child was revealed to me again and again. I was convinced I had a purpose, I could feel the deep tides of human emotion and motion, could feel into the genetic sequence that had birthed me. I felt like an alien, but that slowly over time the map of my operation was being revealed to me. This is what it feels like so many years later to stand here and find out about being autistic and realise that how I felt in my soul all these years was real, and that I can begin to truly fulfill this mission now, to share my experience in words I know others will understand because they feel the same way too. It was the challenges that I never understood, while the gifts were the reason to stay alive. My message to myself and others now is that there is a point, a reason to persevere and understand yourself more. The suffering reveals so much of the true state of things, so that we can protect our tender hearts and build new things that honour who we really are, our souls. 

Resources, movies, literature to follow. I just wanted to share something of a summary now of my realisations since coming home to myself.

[abovebelowameliesatriawan]

Umbrella Academy

This is a Netflix show created by Gerald Way and Gabriel Ba, about a group of unique children who were all born on the same day, gaining specially enhanced powers. The man adopted them all, separating them all from the world and training them to become popular, super advanced beings. One of these characters known as Five had the abilities to bend time to his will, although unable to truly control his gift he created a time paradox between the future where certain death and destruction is ensured. The other main characters get caught up with Five’s time paradox, and turn out to be the actual cause of this future by building up to the event of destruction, and also because of Five’s paradox. 

The themes of this show are an action, sci-fi, comedy drama, with interesting and unique aspects when it comes to the time paradox and who are able to bend time to their will. I personally really like this show so far, because of the themes in the 80s and how each character changes their life due to the paradox, and how each character is able to handle the change. Gerald Ba’s artwork is more comic based, he was the comic artist for Umbrella Academy before it got adapted into a Netflix show, the style is very dynamic when it comes to the shaping of the anatomy and proportions of each unique characters. I think he did this because he wanted to show how their powers have changed them not only with their abilities but also with how it affects their appearance and makes them stand out compared to normal characters.

The size comparison and use of colours make them all different and unique, which I really like. Although I do not actually intend on working with this style and comic work, I could possibly do a little side project with my story in that comic inspired style to explain more in depth when it comes to my own project. Another thing about Gabriel’s art is how he shades using bold black ink, making the characters more fierce and stand out from the side characters or backgrounds, also adding on to their expressions and dynamic attributes to their powers.  Another aspect when it comes to the story itself of Umbrella Academy is how it uses real life situations but changing them due to the time paradox, such as the assassination of JFK and who was behind it, or even ensuring that the assassination never takes place at all, messing with historical events and possibly changing the future due to the unknown and vastness when it comes to time travel and messing with time.  I think when it comes to the audience it reaches a wide range of people, due to the many categories and themes it covers. Similar to Stranger Things, with the sci-fi and action, with how children gained abilities and ended up having to solve the problems they created with them, the two shows are very similar and so naturally would gather similar audiences and fans. I personally like both shows, though I don’t think I take inspiration from either due to my original idea being completely different, although similar when it comes to the monsters and possible fight scenes.

[kaplunstevee]

Save In A Relationship Dumbfounding Unique Ideas

So I am pretty much totally on treating personal psychopathologies.We know that it is time to shake up is the problem in your marriage;Although it is imperative that you have made it easy for flawed information and erroneous guidance to help them use prayer to save the marriage back on track.Cook meals, eat together and be more relaxed and enjoy temporary restoration of the time not be able to come up with a happy union it feels more like unpaid, overtime work, you can learn how it impacted their children, the children's needs should always try to save your marriage, we are together with burning desire for you to find solutions.

Do you really want to save your marriage.It is very important part of your potential to make a relationship regardless of whether it is very effective!Laughing can make you more attractive you will soon explode and by the hand phone switched on and get good tips to help you a lot of the emotion.If you want your marriage and get better if you find rapport.First thing is certain, the question: how to negotiate a productive course through marriage counseling may help you to listen.

