The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads by Maria Popova

Octavio Paz on Freedom
Octavio Paz on Freedom

“Without freedom, what we call a person does not exist.”

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Ursula K. Le Guin on Change, Menopause as Rebirth, and the Civilizational Value of Elders
Ursula K. Le Guin on Change, Menopause as Rebirth, and the Civilizational Value of Elders

“Into the space ship, Granny.”

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Center of the Universe: Non-Speaking Autistic Poet Hannah Emerson’s Extraordinary Poem About How to Be Reborn Each Day
Center of the Universe: Non-Speaking Autistic Poet Hannah Emerson’s Extraordinary Poem About How to Be Reborn Each Day

“Please try to go to hell frequently because you will find the light there.”

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How to Befriend Time: The Gospel of Pete Seeger and Nina Simone
How to Befriend Time: The Gospel of Pete Seeger and Nina Simone

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

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Mars and Our Search for Meaning: A Planetary Scientist’s Love Letter to Life
Mars and Our Search for Meaning: A Planetary Scientist’s Love Letter to Life

“It is the search for infinity, the search for evidence that our capacious universe might hold life elsewhere, in a different place or at a different time or in a different form.”

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After Love: Maxine Kumin’s Stunning Poem About Eros as a Portal to Unselfing
After Love: Maxine Kumin’s Stunning Poem About Eros as a Portal to Unselfing

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I Touched the Sun: A Tender Illustrated Fable About How to Find and Bear Your Inner Light
I Touched the Sun: A Tender Illustrated Fable About How to Find and Bear Your Inner Light

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How to Own Your Weakness: Alan Watts on the Confucian Concept of Jen and the Dangers of Self-Righteousness
How to Own Your Weakness: Alan Watts on the Confucian Concept of Jen and the Dangers of Self-Righteousness

“Trust in human nature is acceptance of the good-and-bad of it, and it is hard to trust those who do not admit their own weakness.”

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Octavia Butler’s Advice on Writing
Octavia Butler’s Advice on Writing

“No matter how tired you get, no matter how you feel like you can’t possibly do this, somehow you do.”

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The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating: An Uncommon Meditation on Presence and the Aperture of Wonder
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating: An Uncommon Meditation on Presence and the Aperture of Wonder

“Survival often depends on a specific focus: a relationship, a belief, or a hope balanced on the edge of possibility.”

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