Literature isn't a moral beauty contest. Its power arises from the authority and audacity with which the impersonation is pulled off; the belief it inspires is what counts. Philip Roth ariseaudacityauthority Change image and share on social
Literature led me to freedom, not the other way round. Ismail Kadare freedomleadliterature Change image and share on social
Literature must rest always on a principle, and temporal considerations are no principle at all. For, to the poet, all times and places are one; the stuff he deals with is eternal and eternally the same: no theme is inept, no past or present preferable. Oscar Wilde considerationdealeternal share on social
Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and - since there is no other metaphor - also the soul. Christopher Hitchens literaturemetaphormind Change image and share on social
Literature - novels, plays, and poems - can have an uncanny dual life, where they simultaneously represent something eternal and something historical, and this is often how they are taught in school. Jane Smiley dualeternalhistorical Change image and share on social
Literature, of course, is not a contest. Lorrie Moore contestliterature Change image and share on social
Literature offers not just a window into the culture of diverse regions, but also the society, the politics; it's the only place where we can keep track of ideas. Reza Aslan culturediverseidea Change image and share on social
Literature overtakes history, for literature gives you more than one life. It expands experience and opens new opportunities to readers. Carlos Fuentes expandexperiencehistory Change image and share on social
Literature seems to offer lessons in human nature that help us decode the world around us and be better friends. Nicholas Kristof decodefriendhuman Change image and share on social
