A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them. – Mark Twain, 1894
Libraries and books are a big part of my life. Like a lot of inwardly drawn young people, I spent a lot of time in libraries…. There were no parents there, no one I knew, and the solitude was a great relief. – Henry Rollins, “Empowerment Through Libraries,” November 2013, LAWeekly [Swoon!
I myself spent hours at the Columbia library as intimidated and embarassed as a famished gourmet invited to a dream restaurant where every dish from all the worlds cuisines, past and present, was available on request. – Luigi Barzini
Works of art, in my opinion, are the only objects in the material universe to possess internal order, and that is why, though I dont believe that only art matters, I do believe in Art for Arts sake. – E. M. Forster