Another quote about humility today – this one earned a ♥ in the margin, and just might be my favorite quote in The Intellectual Life: Do not be ashamed not to know what you could only know at the cost of scattering your attention. Be humble about it, yes, for it shows our limitations; but… Continue Reading
Continuing the theme of humility in The Intellectual Life, Sertillanges reminds us that we cannot do everything. Once we have laid a foundation of broad knowledge, we should seek out our particular specialty and leave the rest to others: In the first place, each individual has his capabilities, his resources, his interior or exterior difficulties,… Continue Reading
Humility and a proper view of one’s work in relation to that of others are recurring themes in The Intellectual Life. Sertillanges exhorts us accept our place in time and seek to serve those around us instead of longing for “the good old days”: [The spirit of the intellectual life] also excludes a certain archaeological… Continue Reading
It’s break week here, and for me that usually means some reading goals. Sometimes it’s something fun, sometimes a pre-read or “teacher training” (educational philosophy) book, sometimes both. This week my priorities are reading/listening to The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare (so I can catch up on the Literary Life podcast episodes and actually read it while… Continue Reading
It’s been a good reading year, with books ranging from very short (The Gifts of Reading and Make Your Bed) to intimidatingly long (The Betrothed and The Count of Monte Cristo). Here’s my list with the star ratings I gave them on Goodreads: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mother Culture by Karen… Continue Reading
The portrayal of Columbus’s famous voyage in children’s history books has often made me uncomfortable, knowing that some of the results of that voyage, whether intended or not, were tragic to many people. And the history of exploration and colonization since Columbus often focuses on the European side of things, while ignoring the truly global… Continue Reading
Valentines’s Day seems an appropriate day to share this quote from Alan Paton’s heartbreakingly beautiful novel Cry, the Beloved Country, which Miss A and I have been listening to this term. (Photo of the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash) Also read/listened to recently: Hubby: Witness by Wittaker Chambers Me:… Continue Reading
How we think about ourselves has been a recurring theme in several of the books I’ve been reading recently: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Let Me Be a Woman, and You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal With It. All of them point us away from the current obsession with “creating ourselves” and towards who… Continue Reading
It’s always good to reflect back on what I’ve read over the past year. 🙂 Favorite Novel There were several good ones this year, but the element of mystery in The Woman in White had me on the edge of my seat more than once, and Ian Holm’s narration was excellent. Best Educational Philosophy Read… Continue Reading
I’m so glad Karen at Books and Chocolate decided to do this challenge again! Here’s what I’m thinking of reading for each of the categories in 2019. 19th Century Classic: Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace, as my 11-year-old will be reading it, and I really should! 20th Century Classic: hoping to re-read (or listen to) To Kill a… Continue Reading