Gladden Library & Reading Room

“When we listen, we hear someone into existence.” ―
Laurie Buchanan, PhD and writer

“Heritage is all these places that make me who I am. It is like a book that we all write in, a story that has no end but many layers of meaning.”
― Desi Gradinarova, PhD and Senior Policy Adviser at Historic England

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.”― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet

"Poetry, plays, novels, music, they are the cry of the human spirit trying to understand itself and make sense of our world." ―
Laura Malone Elliott, author

“The secret, Alice, is to surround yourself with people who make your heart smile. It’s then, only then, that you’ll find Wonderland”
― ​Lewis Carroll, writer

“Suffering is part and parcel of extensive intelligence and a feeling heart.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, writer

"Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”― Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist

“Let July be July. Let August be August. And let yourself just be even in the uncertainty. You don’t have to fix everything. You don’t have to solve everything. And you can still find peace and grow in the wild of changing things”
― Morgan Harper Nichols, poet

“You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
― Walter Hagen, professional golfer

“Life is unpredictable. It changes with the seasons. Even your coldest winter happens for the best of reasons. And although it feels eternal, like all you'll ever do is freeze, I promise Spring is coming and, with it, brand new leaves.”
― Ernest Hemingway, novelist 

“​There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
― Washington Irving, writer and historian

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
― Ernest Hemingway, novelist