Category Archives: quotations

Selections from Beyond Tenebrae

Posted on February 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

For Marx, man is at heart economic. For Darwin, man is biological. For Freud, man is psychological. Each of these things is true. But man—a complexity and mystery even to himself—is all of these things and so much more. True … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: On Living and Working Amid Madness

Posted on February 3, 2021 by smellincoffee

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the … Continue reading →

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Why Rick Bragg Writes

Posted on January 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

Quoted from Where I Come From, by Rick Bragg: “I write about home so I can be certain someone will. It is not much more complicated than that.”  “Home is not a thing of position, or standing. My home is … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Thoughts on love and pain

Posted on January 6, 2021 by smellincoffee

These are two quotes from two rather different authors “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must … Continue reading →

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Diabolical fragments: selections from Screwtape

Posted on December 16, 2020 by smellincoffee

I recently re-read The Screwtape Letters for Advent, and would have posted a review but realized I rather liked the draft review I’d written in 2013 more, so now I’m trying to graft the best of one onto the other, … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Live despite Death

Posted on December 16, 2020 by smellincoffee

Recently a friend was kind enough to bring this article to my attention. It’s from C.S. Lewis, written in 1948 to address the growing fears of his contemporaries, who were shaken by the spectre of Hiroshima and unnerved by the … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Now will never come again

Posted on December 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

This past month some friends and I have been sharing, anonymously, thoughts on the pandemic and its influence on our growth as people — reflecting on how it’s changed us, how we’ve risen to the challenge (or not). I ended … Continue reading →

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Selections from “A Grief Observed”

Posted on November 21, 2020 by smellincoffee

A Grief Observed was not written as a book, but was published as such from four reflective notebooks that Lewis kept while reeling from the death of his wife, Joy. The collection is raw, intimate, and personal; we find Lewis … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Try

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Scene: A visionary academic, Hari Seldon, has attracted the attention and wrath of the Emperor, and is fleeing for his life with the assistance of “Chester Hummin”, a journalist. The two men take refuge in a dismal diner and Hummin … Continue reading →

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How to win friends and influence terrorists to chill out

Posted on October 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Gary Noesner served as an FBI hostage negotiator for decades, helping defuse many high profile incidents. Below are some of his toughts on communication and persuasian, taken from his memoir Stalling for Time. SELECTIONS Among negotiators, this process of trust … Continue reading →

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