Amanda Maciel

“If God exists, and I truly don’t believe he does, he will know that there are limits to human understanding. He was the one who created this confusion in which there is poverty, injustice, greed, and loneliness. He doubtless had the best of intentions, but the results have proved disastrous; if God exists, he will be generous with those creatures who chose to leave this Earth early, and he might even apologize for having made us spend time here.”
― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

“Since I first gained the use of reason my inclination toward learning has been so violent and strong that neither the scoldings of other people...nor my own reflections...have been able to stop me from following this natural impulse that God gave me. He alone must know why; and He knows too that I have begged Him to take away the light of my understanding, leaving only enough for me to keep His law, for anything else is excessive in a woman, according to some people. And others say it is even harmful.”
― Juana Inés de la Cruz, Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz

“The monuments, the ideas left behind by beings like me are my greatest pleasure in life. Without books I would long ago have been in despair.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, The Schopenhauer Cure

“Scepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer: there is nobility in preserving it coolly and proudly through long youth, until at last, in the ripeness of instinct and discretion, it can be safely exchanged for fidelity and happiness.”
― George Santayana