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Books Quote by Stanislaw Lem

“Wandering across the vast room, I stopped at a set of shelves as high as the ceiling, and holding about six hundred volumes - all classics on the history of Soalris, starting with the nine volumes of Giese's monumental and already relatively obsolescent monograph. Display for its own sake was…” quote by Stanislaw Lem
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““Wandering across the vast room, I stopped at a set of shelves as high as the ceiling, and holding about six hundred volumes - all classics on the history of Soalris, starting with the nine volumes of Giese's monumental and already relatively obsolescent monograph. Display for its own sake was improbable in these surroundings. The collection was a respective tribute to the memory of the pioneers. I took down the massive volumes of Giese and sat leafing through them. Rheya had also located som reading matter. Looking over her shoulder, I saw that she had picked one of the many books brought out by the first expedition, the Interplanetary Cookery Book, which could have been the personal property of Giese himself. She was pouring over the recipes adapted to the arduous conditions of interstellar flight. I said nothing, and returned to the book resting on my knees. Solaris - Ten Years of Exploration had appeared as volumes 4-12 of the Solariana collection whose most recent additions were numbered in the thousands.””

Stanislaw Lem

About This Quote

Source Novel: Solaris, 1961

A character reflects on an immense library of historical and scientific works, highlighting humanity’s drive to preserve knowledge despite its impracticality.

In simple terms: People cherish knowledge even when it seems excessive.

Key Takeaway

Value and preserve knowledge.

Themes

knowledge preservation exploration humanity

Mood

reflective curious introspective

Type

literary philosophical descriptive

When to use this quote

  • exploring a library
  • studying history
  • preparing for space travel
  • teaching about past expeditions
  • curating archives

Key Concepts

library history science memory exploration career scientist researcher reader historian archivist curator explorer space traveler anthropologist philosopher teacher student curator librarian collector historian archivist researcher

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does preserving history shape future exploration?
  • When is it better to act than to study?
A Different Perspective

Excessive focus on archives can hinder practical action.

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