The Lincoln Highway

by Amor Towles

to deface the pages of a book was to adopt the manner of a Visigoth. It was to strike a blow against that most sacred and noble of man’s achievements—the

Makes me think of our school librarian . . . She would agree.

To free you from your guilt through atonement and from your indignation through forgiveness. Only once you have freed yourself from both of these chains may you begin to live your life with love in your heart and serenity in your step. At

Amen

What wisdom the Lord does not see fit to endow us with at birth, He provides through the gift of experience.

Truth . . .

For what is kindness but the performance of an act that is both beneficial to another and unrequired?

Yes

I am of the opinion, Professor, that everything of value in this life must be earned. That it should be earned. Because those who are given something of value without having to earn it are bound to squander it. I believe that one should earn respect. One should earn trust. One should earn the love of a woman, and the right to call oneself a man. And one should also earn the right to hope.

Is our gift of hope in Christ earned? These re gold words but not the Gospel.

maybe the will to stay put stems not from a man’s virtues but from his vices. After all, aren’t gluttony, sloth, and greed all about staying put? Don’t they amount to sitting deep in a chair where you can eat more, idle more, and want more? In a way, pride and envy are about staying put too. For just as pride is founded on what you’ve built up around you, envy is founded on what your neighbor has built across the street.

Profound . . .