There are books from which one inhales an exquisite air. – Joseph Joubert (1754–1824), translated from French by George H. Calvert, 1

A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. – Author unknown

If you resist reading what you disagree with, how will you ever acquire deeper insights into what you believe? The things most worth reading are precisely those that challenge our convictions. – Author unknown

The literary man must needs be a thinking one, and every day he lives he becomes wiser—if wiser, then better—if better, then happier. – Charles Lanman, “Thoughts on Literature,” 1840