Quotes and Notes
Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2026/04/07/notes-and-quotes/
Away from the noise of social media, the Internet is still brimming with great stuff to read. The old way of finding a feed reader, subscribing to some sites, and coming back on occasion to be wowed still works great. Kagi has pitched in with their “Small Web” site to help folks find new voices. It takes a little more effort to get this going than it does to visit the increasingly barren FaceBookMegaMart or injecting TikTok into your retinas, but damn it is so much more gratifying.
Unlinked quotes here are most likely taken from The Sun Magazine, which has great writing in the even older and more convenient format of the printed magazine.
But, quickly, the feeling to be without a smartphone changed from anxiety to liberating. I felt really happy not to have a phone on me while outside. I was rediscovering my old way of getting lost in my thought, of sometimes talking to myself to clarify an idea. Which is less weird these days because everybody assumes you have an ear bud and are on the phone with someone else. In fact, when walking alone, I’m often on a call with myself.
“When you bury a parent, you bury the beginning of your life.” –Bob Hikok
No one who isn’t us is going to destroy the Earth, and no one who isn’t us is going to save it. The most hopeless conditions can inspire the most hopeful actions. We have found ways to restore life on Earth in the event of a total collapse because we have found ways to cause a total collapse of life on Earth. We are the flood, and we are the ark.
–Jonathan Safron Foer
“Grief doesn’t make an appointment. It just shows up while you’re doing the dishes.” –Lalaie Ameeriar
To argue that the current extinction event could be averted if people just cared more and were willing to make more sacrifices is not wrong, exactly; still, it misses the point. It doesn’t much matter whether people care or don’t care. What matters is that people change the world.
–Elizabeth Kolbert
When you travel, consider skipping the Big Sites. Go where tourists are relatively few. You have a better chance of connecting with the local culture. Craig Mod makes a compelling case for visiting Nagasaki.
Doomscrolling is a protection racket. Every horrifying headline you consume without acting on is a toll you pay to the algorithm in exchange for the feeling of engagement without the inconvenience of actually engaging. Power loves this arrangement. Power has always loved a population too exhausted and too demoralized to walk out the front door. The algorithm is doing work for authoritarianism that authoritarianism used to have to do itself. It’s very efficient. You should be furious about it. Preferably while moving.
“Being ethical under capitalism is like trying to pray the rosary on a pirate ship.” –Sparrow
The night I sat with a peach, the sensuous experience of licking it, nibbling it, sucking it, juice dribbling down my chest, my belly.
We all learn there’s no substitute for love, but sex and food both run a close second.
–Sy Safransky
