#ux

Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hinderances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor. ↗

— Henry David Thoreau

#poor #thoreau #wise #life

It is not a single cowardice that drives us into fiction's fantasies. We often fear that literature is a game we can't afford to play — the product of idleness and immoral ease. In the grip of that feeling it isn't life we pursue, but the point and purpose of life — its facility, its use. ↗

— William H. Gass

#indolence #luxury #purpose #utility #life

Sergei doesn’t yearn for love…he thirsts for domination, and now he has finally achieved it. ↗

— Melika Dannese Lux

#defeat #hopelessness #ilyse-charpentier #melika-dannese-lux #realization

elle ne pensait plus à lui comme le fiancé impossible mais comme à l'époux certain à qui elle se devait tout entière. ↗

— Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

#mari #love

Money can't buy happiness but it'll sure keep a mess of grief off your front porch. ↗

— James Lee Burke

#money

Ah! How contrary are the teachings of Jesus to the feelings of nature! Without the help of His grace it would be impossible not only to put them into practice, but to even understand them. ↗

— St. Therese of Liseiux

#story-of-a-soul #nature

My main reason for scepticism about the Huxley/Sagan theory is that the human brain is demonstrably eager to see faces in random patterns, as we know from scientific evidence, on top of the numerous legends about faces of Jesus, or the Virgin Mary, or Mother Teresa, being seen on slices of toast, or pizzas, or patches of damp on a wall. This eagerness is enhanced if the pattern departs from randomness in the specific direction of being symmetrical. ↗

— Richard Dawkins

#evidence #evolution #religion #science #sir-julian-huxley

Cupping my cheeks, he exhaled a soft groan, and his lips scorched mine as he deepened the kiss until we both were breathless from its intensity. Daemon moved as close as he could with the chair between us. Gripping his arms, I held onto him, wanting him closer. The chair prevented all but our lips and hands from touching. Frustrating. Move, I ordered restlessly. It trembled under my foot, and then the heavy oak chair slid out from under me, dodging our leaning bodies. Unprepared for the sudden void, Daemon lurched forward, and I was unable to carry the unexpected weight. I collapsed backward, bringing Daemon along with me. The full contact of his body, flush against mine, sent my senses into chaotic overdrive. His tongue swept over mine as his fingers splayed across my cheeks. His hand slid down my side, gripping my hip as he urged me closer. The kisses slowed and his chest rose as he drank me in. With one last lingering exploration, he lifted his head and smiled down at me. My heart skipped a beat as he hovered over me with an expression that tugged deep in my chest. He moved his finger back up, along my cheek, trailing an invisible path to my chin. "I didn't move that chair, Kitten." "I know." "I'm assuming you didn't like where it was?" "It was in your way," I said. My hands were still curled around his arms. "I can see that." Daemon smoothed a fingertip over the curve of my bottom lip before taking my hand, pulling me up. ↗

— Jennifer L. Armentrout

#jennifer-l-armentrout #katy-and-daemon #katy-swartz #lux #onyx

Surprise widened his eyes as he stepped back. "Caving in so easily?" "Caving in?" I laughed without feeling. "I just want you out of my face." Daemon chuckled deeply. "Keep telling yourself that, Kitten." "Keep using your ego steroids. ↗

— Jennifer L. Armentrout

#jennifer-l-armentrout #katy-and-daemon #katy-swartz #lux #onyx

the story is not a pretty one. there is violence in it. And cruelty. But stories that are not pretty have a certain value, too, I suppose. Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannont always be sweetness and light. ↗

— Kate DiCamillo

#despereaux #light #violence #cruelty