Marianne Moore on the There Elements of Persuasive Writing
The article revisits Marianne Moore’s out‑of‑print essay collection *Predilections* to spotlight her three psychological elements of persuasive writing—humility, concentration, and gusto. It weaves her personal literary history, from a one‑vote loss for the Academy fellowship to later Pulitzer and National Book Award wins, illustrating how her ideas have endured. Moore argues that true persuasion stems from a writer’s whole self, not a formulaic rhythm. The piece frames her insights as timeless tools for anyone seeking authentic, impactful communication.
The First Scientist’s Guide to Truth: Alhazen on Critical Thinking
Ibn al‑Haytham, known as Alhazen (c. 965‑1040), pioneered experimental optics by describing the camera obscura and correctly explaining vision as light entering the eye. His seven‑volume Book of Optics detailed experiments on reflection, refraction, and eye anatomy, influencing Galileo, Kepler, Newton...
A Place for Intimacy: Bell Hooks on Language and Desire
bell hooks’ essay in *Teaching to Transgress* reframes language as a vehicle for desire, arguing that words both shape and are shaped by thought. She draws on Ursula K. Le Guin, Adrienne Rich and Pablo Neruda to illustrate how language can bridge...
William James on the Psychology of Habit
William James’s 1887 essay "Habit" argues that repeated actions sculpt the brain’s plastic structure, turning conscious effort into automatic behavior. He outlines three maxims—strong initiation, uninterrupted practice, and seizing the first opportunity—to forge new habits and discard old ones. The...
How to Live Fully: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Remedy for Our Resistance to Change
Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1971 novel *The Lathe of Heaven* offers a stark meditation on humanity’s instinct to resist change, equating that resistance with suffering. The essay highlights her argument that true equilibrium is a dynamic process, not a static...
Wherever You Think There Is Nothing
Maria Popova’s The Marginalian, formerly Brain Pickings, continues as a free, ad‑free cultural newsletter funded entirely by reader donations. The one‑woman operation invests thousands of dollars each month to curate essays, poetry, and a weekly newsletter that reaches a global audience....
What Forgiveness Takes
Maria Popova’s latest essay on The Marginalian reflects on forgiveness after a friend shared Lucille Clifton’s poem “blessing the boats.” Using Clifton’s line as a prompt, Popova writes a lyrical piece that likens forgiveness to the tide’s endless, gentle work, turning...
But We Had Music
Maria Popova’s seventh annual Universe in Verse series debuted an animated poem titled “But We Had Music,” a collaboration with Australian musician Nick Cave and Brazilian visual artist Daniel Bruson. The piece blends poetry, astrophysics and music to confront humanity’s fleeting...
Albert Camus on the Source of Strength and How to Save Our Sanity in Trying Times
Albert Camus, Nobel laureate in literature, penned the 1940 essay “The Almond Trees,” famously declaring that an “invincible summer” lies within us even in the deepest winter. The piece urges readers to reject despair, cultivate virtues such as strength of...
Pablo Neruda on How to Hold Time
The Marginalian essay reflects on Pablo Neruda’s poetic meditation about holding time, quoting his "Elemental Odes" that split time into backward‑flowing memory and forward‑moving presence. Neruda urges readers to seize the present moment, shaping it with love, justice, and creativity. The...