The Last Leaf

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  “The day slowly passed. As it grew dark, they could still see the leaf hanging from its branch against the wall. And then, as the night  came, the north wind began again to blow. The rain still beat against the windows. When it was light enough the next morning, Johnsy again commanded that she be allowed to see. The leaf was still there.” “The Last Leaf” A Short Story by O Henry (1905)

A Few Collected Statements on Reading and The Rational Mind

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  • Some read just enough to keep themselves misinformed. (Amish proverb)
  • The man is sure to go wrong in his thinking whose aim is to get for himself. (possibly H.L. Mencken)
  • Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid. (G.K. Chesterton)
  • There is no worse error than to seek intellectual remedy for moral grief. (Gaston Frommel)
  • Beat not out thy brains to fathom the un-revealed. (Harold Will)
  • It is not honking your horn that keeps you out of trouble as much as steering wisely. (Headline in the "Butter, Cheese & Egg Journal" July 12, 1922)
  • Knowledge is power under three conditions: if it is knowledge of things worth knowing; if it is known by a person worthy of using it; if it be used. (anon)
  • A brain is as strong as its weakest think. (Thomas Masson)
  • Hell hath no fury like a zealot trying to prove a theory. (anon)
  • True wisdom is seldom gained without suffering. (Sir Arthur Helps)

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