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January 26 - March 30, 2025
“No problem. I already knew you were a miserable, good-for-nothing shut-in,” the cat sneered.
Rebecca Reeder and 1 other person liked this
“Hmm. Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired, but your heart is in the right place. This world throws all kinds of obstacles at us; we are forced to endure so much that is absurd. Our best weapon for fighting all the pain and trouble in the world isn’t logic or violence. It’s humor.”
“This is where the books are?” “They’re imprisoned behind there.”
“I don’t get a kick out of hurting dumb animals, but . . .” He paused to adjust his glasses. “. . . right now, I’ve got this overwhelming desire to grab you by the scruff of your neck and shake you.” “Splendid. That’s the spirit!”
Books have tremendous power. But take care. It’s the book that holds the power, not you.”
Iain and 1 other person liked this
“It’s not true that the more you read, the more you see of the world. No matter how much knowledge you cram into your head, unless you think with your own mind, walk with your own feet, the knowledge you acquire will never be anything more than empty and borrowed.”
The more books you have, the more powerful you are.
I dunno, I have a lot of books and I don't feel that powerful lol
“Who does society value more—the man who reads the same book ten times, or the one who reads ten books once each?” he went on. “Obviously, the more books you read, the more respect you get. The more well-read you are, the more fascinating and attractive people find you. Am I wrong?”
“Because the obvious is no longer obvious in today’s world.”
“In today’s world, a lot of what should be obvious has been turned upside down. The weak are used as stepping-stones and those in need are taken advantage of. People just get caught up in this pattern. Nobody stands up and calls for it to stop.”
“Which is it? If it’s not dangerous, then it should be no problem for me to go with you. If it is dangerous, then it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to let you walk into it alone. Am I right?”
Of course, everyone is eager to assert their own uniqueness, but since everyone is equally obsessed with asserting it, then there’s nothing unique about anyone. It turns out it’s impossible to distinguish between us. In a place like this, trying to find a particular ‘someone’ is not only difficult, it’s meaningless.
“If you don’t like it, you can always go home,” replied Rintaro. “You know I’ve always been the kind of guy to recommend going home.”
“If you’re going to climb, make it a tall mountain. The view will be so much better.”
“Books aren’t meant to be thrown. They’re made to be read.”
“My grandpa used to say once you got thinking about money there was no end to it. If you have one million yen, then you want two. If you have one hundred million, then you want two hundred. So better to stop focusing on money and talk instead about the book we read today. Like you, I believe that bookshops need to turn a profit. But I do know that there are things just as important as making money.”
“Being able to express shallow words of sympathy in a sweet voice doesn’t make someone a caring, compassionate soul. What’s important is the ability to have empathy for another human being—to be able to feel their pain, to walk alongside them in their suffering.”
“Books have souls,” repeated the cat softly. “A cherished book will always have a soul. It will come to its reader’s aid in times of crisis.”
“However, a book with a soul is not always an ally.”
