“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”
― Alan Bennett
“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. ”
― Swami Vivekananda
“No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.”
― Henry Adams
“You see, one of the best things about reading is that you’ll always have something to think about when you’re not reading.”
― James Patterson
“Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought.”
― Austin Phelps
“Are we controlled by our thoughts, or are we controlling our thoughts?”
― Raymond Holliwell
“In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, everything collapses.”
― Isaac Marion
“I’m left to look around and be alone with my thoughts. It’s a dangerous place to be.”
― Tahereh Mafi
“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.”
― John Green
“People who read books in public places are regarded with suspicion because they appear self-sufficient. When you seem self-sufficient, other people think that you think you’re better than them, and they get resentful.”
-Jessica Zafra
To the outside eye we may appear self-sufficient by reading in a public place instead of socializing with others. I can see how people could misconstrue our true intentions and turn it around into something negative. When I am reading I don’t think I am better than anyone for they all cease to exist for I chose to dwell in a place they do not exist. When I am reading I am in a different world far from the thoughts of those around me. Their judgement means nothing to me.
As readers we may appear self-sufficient, but it is quite the opposite. We read to know we are not alone in this world, that we are not the only ones that feel the way we do. Sometimes we feel so strongly and so passionately about something that we don’t know what to do with ourselves. We burn with a passion that no one understands, so we read, and we find others just like ourselves. We become dependent on the characters and the world the author has created. We may not depend on someone from this world, but we depend on others from so many different worlds that are real only to us.
No matter what you do, someone is always going to be resentful. Humans are such judgmental creatures. We tend to rationalize our thoughts and behaviors based on that of others. No matter what you do, someone isn’t going to like your decision. So instead of getting angry or frustrated with people who are going to judge you, delve into a book. If they are going judge you, it should be for something you have no shame over. You will realize that you care far less about what people are saying when you are lost between the pages of a book.
The Writing Life 