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I now walk into the wild. Jon Krakauer April 12, 1954: Mountaineer and writer Jon Krakauer's work explores the impulses that lead us to long for outd…
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Nobody gets everything in this life. You decide your priorities and you make your choices. I'd decided long ago that any cake I had would be eaten. D…
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The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call “out there. Truman Capote Not long …
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No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire. L. Frank Baum What do Cap…
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No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland March 20: Today is the vernal equinox, when night and day are exactly the same length.…
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Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another. Ambrose Bierce June 24, 1842: Writer Ambrose Bierce is best known for his Devil'…
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But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more. Hans Christian Andersen April 2, 1805: Dutch writer Hans Christian Andersen's fai…
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Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg before it is broken. M.F.K. Fisher July 3, 1908: Food writer M.F.K. Fisher was born in…
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There is no sinner like a young saint. Aphra Behn August 6, 1666: Aphra Behn, code name "Astrea," filed her first report as a spy for the court of Ch…
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Our mothers always remain the strangest, craziest people we've ever met. Marguerite Duras April 4, 1914: French writer and filmmaker Marguerite Duras…
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I wanted to teach myself some life lessons at the age of 60 and one of them was that you don’t give up. Diana Nyad Happy 65th birthday, Diana Nyad! I…
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Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper. Francis Bacon The most valuable contribution that Sir Francis Bacon (born January 22, 1561) made to…
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There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world. Robert Louis Stevenson Nov…
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Hustlers of the world, there is one mark you cannot beat: the mark inside. William S. Burroughs August 21, 1888: Subversive writer William S. Burroug…
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The air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great, that I thought I was in a dream. Jack Kerouac Beat Generation write…
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Two is company, four is a party, three is a crowd. One is a wanderer. James Thurber December 8, 1894: Funny, dark, and slightly surreal, American wr…
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Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were--Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. Beatrix Potter July 28, 1866: Children's…
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Remember if people talk behind your back, it only means you are two steps ahead. Fannie Flagg September 21, 1944: Happy 69th birthday, Fannie Flagg! …
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I have never been convinced there's anything inherently wrong in having fun. George Plimpton March 18, 1927: A contender for the title of Most Intere…
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I have great faith in fools - self-confidence my friends will call it. Edgar Allan Poe The American writer was born on this day in 1809.
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Funny, when you finally faced reality, it was amazing how clearly you could see things. Mary Higgins Clark December 24, 1929: Happy 84th birthday, Ma…
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How much does one imagine, how much observe? One can no more separate those functions than divide light from air, or wetness from water. Elspeth Huxl…
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Where words leave off, music begins. Heinrich Heine December 13, 1797: German writer Heinrich Heine composed lyric poetry that was set to music by Fr…
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How slow life is, how violent hope is. Guillaume Apollinaire Writer Guillaume Apollinaire (born August 26, 1880) is credited with coining the term "s…
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The conversation of kisses. Subtle, engrossing, fearless, transforming. Alice Munro July 10, 1931: Happy 82nd birthday, Alice Munro! The Canadian s…
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Like all magnificent things, it's very simple. Natalie Babbitt Happy 82nd birthday, Natalie Babbitt! The American writer and illustrator is the autho…
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Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world. L.M. Montgomery November 30,…
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A lesson taught with humor is a lesson retained. Ruth K. Westheimer June 4, 1928: Happy birthday, Dr. Ruth Westheimer! The diminutive therapist and w…
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We live for books. Umberto Eco January 5, 1932: Happy 82nd birthday, Umberto Eco! The Italian writer, semiotician, and philosopher is a real biblioph…
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Dare to be strong and courageous. That is the road. Venture anything. Sherwood Anderson September 13, 1876: Sherwood Anderson spent his early career …
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The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. Michel de Montaigne Renaissance writer Michel de Montaigne (born February 28, 1533) pioneered the pe…
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God save us from people who mean well. Vikram Seth Happy 62nd birthday, Vikram Seth! The writer was in his thirties when he moved back into his child…
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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anaïs Nin Best known for her candid diary,…
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What a pity every child couldn't learn to read under a willow tree... Elizabeth George Speare November 21, 1908: American children's book writer Eliz…
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This is the world as it is. This is where you start. Saul D. Alinsky Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909-June 12, 1972) was a Chicago-born communit…
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I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen. A.A. Milne A.A. Milne (born January 18, 1882), creator of Winnie the Pooh, got his early educ…
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If I could believe in myself, why not give other improbabilities the benefit of the doubt? David Sedaris Happy birthday, David Sedaris! The American …
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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anaïs Nin Best known for her candid diary,…
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I have work to do, and I am afraid not to do it. John O'Hara American writer John O'Hara (born January 31, 1905) was largely concerned with issues of…
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Children learn more from what you are than what you teach. W.E.B. Du Bois American civil rights activist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois (born February 2…
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Little islands are all large prisons; one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow. Richard Francis Burton Translator and wr…
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There are some works so luminous...so powerful that they give us strength, and force us to new undertakings. A book can play this role. Hervé Le Tell…
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The aims of life are the best defense against death. Primo Levi On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi con…
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Every single pleasure I can imagine or have experienced is more delightful, more of a pleasure, if you take it in small sips, if you take your time. …
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The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished. Nelson DeMille Happy birthday, Nelson DeMille! The thriller writer occasionally …
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I have failed at many things, but I have never been afraid. Nadine Gordimer Writer Nadine Gordimer (born November 20, 1923) was born in South Africa …
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Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can …
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The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night. Isabel Allende Happy birthday, Isabel Allende! The Chilean-American writer h…
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Ah, what happiness it is to be with people who are all happy, to press hands, press cheeks, smile into eyes. Katherine Mansfield March 2, 1909: On th…
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Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire Voltaire's infamous wit often got him in trouble. After the French enlightenment wr…