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“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
― The Great Gatsby
― The Great Gatsby
“When the day shall come that we do part," he said softly, and turned to look at me, "if my last words are not 'I love you'-ye'll ken it was because I didna have time.”
―
―
“It has always been forever, for me, Sassenach”
― Voyager
― Voyager
“Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.”
― Dragonfly in Amber
― Dragonfly in Amber
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
― Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
― Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
Around the Year in 52 Books
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~ 2024 Reading Challenge ~ 52 books for 52 weeks. Each week, members read the book of their choice for that week's challenge requirement. ▶︎ CURREN ...more
~ 2024 Reading Challenge ~ 52 books for 52 weeks. Each week, members read the book of their choice for that week's challenge requirement. ▶︎ CURREN ...more
Outlander Series
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— last activity Oct 09, 2023 08:17AM
For fans of Diana Gabaldon and the Outlander Series. Feel free to post, poll, invite, and discuss. Please take a moment to read the rules found in ' ...more
For fans of Diana Gabaldon and the Outlander Series. Feel free to post, poll, invite, and discuss. Please take a moment to read the rules found in ' ...more
Gail Carriger Fan Group
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A fan group devoted to the discussion of all books and things Gail Carriger.
A fan group devoted to the discussion of all books and things Gail Carriger.
The Women's Mystery Club
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— last activity Aug 27, 2024 08:53AM
This group is for reading, sharing and discussing mysteries/crime novels that are written by female authors or a female character is the lead. For exa ...more
This group is for reading, sharing and discussing mysteries/crime novels that are written by female authors or a female character is the lead. For exa ...more
The Mary Sue Books and More Club
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— last activity Dec 11, 2018 09:04AM
A place for The Mary Sue regulars to gather and exchange favorite books, reviews, and all other types of information. We are not officially affiliat ...more
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A place for The Mary Sue regulars to gather and exchange favorite books, reviews, and all other types of information. We are not officially affiliat ...more
Jen’s 2023 Year in Books
Take a look at Jen’s Year in Books. The good, the bad, the long, the short—it’s all here.
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