Leo Tolstoy

Why “great books” really do matter

September 2, 2015

In his eponymous work, Adam Nicolson explains why Homer matters and his comments also apply to other authors such as Sophocles, Dante, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Joyce. Nicolson suggests, “Homer matters because Homer, in a godlike way, understands what mortals do…

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Peggy Noonan advises, “Don’t Mourn Atticus Finch”

July 29, 2015

Above: Scout (Mary Badham) and Atticus (Gregory Peck) in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Peggy Noonan Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Peggy Noonan for The Wall Street Journal. I agree with her that, with the recent…

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War, Peace, and Listicles: Leo Tolstoy on Money, Fame, and Writing for the Wrong Reasons

November 29, 2013

Here is a brief excerpt from another thought-provoking article by Maria Popova for her website, Brain Pickings, during which she provides a lament on being “self-confident and self-satisfied as only those can be who are quite holy or who do…

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Resilience Quotations: Part 1

November 22, 2012

“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” Robert Jordan “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with…

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The Corner Office: A book review by Bob Morris

April 20, 2011

The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed Adam Bryant Times Books/Henry Holt & Company (2011) Dining on brain food at a “metaphysical table” with mostly CEOs, What we have in this volume…

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