English Literature

Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them.

Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice, except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.

Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own and no other culture but its own.

Pity the nation whose breath is money and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.

Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away.

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My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty. ~ Lawrence Ferlinghetti

(Art Credit: Lesley Oldaker)

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The Well of Wisdom

A lawyer came with a paper in hand,

Claimed the well, but not the land.

“I sold you stone, not water, dear—

Pay again if you want it clear!”

The teacher smiled, his eyes alight,

With calm resolve and quiet might.

“Then take your water, don't delay,

Or rent for space you'll start to pay.”

The lawyer blinked, his face grew pale,

Outwitted in his own sly tale.

“Oh, just a joke!” he quickly cried—

But truth and wit stood side by side.

The teacher laughed, with gentle grace,

A knowing smile upon his face.

“Remember, sir, where you once sat,

And learned from minds much sharp as that.

” So here’s to those who light the flame,

Who teach us more than just the name.

With every lesson, thought, and pen,

They raise the world's most brilliant men.

Anthony Hopkins

I almost destroyed everything... until someone asked me: Do you want to live or die?" — Anthony Hopkins

He wasn’t born in applause.

He was born into silence.

Into the awkwardness of not belonging,

of always feeling like an outsider.

They said he was odd.

Disconnected.

Hopeless.

“It was hard to connect. There was always a wall between me and the world.”

Alcohol came early.

Not to celebrate—

but to numb.

Every drink was an attempt to silence the storm inside.

And for a while… it worked.

He became an actor.

Not to be seen—

but to disappear.

Becoming someone else was the only way he knew how to exist without pain.

But the void stayed.

Not even talent, movies, or awards could fill it.

The self-sabotage never stopped.

Until 1975.

Someone looked him in the eye and asked:

“Do you want to live… or die?”

No drama. No miracle.

Just a choice.

Cold. Raw. Real.

That day, he quit drinking.

Forever.

Not out of fear.

Out of dignity.

“I realized I didn’t need to control the world. I just had to stop destroying myself.”

Since then, every role is a confession.

Not just Hannibal Lecter.

Not just the grieving father, the fading mind, the broken man.

Each performance is a truth—his truth.

Because Anthony Hopkins doesn’t act to entertain.

He acts to remind us:

The human soul is fragile, flawed… but worth saving.

“If you're at your lowest, hear me:

You can change.

Everything can change.

You just have to say: enough.”

And he did.

Today, Anthony raises no glass of whisky—

but one of clarity.

He no longer performs to escape.

He performs to stay himself.

A survivor. A storyteller. A man who chose life.

Who am I?

Who am I, when names fall silent?

Not the sound, not the title, not the fleeting role.

I am the one who sees them come and go.

Who am I, when the body bends with time?

Not the flesh, not the dust, not the passing form.

I am the light that watches change, yet never fades.

Who am I, when thoughts rise and vanish?

Not the storm, not the cloud, not the restless mind.

I am the sky that holds them all, untouched.

And so I live, not as shadow, but as flame:

With good thoughts—clear as morning air,

With good words—gentle as flowing water,

With good deeds—steady as the rooted tree.

For the witness within me is the witness within all.

It does not die, it does not end.

It only shines, through every heart,

Through every breath, through every age.

To know this is peace.

To live this is love.

To walk this is freedom.

Russian Quotes

Russian literature is considered the most truthful form of literature in the world and the most expressive of reality. It is the only literature that has far surpassed psychology and highlighted the beauty of the human soul. Here are some quotes:

"Even if I overcome everything that pains me… I am no longer who I used to be."
— Dostoevsky.

"People who are brought together by a shared tragedy feel a certain relief when they gather."
— Anton Chekhov.

"Only what we want to forget remains in memory."
— Dostoevsky.

"When they betray you, it’s as if they’ve cut off your arms—you can forgive them, but you can’t embrace them."
— Tolstoy.

"Nothing reforms a person as much as the memory of their past regrets."
— Dostoevsky.

"Winter is cold for those who have no warm memories, but I believe it is even colder for those who have them without their owners."
— Dostoevsky.

"In my opinion, the best moment in an acquaintance is the one just before farewell."
— Dostoevsky.

"I may not have remarkable victories, but I can amaze you with the defeats I survived."
— Chekhov.

"Nothing is worse than an old man who placed his dreams on his son’s shoulders, only to wake up in a nursing home."
— Dostoevsky.