Being a reader has brought me much joy, laughter, and rich experience. But reading has also wounded me. The sacrament of reading has plowed me open and sown seeds of empathy that have taken root in deep soil. Over the years, reading has caused me to grow from a shallow, self-absorbed youth to one who seeks out the pain of the world. Reading has burdened me with the welfare of my fellow human, but sometimes the burden proves too heavy for my narrow shoulders.

Dzieje kultury wykazuj?, ze g?upota jest siostr? bli?niacz? rozumu, ona ro?nie najbujniej nie na glebie dziewiczej ignorancji , lecz na gruncie uprawnym si?dmym potem doktor?w i profesor?w. Wielkie absurdy nie s? wymy?lane przez tych, kt?rych rozum krz?ta si? wok?? spraw codziennych. Nic dziwnego zatem, ?e w?a?nie najintensywniejsi my?liciele bywali producentami najwi?kszego g?upstwa. / The history of culture shows that foolishness is a twin sister of wisdom. It does not flourish on the fields of pure ignorance but on the fields tirelessly plowed by doctors and professors. Great absurdities do not flourish where one is busy with everyday life. No wonder that sometimes most vigorous thinkers come up with utmost stupidities. (Dziennik 1956, XIX, Thursday)