The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.
Thomas CarlyleRead
May blessings be upon the head of Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books.
Interpretation
The quote acknowledges the profound impact of books and their creators on society.
In this quote, Thomas Carlyle expresses gratitude towards the inventor of books, highlighting the essential role that written knowledge plays in the development and enrichment of human culture. By blessing the creator of books, Carlyle emphasizes the transformative power of literature and how it has enabled individuals to share ideas, preserve history, and foster enlightenment across generations.
In practice
This quote would be perfect for a speech at a library opening.
The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.
Thirty millions, mostly fools.
There is a great discovery still to be made in literature, that of paying literary men by the quantity they do not write.
For the superior morality, of which we hear so much, we too would desire to be thankful: at the same time, it were but blindness to deny that this superior morality is properly rather an inferior criminality, produced not by greater love of Virtue, but by greater perfection of Police; and of that far subtler and stronger Police, called Public Opinion.
Enjoying things which are pleasant; that is not the evil; it is the reducing of our moral self to slavery by them that is.
Clean undeniable right, clear undeniable might: either of these once ascertained puts an end to battle. All battle is a confused experiment to ascertain one and both of these.
Books, too, begin like the week β with a day of rest in memory of their creation. The preface is their Sunday.
Competitive sports may be where exercise becomes 'fun' for children who are good at it, but for those who are less talented, it is where exercise becomes not only physically demanding but also emotionally painful and socially humiliating.
Every time you finish a book, you have a terrible feeling that there's just never going to be another one. But fortunately, so far, the next one has always shown up.
Take the example of my daughter. A lot of people were speaking out about education when the Taliban were bombing schools in Swat Valley, but Malala's voice was like a crescendo. It spread all around the world. She was the smallest but her voice was the biggest, because she was speaking for herself.
There is nothing like books - of all things sold incomparably the cheapest, of all pleasure the least palling, they take up little room, keep quiet when they are not wanted, and, when taken up, bring us face to face with the choicest men who ever lived, at their choicest moments.
God be thanked for books; they are the voices of the distant and the dead, and make us heirs of the spiritual life of past ages.
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