Had my life increased, or merely added to itself? There had been addition and subtraction in my life, but how much multiplication?

Had my life increased, or merely added to itself? There had been addition and subtraction in my life, but how much multiplication?

Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book.

What is history? Any thoughts, Webster?' 'History is the lies of the victors,' I replied, a little too quickly. 'Yes, I was rather afraid you'd say that. Well, as long as you remember that it is also the self-delusions of the defeated. ... 'Finn?' '"History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation." (quoting Patrick Lagrange)

In Britain I'm sometimes regarded as a suspiciously Europeanized writer, who has this rather dubious French influence.

If you’re that clever you can argue yourself into anything.

What makes us want to know the worst? Is it that we tire of preferring to know the best? Does curiosity always hurdle self-interest? Or is it, more simply, that wanting to know the worst is love's favorite perversion.