What is important is the moment of opening a life and feeling it touch--with an electric hiss and cry--this speckled mineral sphere, our present world.
Annie DillardRead
People who read are not too lazy to turn on the television; they prefer books.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the preference of readers for books over television, attributing it to their inclination towards active engagement with literature.
Annie Dillard's quote emphasizes the distinction between those who choose to read books and those who watch television. It suggests that reading is a preferred activity for those who seek depth, engagement, and intellectual stimulation, rather than simply consuming passive entertainment. This reflects a broader commentary on the values of individuals who prioritize knowledge and personal growth through literature.
Themes
ReadingBooksLiteraturePreferenceEducation
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion, this quote can inspire a conversation about the value of reading versus watching TV.
More from Annie Dillard
All quotes βGeography is the key, the crucial accident of birth. A piece of protein could be a snail, a sea lion, or a systems analyst, but it had to start somewhere. This is not science; it is merely metaphor. And the landscape in which the protein "starts" shapes its end as surely as bowls shape water.
Annie DillardRead
Buddhism notes that it is always a mistake to think your soul can go it alone.
Annie DillardRead
Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
Annie DillardRead
It is difficult to undo our own damage, and to recall to our presence that which we have asked to leave. It is hard to desecrate a grove and change your mind. The very holy mountains are keeping mum. We doused the burning bush and cannot rekindle it; we are lighting matches in vain under every green tree.
Annie DillardRead
To crank myself up I stood on a jack and ran myself up. I tightened myself like a bolt. I inserted myself in a vise-clamp and wound the handle till the pressure built. I drank coffee in titrated doses. It was a tricky business, requiring the finely tuned judgment of a skilled anesthesiologist. There was a tiny range within which coffee was effective, short of which it was useless, and beyond which, fatal.
Annie DillardRead
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