#elle

Thought is the labor of the intellect, reverie is its pleasure. ↗

— Victor Hugo

#labor #pleasure #reverie #thought

I've been bragging for over 25 years that my first New York Times bestseller was a book I copied from the U.S. Government Printing Office! ↗

— Matthew Lesko

#bestseller #book #bragging #copied #first

The tourist who moves about to see and hear and open himself to all the influences of the places which condense centuries of human greatness is only a man in search of excellence. ↗

— Max Lerner

#centuries #condense #excellence #greatness #hear

Americans have been selling this view around the world: that progress comes from perfect protection of intellectual property. ↗

— Lawrence Lessig

#been #comes #intellectual #intellectual property #perfect

Notwithstanding the fact that the most innovative and progressive space we've seen - the Internet - has been the place where intellectual property has been least respected. You know, facts don't get in the way of this ideology. ↗

— Lawrence Lessig

#fact #facts #get #ideology #innovative

I feel most at home in the United States, not because it is intrinsically a more interesting country, but because no one really belongs there any more than I do. We are all there together in its wholly excellent vacuum. ↗

— Wyndham Lewis

#because #belongs #country #excellent #feel

A human being has been given an intellect to make choices, and we know there are other food sources that do not require the killing of a creature that would protest being killed. ↗

— Mary Tyler Moore

#being #choices #creature #food #given

Maybe she should cut the guy a little slack, [...] Maybe Thorne had been a no-show because something bad happened to him on the job. What if he'd been injured in the line of duty and didn't come by as promised because he was incapacitated in some way? Maybe he hadn't called to apologize or to explain his absence because he physically couldn't. Right. And maybe she had checked her brain into her panties from the second she first laid eyes on the man. ↗

— Lara Adrian

#gabrielle #wry-humor #funny

I squinted at the western sky behind Thaddeus, a blood-red smear melting into blackness. Twisting my neck, I glanced the opposite direction. My teeth clenched at a magnified, round moon nearly as scarlet as the portending sunset, its luminous face half masked by hazy cloud cover. Hatred, vengeance, anger……such emotions coursed through my veins in a poisonous concoction that muddied my mind, impelling me to grip my sword tighter and fight with every ounce of strength I possessed against those who threatened my family - my kind. Currently, Thaddeus was behaving as such a threat, using his powers of persuasion to condone human sacrifice for some outrageously perceived good. He wanted an offering for the monsters; a desperate, futile offering of human flesh that would in no way protect the other villagers from being mauled as he promised." - from "The Tarishe Curse ↗

— Richelle E. Goodrich

#richelle #richelle-goodrich #werewolves #anger

And what about your brother, Agus? Will he be entertaining us with his pipes?” “Ahgg,” Shanks rasped, wrinkling his nose. “I didn’t tell you? He ain’t with us no more.” A heavy fist slammed on the arm of the Viidun’s chair as he growled, “The idiot went off and got himself killed!” “What?” Derian and Eena replied in unison, both horrified by the news. “You heard me,” Shanks bellowed. “The crazy fool should’ve known when to duck. He died in a bloody challenge with some brainless Deramptium! A downright disgraceful way to die! I’m ashamed to say he was my brother!” “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” Eena muttered, mostly speaking to Derian. “What was that?” the Viidun demanded. Derian whispered a hush to Eena. Addressing Shanks, he expressed their condolences. “We are truly sorry for your loss. Your brother will be sorely missed. On the other hand, we look forward to welcoming you and your crew aboard the Kemeniroc.” Derian held up his right hand, extending his thumb and two adjoining fingers. “Strength, truth, and honor, friend,” he said, ending their conversation. “Strength, truth, and honor,” Shanks repeated. The screen went black. The captain turned to Eena who was still in shock. “You have to understand,” he explained, “the Viiduns are a fiercely competitive people with proud, warring ways. Their culture doesn’t call for much sympathy between their own kind, especially when it appears one of them has failed to live up to expectations.” Eena was still disturbed by the lack of compassion. “But, that was his brother.” “I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Shanks and Agus were very close. They traveled everywhere together. All I can figure is it’s easier for Shanks to express his anger than his anguish.” “After all that, I’m not sure I want to meet him in person. He scares me,” she admitted. Derian laughed. “He scares everyone. That’s why you want to keep him as an ally, and not make him an enemy. ↗

— Richelle E. Goodrich

#derian #eena #richelle #richelle-goodrich #shanks