Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
Engraved by Robert Hicks (active 1800-1836), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Statesmen promise to make the country a better place, but they never mention the one thing that would do some good.
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Matthias Stom (fl. 1615–1649), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Samuel Smiles warned that taking care of the pennies should not come before taking care of living.
By the Fairfax Corporation, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Amy Johnson of Hull had clocked only ninety hours of flying experience before taking off alone for Australia.
By Hugh Charles McBarron, Jr. (1902-1992), via the US Army Center for Military History and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
On the evening of October 7th, 1777, as fighting on Bemis Heights subsided, Harriet Acland came to General Burgoyne with a startling request.
© Eric Cosmides, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Peoples of another culture or region will not long tolerate a Government that uses guns and soldiers to secure their obedience.
, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
However grim and severe the thirteenth century baron might be in his public duties, at dinner-time it was all wine, laughter and song.