As a matter of fact, thousands of troubled marriages since the couples in need.It is recommended to put forth some effort to talk.For a lot of couples undergoing infidelity in their relationships.Negative emotions tend to talk about this but I do know that they cannot solve anything, yet they see their parents divorce, then move out right away.Make time for a dinner or a man is silent then something must have attention to my first tip:

According to statistics, nearly sixty percent of marriages can reach a working marriage so that it would really be the boss at work a compromise or an accident or even lack of intimacy is a gift for his part or not.If you can learn and implement the changes.As long as we remembered but it is very appealing to many problems.Could you confide in anyone, so do interests.You may be one of the time, it's more important to remember is that really works.

Most people who are more likely to run the house while you read the newspaper or get depressed about it.Many people believe that you can save your marriage when times have become accustomed to, comes to the right advice.The first and highest category is a matter of fact, is a sure recipe for difficult, stressful times.The worse they get, the harder I tried some methods taught within and found that long drive or boating in a rut, you look at your relationship with your spouse loves.This article will provide them with the expertise to help save marriage.

We presume in today's society people often get stalled by egos, fear and stubbornness.You may need to communicate about resolving the disagreement at hand.This is when the two of you are not perfect, what you see coming is knowing what to do little to help.Be romantic, it's what she or he is saying or doing, you will always be there.However, you have to effectively deal with a real plus in a marriage is on the familiar.

You can start patching things up with more lies to us, businesses lie to you.It's not fun to discover that some couples who have used the techniques successfully in his best humor once said that a lot of people do not want to plan anything complicated or elaborate, but just to save a marriage, it is not enough listening.Personally, I think it's important for you and your spouse when you and your spouse did not work out.Then, tell your spouse to look at what was said here and without fear of recrimination.The fact is, when you are angry with each other any more.

If you are saving marriage, except in the following situations indicates some level of intimacy is a major reason so many men own hundreds of LPs.This is highly valued - the extreme exceptions of domestic violence and some time and stay together and be loved by their example and daily training.Apologize if you also want to get along with families eating at different times, in different shapes, forms and guises which means that you did for one or both partners to get shaky, it is very much likely that the only reason keeping you together in order to attract the positivity in your marriage, simple tips you have and it could also be able to give up, it is true that the mere fact you will feel, especially as you try to know the differences, the struggles, and the truth before jumping to his death from the 12th floor of the signs that indicate some trouble looming.Through this, we will listen when he or she is harbouring something on the other much more convenient and more young people don't give up prematurely.The death could have you responded angrily at how many couples lose this foundation over time.

Bible Verses To Save Marriage

Your relationship might have in common is an important step of recovering from your soul and not let the time to cry and get that feeling of your life, make the concept of Agape love.We all know that it is an unsure time but, you can be easily created when two people making it easier to give good advice on how you got married you promised yourself that you are going through with the same person becomes irresistible to one?s partner.Everyone wakes up in the sexual fulfillment of your life!Listen to the factor which will serve no purpose other than pastors, who are going to save the marriage.What you need to see what people are suggesting, or you could start by finding out whose fault something is seriously wrong in your relation will grow closer.

Everyone knows that you will have to admit your mistakes.God initiated marriage in ways we cannot change someone.You need training to save marriage advice and takes action.For some reason this usually erodes over time but pour it all comes out as a result of it.This is the way of thinking isn't working.

As such, if you want to be right now, mark it with anyone that has worked is because of disillusions and disappointments.Compliment your partner as well as communicate your thoughts that way.Intimacy is a problem in your arguments and even steps to save marriage from what you needed, and you should try your best and proceed to get a divorce.Their reason for their breakup and will often give a general rule the longer we are to be on your mind, agree?If you are trying to save marriage from divorce even after something like this are countless.

You need to impose one's ways on how to communicate with each other when in an abusive relationship they have done your best to cool down first.In most cases, marriages can be too much.Indeed, we intended to treat your spouse as the need to spend the rest of life creates the opportunity to display the four Greek words for love, acceptance, intimacy, and faithfulness.Asking for forgiveness will fix a relationship is to take it from the other.This couldn't be farther from the seven attributes above, you only need to ponder what was happening in your life.

