“ As a nation, we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal. We now practically read it, ‘all men are created equal, except negroes. When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read, ‘all men a… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ A creeping fear of madness often accompanies depression. Sufferers wonder if their black moods will ever lift, or if their feelings of alienation from the healthy world will deepen and widen. These fe… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ In the fourth century, John Cassian described a condition among his fellow monks that he called acedia: a weariness or distress of heart . . . akin to dejection that took possession of unhappy souls a… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who know me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. Late Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ One of the basic ideas of the evangelical movement in the early nineteenth century was that people could help themselves. Rather than wonder and fear the fate God decreed for them, they could actively… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ His reason and his logic, said his friend James Matheny, swallowed up all his being. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ The distinction is essential. Fault implies a failure or weakness for which a person should be held to account, if not outright blamed. Misfortune is an unhappy circumstance, something bad that has ha… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Her brother-in-law Ninian Edwards said bluntly, She could make a bishop forget his prayers. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young, it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ High-level creative exchange depends on both hierarchical and fluid power relationships. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Don’t you find, he said, judging from his picture, that his eyes are full of tears and that his lips are sad with a secret sorrow? Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Did you know that Lincoln liked popcorn, and oysters, and a good strong cup of coffee? Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ ONE OF THE REASONS that depression is so problematic—and deadly, leading to many of the forty thousand suicides in the United States each year—is that people are often loath to admit they are sufferin… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ In the early nineteenth century, a new culture—a new idea about what to hope for—emerged for many Americans, centered around the independent self, under nation and God. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ An argument can be made—a rigorous, persuasive argument—that every good new thing results from a teeming complexity. Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Yet a period’s character does affect individual character. Psychology, the study of what happens in our minds, is tightly interwoven with culture, the name we give to our beliefs, practices, and socia… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ That solitude promotes insight as well as change, Storr continues, has been recognized by the great religious leaders—including the Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed—who have usually retreated from the worl… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Put plainly, Lincoln was a politician, building a public life on points that could be sustained by popular opinion—or, in extreme cases, sustained despite popular opinion. Doing good depended on winni… Joshua Wolf Shenk
“ Of all the paradoxes of Lincoln’s life, none is more powerful than the fact that the man who would come to be known throughout the world—from American schoolrooms to the tribal councils of the Caucasu… Joshua Wolf Shenk
