There is no remedy so easy as books, which if they do not give cheerfulness, at least restore quiet to the most troubled mind.
Interpretation
Books can help calm a troubled mind and provide solace.
This quote suggests that while books may not always bring happiness, they possess a unique ability to soothe and restore tranquility to a restless or anxious mind. Engaging with literature can be a simple yet effective way to find peace in times of distress, highlighting the power of reading as a therapeutic tool.
In practice
During a book club meeting, to emphasize the importance of reading for mental health.
I regard almost all quarrels of princes on the same footing, and I see nothing that marks man's unreason so positively as war. Indeed, what folly to kill one another for interests often imaginary, and always for the pleasure of persons who do not think themselves even obliged to those who sacrifice themselves for them!
Whoever will cultivate their own mind will find full employment. Every virtue does not only require great care in the planting, but as much daily solicitude in cherishing as exotic fruits and flowers; the vices and passions (which I am afraid are the natural product of the soil) demand perpetual weeding. Add to this the search after knowledge. . . and the longest life is too short.
My chief study all my life has been to lighten misfortunes and multiply pleasures, as far as human nature can.
Strictly speaking, there is but one real evil: I mean acute pain. All other complaints are so considerably diminished by time that it is plain the grief is owing to our passion, since the sensation of it vanishes when that is over.
We can say with some assurance that, although children may be the victims of fate, they will not be the victims of our neglect.
Children are not simply commodities to be herded into line and trained for the jobs that white people who live in segregated neighborhoods have available.
Children should be given the chance to play instruments, to sing.
There is no reason why an American scholar cannot by himself or herself develop an adequate understanding of another culture. And I don't find any reason to suppose that the birth within a culture automatically confers understanding.
It is my fervent wish and my greatest ambition to leave a work with a few useful instructions for the pianists after me.
I said to myself, Malala, you must be brave. You must not be afraid of anyone. You are only trying to get an education. You are not committing a crime.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.