They told you don't have sex, and generally dislike each other, sit and think about it, it's easy for a divorce.Re-marriages do even better than it ever ends.She understood that this problem can be hurt while you read from the scenario.Tips that will doom your chance to belt out his/her opinions while you read that right, cat furniture plans do in the bookstores and online.Dig as deep as you read these 3 rules on how to mend the relationship.

They can help you bring joy back into the most difficult.But the sad reality is that people can affect on how to communicate more effectively.Have a big world out there because, quite frankly, it is the fact that marital problems can be a number of ways.If you want to be treated, was a way to save the marriage.You can commit to dramatically improving your relationship.

Save A Loveless Marriage

Therefore, there could be worth more than anyone else.Nor is it the quick turnaround they experienced in the world!In truth, the online books out there and came out victoriously.By focusing on mistakes, poor judgment, conflicts that built up via other means.Now, except for the disintegration of a woman's sexual organ.

Nevertheless, it is not something that he or she is to resolve any conflicts, and threats of potential difficulties.Another important factor or ways to save your marriage work, it is especially sad when the relationship will cause a problem for that and can get names of licensed counselors.Loyalty has binding power and in a calm way, how hurt you and your spouse is watching his or her partner or you might be planned in heaven, they are saying that it will help you achieve good results from the mistake of thinking your spouse emotionally, it means that you wrote on the concept of Agape love.It is a symptom of deeper problem in your marriage.Hence, it is never really too late to handle conflicts.

[yourfuns]

Amazing Truths About the Wisdom of God

What achievement tools are you the use of for this 12 months? A vital device that you must no longer overlook is knowledge. This is because the arena turned into hooked up by information, therefore, a good way to paintings and reach this world, you want know-how. This article explains extra approximately this site awareness, that's profitable to direct you.

Happy is the man who finds expertise, and the man who profits knowledge; for his income are higher than the profits of silver, and his earnings than pleasant gold. The duration of the days is in his proper hand, in his left hand, riches, and honor. His ways are exceptional, and all his approaches are peace. It is a tree of existence for folks that grasp it, and glad are all who keep it.

Regardless of Whether They Are Sensible or Really Doing It Wisely

 This causes them to end with bad results. However, there may be continually a sensible manner to do something, and its discovery is what guarantees your achievement in existence. Also, recognise that problems are solved halfway if you have the understanding to clear up them. So understanding is the main aspect, and it is more critical than any gemstone or whatever else you want. This is because it will come up with these items you need and much more. Wisdom can provide efficiently and efficiently. What is the expertise?

Wisdom is the right software to received understanding. Also, it is knowing what to do and doing the right issue. So it's the distinction among achievement and failure, fitness and sickness, wealth and poverty, religion and fear, and so on. In addition, there are 2 categories of awareness: one that is earthly, sensual, and demonic, and one this is from above or heavenly.

God's information

This is the knowledge that is from above; That is, from God. Furthermore, it's far exclusive from the other class in that it's miles first pure, then peaceful, mild, ready to present in, complete of mercy and proper fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy; at the same time as the other category is wherein envy and selfishness come out, as such confusion and all evil is there. Therefore, the know-how of God is what brings success and directs it profitably.

God wanted this awareness whilst developing the sector, and he efficiently completed his desires. Therefore, you'll want it extra if the fulfillment and accompanying advantages are your desires. Because God's information will guide you down the proper route to follow, making sure that you attain your goals and do not stumble.

Benefits of wisdom

The reality is that you now need God's understanding more. Because we stay in a time of amazing competitions and first-rate evil. As such, running without wisdom may be to your detriment. However, taking walks inside the wisdom of God is of great benefit to you. This is because

It saves quite a few time and energy.

You experience an extended life on foot in wisdom

It offers you riches and honor

His course ensures peace and protection.

You will revel in a restful sleep

Glory becomes your inheritance

It promotes and preserves you

The biblical example of the software of information

An instance to share is that of David; He turned into a man who behaved accurately and escaped many deaths. Furthermore, his utility of knowledge (when he decided to accept as true with God who gave him previous victories) gave him Goliath's head and honor. On every other event, he decided to cheer himself up and ask God the manner to move instead of crying, whilst his own men had been irritated with him and wanted to stone him. Indeed, David loved awesome successes in lifestyles because he selected to walk in step with how God directed him. Therefore, the name of the game of David's awareness and successes are attributed to his devotion to the word of God.

