charles

“On the one hand, the arts benefited from strong state support and from a state-sponsored mindset that promoted a high regard for cultural achievements as a core value of Soviet civilization. On the other hand, constraints were put on artistic development by the regime's ideologically driven attempt to control artistic creation.”
― Christina Ezrahi, Swans of the Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia

“The little Prelude in C Major that starts the set is one of Bach’s most famous and beloved pieces (it was reportedly a favorite of his, too), yet what appears to be a simple rippling up and down on chords disguises a complex interweaving of melodies.”
― Jan Swafford, Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music

“To philosophize is to learn to live freely.”
― Klaus Vieweg, Hegel: The Philosopher of Freedom

“All people want to live dignified lives, dignity just means something different to different people,’ Sonja had said. To men like Ove and Rune dignity was simply that they’d had to manage on their own when they grew up, and therefore saw it as their right not to become reliant on others when they were adults. There was a sense of pride in having control. In being right. In knowing what road to take and how to screw in a screw, or not. Men like Ove and Rune were from a generation in which one was what one did, not what one talked about.”
― Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove