"Sidelights on Relativity" by Albert Einstein

Kindle edition here.

• "One reason why mathematics enjoys special esteem, above all other sciences, is that its laws are absolutely certain and indisputable, while those of all other sciences are to some extent debatable and in constant danger of being overthrown by newly discovered facts."

• "Newton's theory is probably the greatest stride ever made in the effort towards the causal nexus of natural phenomena."

• "And yet this theory evoked a lively sense of discomfort among Newton's contemporaries, because it seemed to be in conflict with the principle springing from the rest of experience, that there can be reciprocal action only through contact, and not through immediate action at a distance."

"My Heart Remembers" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Kindle edition here.

• "bits and snatches from the past hours cluttered Maelle's  mind in a confusing mosaic"
• " cry the hurt  away"
• "Maelle awakened Christmas morning with a dream hovering on the fringes of her mind."
• "Traveling alone often brought waves of melancholy, but on this particular morning she felt far from dismal. Who could be gloomy on such a glorious day? Overhead, fluffy clouds floated  lazily in a brilliant blue sky. The early spring rain had ignited  an abundance of fresh scents as well as brought a touch of green  to the landscape. If she squinted she could make out tiny buds  on the tips of bare trees. It wouldn't be long before wild flowers  would be making an appearance."
• "How many photographs had she  taken of children hiding their sad, hopeless situation behind  a forced smile?"

"Reflections on War and Death" by Sigmund Freud

Kindle edition here.

• "Caught in the whirlwind of these war times"
• "It would seem as though no event had ever destroyed so much of the precious heritage of mankind, confused so many of the clearest intellects or so thoroughly debased what is highest."
• "Even science has lost her dispassionate impartiality. Her deeply embittered votaries are intent upon seizing her weapons to do their share in the battle against the enemy."
• "The anthropologist has to declare his opponent inferior and degenerate, the psychiatrist must diagnose him as mentally deranged."
• "One need not be a sentimentalist, one may realize the biological and physiological necessity of suffering in the economy of human life, and yet one may condemn the methods and the aims of war and long for its termination."

"The Man Who Knew Too Much" by G. K. Chesterton

Free Kindle edition here and free e-book here.

• "he was still young enough to remember his politics and not merely try to forget them"
• "Harold March was the sort of man who knows everything about politics, and nothing about politicians. He also knew a great deal about art, letters, philosophy, and general culture; about almost everything, indeed, except the world he was living in."
• ". . . the premonitions proper to a man who meets the strangest friendship of his life"
• "The man was apparently fishing; or at least was fixed in a fisherman's attitude with more than a fisherman's immobility. March was able to examine the man almost as if he had been a statue for some minutes before the statue spoke."
• "It was one of those cases of a strange face so unmistakable as to feel familiar. We feel, somehow, that we ought to recognize it, even though we do not."
• "I know too much," he said. "That's what's the matter with me. That's what's the matter with all of us, and the whole show; we know too much."

Books I Want to Read in 2012

• The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton 
• Love's Executioner by Irvin Yalom
• Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers
• A Young Girl's Diary by Sigmund Freud
• Sidelights on Relativity by Albert Einstein
• Reflections on War and Death by Sigmund Freud
• Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
• Pragmatism by William James
• The Addicted Brain: Why We Abuse Drugs by Michael Kuhar
• Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich W. Nietzsche
• Leonardo da Vinci by Sigmund Freud
• Intentions by Oscar Wilde
• All my textbooks and books for classes, of course ;)

"The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff

Paperback edition here.

• "Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet."
• ". . . but, no matter how he may seem to others, especially to those fooled by appearances, Pooh, the Uncarved Block, is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded. As any old Taoist walking out of the woods can tell you, simpleminded does not necessarily mean stupid. It's rather significant that the Taoist ideal is that of the still, calm, reflecting 'mirror-mind' of the Uncarved Block, and it's rather significant that Pooh, rather than the thinkers Rabbit, Owl, or Eeyore, is the true hero of Winnie-the-Pooh."

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully."

"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."

"And he has Brain."

"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."

There was a long silence.

"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

"The Way of Peace" by James Allen

Kindle edition here.

• "Meditation is the intense dwelling, in thought, upon an idea or theme, with the object of thoroughly comprehending it, and whatsoever you constantly meditate upon you will not only come to understand, but will grow more and more into its likeness, for it will become incorporated into your very being, will become, in fact, your very self. If, therefore, you constantly dwell upon that which is selfish and debasing, you will ultimately become selfish and debased; if you ceaselessly think upon that which is pure and unselfish you will surely become pure and unselfish."
• "There is an unavoidable tendency to become literally the embodiment of that quality upon which one most constantly thinks."
• "He who would secure any worldly advantage must be willing to work vigorously for it, and he would be foolish indeed who, waiting with folded hands, expected it to come to him for the mere asking."
• "Do not then vainly imagine that you can obtain the heavenly possessions without making an effort."