Max Jackson

“Somehow the wondrous promise of the earth is that there
are things beautiful in it, things wondrous and alluring, and by
virtue of your trade you want to understand them." He put the
cigarette down. Smoke rose from the ashtray, first in a thin column
and then (with a nod to universality) in broken tendrils that swirled
upward to the ceiling.”
― James Gleick, Chaos: Making a New Science

“I've been thinking lately about immortality. What it means to be remembered, what I want to be remembered for, certain questions concerning memory and fame. I love watching old movies. I watch the faces of long-dead actors on the screen, and I think about how they'll never truly die. I know that's a cliché but it happens to be true. Not just the famous ones who everyone knows, the Clark Gables, the Ava Gardners, but the bit players, the maid carrying the tray, the butler, the cowboys in the bar, the third girl from the left in the nightclub. They're all immortal to me. First we only want to be seen, but once we're seen, that's not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered.”
― Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven