The next best thing to being clever: February 2012

"In the beginning . . ."

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Don't recite other people's quotations. I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

Yes. Well, for those of us who don't know much (or at least think there is something to be learned from others), here is a quote by Mary Pettibone Poole (which is more to my taste): "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is."

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog. When I read, I often come upon a line here and there that strikes me as an amazing work of genius--or simply catches my fancy. These tidbits may come from great works of art or mass-market novels, even from a book I don't particularly like that happens to have a good line or two.

For some time I've been keeping these gems in a file, but as I have recently found myself in the position of needing a blog, I have decided to share them with the world. (Or perhaps my family and most put-upon friends, as the case may be.)

To modify a quote from Twelfth Night: "Some are born great, some acheive greatness, . . . some have greatness thrust upon 'em," and some merely find it and point it out to others.

Hopefully you will gain something here--if not some deep philosophical point, perhaps a mild chuckle, or, at the very least, a book you might like to investigate further. So here we go.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The next best thing to being clever

"In the beginning . . ."

Alec is a Girl's Name

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me