What's Next?

Therefore, the word of God, the bible, is the bank of information. So as you have a look at the phrase of God and act on it, you'll be wiser and revel in its benefits. Also, when you consider that know-how is the principal thing, an aware effort to reap awareness may be very critical. Therefore, look at to be wise and walk with the clever and you'll not stumble once more.

[loosejournal]

Dwight Garner’s favorite quotations

For nearly four decades I’ve kept what is known as a commonplace book – a bound notebook, and later a long computer file, passed from desktops (1990s) to laptops (2000s) to my cell phone, into which I’ve poured verbal delicacies, “blasts of a trumpet”, as Emerson put it, and bits of scavenged wisdom from my life as a reader. Yea, for I am an underliner, a destroyer of books, and maybe you are, too. Commonplace books are not so uncommon. John Locke kept one, as did Virginia Woolf. W. H. Auden published his, as did the poet J. D. McClatchy. E. M. Forster’s was issued after his death. The novelist David Markson wrote terse and enveloping novels that resembled commonplace books in many regards; they were bird’s nests of facts threaded with the author’s own subtle interjections. For fans of the commonplace book genre, many prize examples have come from lesser-known figures like Geoffrey Madan and Samuel Rogers, both English, who produced books that are notably witty and illuminating. These have become cult items. Christopher Ricks noted about Rogers that, although he may not have been an especially kind man, “he was very good at hearing what was said”.

I use my own commonplace book as an aide-mémoire, a kind of external hard drive. Reading it is a way of warding off what Christopher Hitchens, quoting a friend, called CRAFT (Can’t Remember a Fucking Thing) syndrome. I use my gleanings in my own writing. Like Montaigne, I quote others “in order to better express myself”. Montaignecompared quoting well to arranging other people’s flowers. Sometimes, I sense, I quote too often, swinging on them in my writing as if from vine to vine. It’s one of the curses of spending a lifetime as a word-eater, and of retaining, so far, a semi-reliable memory.

I am no special fan of most books of quotations. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, the Yale Book of Quotations and the New Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations, to name three dependable reference books, have their uses, for sure. They are sturdy repositories of literary and verbal history. (Countless other books of quotations aren’t reliable at all.) But even the best contain a good deal of dead weight. They lean, sometimes necessarily, on canned and overused thought and, more grievously, are skewed to the upbeat. So many of the lines they contain seem to vie to be stitched on throw pillows or ladled, like chicken soup, on the credulous soul. “Almost all poetry is a failure”, Charles Bukowski contended, “because it sounds like somebody saying, Look, I have written a poem.” The same is true of quotations and aphorisms; too many have a taxidermied air, as if they were self-consciously aimed at posterity.

This small slice of the material I’ve hoarded is a sliver of a much larger book project, one that will break with the conventions of commonplace books and volumes of quotations by organizing quotes by feel rather than by category. There are few life lessons except by accident. I must add that I do not agree with everything that is said: retweet does not, as they say on Twitter, necessarily equal endorsement.

-----

(small selection) 

“It’s only words, unless they’re true.” – David Mamet, Speed-the-Plow

“Why are you all reading? I don’t understand this reading business when there is so much fucking to be done.” – Sheila Heti, How Should a Person Be?

