“Reading and writing were therefore inseparable activities. They belonged to a continuous effort to make sense of things, for the world was full of signs: you could read your way through it; and by keeping an account of your readings, you made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality.”
Robert Darnton
I’ve been keeping a commonplace book in some shape or form since I was in my teens. Although I didn’t know that was the particular term for it then. I have always been a lover of words and thereby a collector of them too.
A commonplace book “contains a collection of significant or well-known passages that have been copied and organised in some way, often under topical or thematic headings, in order to serve as a memory aid or reference for the compiler.”(Harvard University Librariers)
Words are incredibly powerful and over time I’ve learnt the inestimable value of Phillipians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
I want to share that commonplace with you here, dear daughter. A collection of all the words, thoughts and passages that have inspired me throughout the years.
May these words be like little lanterns to light your way.
“The personality of a house is indefinable, but there never lived a lady of great cultivation and charm whose home, whether a palace, a farm cottage or a tiny apartment, did not reflect the charm of its owner.”
“There is no better way to cultivate taste in words, than by constantly reading the best English.”
From my current read, Etiquette, written by Emily Post.
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