The August Scrapbook—A Living Document
Quotes I've encountered in August that I'm loving—continually updated and curated.
Published August 5, 2025
I read a whole lot in July, as evidenced by the reviews and lists scattered across this site, and have a lot of great books on deck—which means I have some stellar underlines to share. If you're new here, I update my scrapbooks (quotes) page as I go throughout the month; not everything makes it on here, but it's a nice minimalistic snapshot of some thoughts or sentences I like, whether for their sentiment, construction, or something else entirely.
August is a transitional month: a lot of figuring out what the fall looks like. I'm motivated, pretty happy, and ripping through a hefty to-read list. So hopefully that will spill into my selections too.
“Disfigurement is synonymous with the whole idea of a frontier. As soon as we lay our hands on it, the freedom we thought it represented is quickly gone. — Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces: Essays.”
“Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other. — Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue.”
“And everywhere people asked him why he was walking through the country. Because he loved true things, he tried to explain. He said he was nervous and besides he wanted to see the country, smell the ground and look at grass and birds and trees, to savor the country, and there was no other way to do it save on foot. And people didn't like him for telling the truth. They scowled, or shook and tapped their heads, they laughed as though they knew it was a lie and they appreciated a liar. And some, afraid for their daughters or pigs, told him to move on, to get going, just not to stop near their place if he knew what was good for him. And so he stopped telling the truth. He said he was doing it on a bet - that he stood to win a hundred dollars. Everyone liked him then and believed him. — John Steinbeck, Cannery Row.”
“What is a culture? A culture is what approves or disapproves of the actions in its midst. Yet how rare for approval to be unanimous. — Anne Carson, Red Doc>”
“One might wonder what the point is of all such speculations bleeding into historical tabloidism—art, after all, should speak for itself. But this is where the snake bites its own tail: There is no “itself” any more than there is a solid self that holds up to the scrutiny of disambiguation. — Maria Popova, Figuring.”
“But his soul is dirty: he knows and yet hesitates; he knows and still asks for a guarantee. He’s unable to make a decision on faith. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot.”
“'I think the real danger of the frictionless economy is that at any moment, it's easier often to do the nonsocial thing,' said Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioral science and director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business — Kate Murphy, Why We Click.”
“But once in a while the odd thing happens, Once in a while the dream comes true, And the whole pattern of life is altered, Once in a while the moon turns blue. — W.H. Auden.”
“Hope is the hardest love we carry. — Jane Hirshfield, Hope and Love.”
“But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. — Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451.”