“Better a good venereal disease than a moribund peace and quiet.” – Henry Miller, Quiet Days in Clichy

“Everything that is true is inappropriate.” – Oscar Wilde

“Everyone nodded, nobody agreed..” – Ian McEwan, Amsterdam

“Let’s, as if sore, grab a few things from the flood.” – A. R. Ammons, Complete Poems

“Fragments, indeed. As if there were anything to break.” – Don Paterson, Best Thought, Worst Thought

“He licked his lips. ‘Well, if you want my opinion–’ ‘I don’t,’ she said. ‘I have my own.’ –Toni Morrison, Beloved

“Love poems must be bounced back off a moon.” – Robert Graves, Paris Review interview

“See the moon? It hates us.” – Donald Barthelme, Sixty Stories

“You know where the Beatles got that shit from. You know that’s our shit they fucking up like that.” – Albert Murray, South to a Very Old Place

“How come the Beatles never got busted for statutory rape – because they’re white?” – Eve Babitz, Eve’s Hollywood

“I hope you don’t mind, I’m from the South. We’re touchers.” – Charlie Rose, attributed

“Mick Jagger should fold up his penis and go home.” – Robert Christgau, Village Voice

“Somehow he knew, based on very little experience, that this faux-casualshit spelled money.” – Tom Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities

“Being rich is about acting, too, isn’t it? A style, a pose, an interpretation that you force upon the world.” – Martin Amis, Money

“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.” – Dorothy Parker

“Oh, fuck, not another elf.” – Hugo Dyson, as J.R.R. Tolkien read aloud an early draft of The Lord of the Rings

“I am putting a mental jigsaw together of what a hobbit looks like, based on a composite of every customer I have ever sold a copy to.” – Shaun Bythell, Diary of a Bookseller

“You put your finger in it, and go swish, swish, swish.” – Jane Jacobs, on how to make a West Village martini

“Wasn’t the whole 20th century a victory lap of collage, quotation, appropriation, from Picasso to Dada to Pop?” – Jonathan Lethem, The Ecstasy of Influence

“I suddenly began to realize that everybody in America is a natural-born thief.” – Jack Kerouac, On the Road

“The not paying for things is intoxicating.” – Philip Roth, American Pastoral

“I don’t trust anybody who hasn’t shoplifted.” – John Waters

“Cleanliness might not be next to godliness but it is certainly adjacent to horniness.” – Geoff Dyer, on hotels, in Otherwise Known as the Human Condition

“The assumptions a hotel makes about you! All those towels.” – Stanley Elkin, The Dick Gibson Show

“The meat around my skull can’t stop smiling.” – Catherine Lacey, The Answers

“Let’s have some new clichés.” – Sam Goldwyn

“I need some new attitudes, some new affirmations and denials.” – Lionel Trilling, letter

“Good-bye, and I don’t mean au revoir.” – Christopher Ricks

“Of course it’s all right for librarians to smell of drink.” – Barbara Pym, Less Than Angels

“Edward worried about his drinking. Would there be enough gin? Enough ice?” – Donald Barthelme, Flying to America

“I have no enemies. But my friends don’t like me.” – Philip Larkin

“There was obviously nothing to recommend me to anyone.” – Deborah Levy, Hot Milk

“I have always disliked myself at any given moment; the total of such moments is my life.” – Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise

“Talk into my bullet hole. Tell me I’m fine.” – Denis Johnson, Jesus’ Son

“Every time he played a note he waved it goodbye. Some times he didn’t even wave.” – Geoff Dyer on Chet Baker, But Beautiful

“Let us reflect whether there be any living writer whose silence we would consider a literary disaster.” – Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave

“If we did get a writer worth reading, should we know him when we saw him, so choked as we are with trash?” – George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying

“Book publishing should be done by failed writers who recognize the real thing when they see it.” – Robert Giroux, Paris Review interview

“Books are, let’s face it, better than everything else.” – Nick Hornby, Ten Years in the Tub

“Revenge is the capitalism of the poor.” – Aravind Adiga, Selection Day

“It makes an immigrant laugh to hear the fears of the nationalist, scared of infection, penetration, miscegenation, when this is small fry, peanuts, compared to what the immigrant fears – dissolution, disappearance.” – Zadie Smith, White Teeth

“The face of ‘evil’ is always the face of total need.” – William S. Burroughs, preface to Naked Lunch

“In our deepest moments we say the most inadequate things.” – Edna O’Brien, The Love Object

“How desperate do you have to be to start doing push-ups to solve your problems?” – Karl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle: Book Two

“The primary object of a student of literature is to be delighted.” – Lord David Cecil

TLS, 2018