Peter

Add friend
Sign in to Goodreads to learn more about Peter.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PeterJosephJones
https://www.goodreads.com/petejj

Loading...
Herman Melville
“In what census of living creatures, the dead of mankind are include...how it is that to his name who yesterday departed for the other world, we prefix so significant and infidel a word, and yet do not thus entitle him, if he but embarks for the remotest Indies of this living Earth; why the Life Insurance Companies pay death forfeitures upon immortals; in what eternal, unstirring paralysis, and deadly hopeless trance, yet lies antique Adam, who died sixty round centuries ago; how it is that we still refuse to be comforted for those who we nevertheless maintain are dwelling in unspeakable bliss; why all the living so strive to hush all the dead; wherefore but the rumour of a knocking in a tomb will terrify a whole city. All these things are not without their meanings.”
Hermann Melville

“The world's greatest computer is the human mind, not the machine.”
Matshona Dhliwayo

William Shakespeare
“I have of late—but wherefore
I know not—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of
exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my
disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to
me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy,
the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament,
this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why,
it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent
congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is a man!
How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties,
in form and moving how express and admirable,
in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man
delights not me—no, nor woman neither, though by
your smiling you seem to say so.”
William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Herman Melville
“Look not too long in the face of the fire O man!...believe not the artificial fire, when its redness makes all things look ghastly. Tomorrow, in the natural sun, the skies will be bright; those who glared like devils in the forking flames, the morn will show in far other, at least gentler relief; the glorious, golden, glad sun, the only true lamp - all others but liars!
Nevertheless the sun hides not Virginia's dismal swamp, nor Rome's accursed Campagna, nor wide Sahara, nor all the millions of miles of deserts and of griefs beneath the moon. The sun hides not the ocean which is the dark side of this Earth, and which is two thirds of this Earth. So, therefore, that mortal man who hath more of joy than sorrow in him, that mortal man cannot be true - not true, or undeveloped. With books the same. The truest of all men was The Man of Sorrows, and the truest of all books is Solomon's, and Ecclesiastes is the fine hammered steel of woe. 'All is vanity'. ALL. The wilful world hath not got hold of unchristian Solomon's wisdom yet. But he who dodges hospitals and jails, and walks fast crossing grave yards, and would rather talk of operas than hell; calls Cowper, Young, Pascal, Rosseau, poor devils all sick of men; and throughout a carefree lifetime swears by Rabelais as passing wise, and therefore jolly; - not that man is fitted to sit down on tomb stones, and break the green damp mould unfathomable wounderous Solomon.”
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Erich Maria Remarque
“I looked at her. what was there to know? Knowledge was a speck of foam dancing on top of a wave. Every gust of wind could blow it away; but the wave remained.”
Erich Maria Remarque The Night in Lisbon

53 Christian Readers — 6393 members — last activity 19 hours, 38 min ago
This is an open forum for people to discuss Christ-themed books. Whether you'd like to discuss theology, biographies, church history, novels or anythi ...more
48656 50 books to read before you die — 11875 members — last activity Nov 03, 2025 06:20AM
These are the named books: 1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien 2 1984 by George Orwell 3 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4 The Gra ...more
10882 Welsh Literature — 154 members — last activity Aug 28, 2025 01:34AM
A group for anyone interested in modern Welsh literature.
24794 Should have read classics — 1119 members — last activity Apr 17, 2020 07:38PM
This is a group that is reading some of the classics that maybe we should have read but we got so turned off by "classics" we had to read in high scho ...more
25x33 The Well Book Group — 3 members — last activity Apr 10, 2014 07:59AM
This group is for anyone who attends The Well Book Group.
More of Peter’s groups…
year in books
Someone...
1,111 books | 73 friends

Majenta
2,747 books | 3,519 friends

Dipanjan
9,761 books | 1,279 friends

Eunsung
308 books | 28 friends

Ime  Diaz
158 books | 32 friends

Laura
694 books | 287 friends

Twiggy
1,029 books | 14 friends

Simone ...
1,764 books | 199 friends

More friends…
Death by Neil Gaiman
Best Graphic Novels
3,450 books — 6,767 voters
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Best South African reads
313 books — 172 voters

More…



Polls voted on by Peter

Lists liked by Peter