Pride

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

Page 109 of 174 · 20 per page

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  6 For I am already being a poured out as a drink offering, and the time of b my departure [from this world] is at hand and I will soon go free. [Num 15:1–12 ; 28:7 ; Phil 2:17 ] 7 I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]. 8 In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing. Personal Concerns 9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved [the pleasures of] this present c world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry. 12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the coat that I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; [but that is no concern of mine, for] the Lord will repay him according to his actions. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, because he vigorously opposed our message. 16 At my first trial no one supported me [as an advocate] or stood with me, but they all deserted me. May it not be counted against them [by God]. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened and empowered me, so that through me the [gospel] message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and I was rescued from the d mouth of the lion. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil assault, and He will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 19 Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and to the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed on at Corinth, but I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 21 Try your best to come [to me] before winter. Eubulus wishes to be remembered to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the e brothers and sisters. 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 2 Timothy 1 a 1:6 In ancient times embers were kept slowly burning so that they could be fanned into flames when a fire was needed. b 1:12 Also called the Day of Christ when Christians will be called to account for their actions (2 Cor 5:10 ). c 1:18 See note v 12 . 2 Timothy 2 a 2:2 Lit through . b 2:20 Like Rom 9:20–23 , the analogy here has its roots in OT poetry (e.g.

• From Henry Miller on Writing (1964)

  As a foreigner in Paris, without friends, I went through an even worse ordeal, though in another sense it was a thousand times better than the American experience. I grew so desperate that finally I decided to explode—and I did explode. The naive English critics, in their polite, asinine way, talk about the “hero” of my book (Tropic of Cancer) as though he were a character I had invented. I made it as plain as could be that I was talking in that book about myself. I used my own name throughout. I didn’t write a piece of fiction: I wrote an autobiographical document, a human book. I mention this only because this book marks a turning point in my literary career—I should say, in my life . At a certain point in my life I decided that henceforth I would write about myself, my friends, my experiences, what I knew and what I had seen with my own eyes. Anything else, in my opinion, is literature, and I am not interested in literature . I realized also that I should have to learn to content myself with what was within my grasp, my scope, my personal ken. I learned not to be ashamed of myself, to talk freely about myself, to advertise myself, to elbow my way in here and there when necessary. The greatest man America ever produced was not ashamed to peddle his own book from door to door. He had faith in himself and he has given tremendous faith to others. Goethe too was not ashamed to beg a friend to put in a good word for him with the critics. Gide and Proust were not ashamed to publish their first books at their own expense. Joyce had the courage to search for years for the person who would publish his Ulysses . Was the world better then? Were people more kind, more intelligent, more sympathetic, more understanding? Did Milton get a reasonable price for his Paradise Lost? I could go on multiplying instance after instance. What’s the use? Writing Is Its Own Reward—HamletJan. 26, 1938 Dear Michael Fraenkel of the myth…. And now to talk about myself a little more intimately I will tell you how I feel about the future—my future . Every day I live in three times—the past, the present and the future. The past is the springboard, the present the melting pot, and the future the delectation. I participate in all three simultaneously. For instance, when I write something I like extra well I smack my lips and look over my own shoulder. I am already with the man of 2500 A.D. or 5000 A.D., enjoying this great guy Henry Miller who lived in the 20th century. There are certain things I do which while doing them I know beforehand will be appreciated later on. I am sure of it—dead sure. I gloat over the past, I revel in the present and I make merry in the future.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  24 Therefore, show these men, in the sight of the churches, the proof of your love and our reason for being proud of you. 2 Corinthians 9 God Gives Most 1 N ow it is unnecessary for me to write to you about the offering [that is to be made] for the saints [in Jerusalem]; 2 for I know your eagerness [to promote this cause], and I have [proudly] boasted to the people of Macedonia about it, telling them that a Achaia has been prepared since last year [for this contribution], and your enthusiasm has inspired the majority of them [to respond]. 3 Still, I am sending the brothers [on to you], so that our pride in you may not be an empty boast in this case, and so that you may be prepared, just as I told them you would be; 4 otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of yourselves—will be humiliated for being so confident. 5 That is why I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you [before I come] and make arrangements in advance for this generous, previously promised gift of yours, so that it would be ready, not as something extorted [or wrung out of you], but as a [voluntary and] generous gift. 6 Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows b generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap c generously [and be blessed]. 7 Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift]. [Prov 22:9 ] 8 And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. 9 As it is written and forever remains written, “HE [the benevolent and generous person] SCATTERED ABROAD , HE GAVE TO THE POOR , HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER !” [Ps 112:9 ] 10 Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing [that is, your resources] and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love]. [Is 55:10 ; Hos 10:12 ] 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administered] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit]. 12 For the ministry of this service (offering) is not only supplying the needs of the saints (God’s people), but is also overflowing through many expressions of thanksgiving to God.

• From The Decameron (1353)

  [Footnote 467: _i.e._ of your counsel.] [Footnote 468: _i.e._ my riches are not the result of covetous amassing, but of the favours of fortune.] Who then, letting be wilfulness and considering with reason, will commend your counsels above those of my Gisippus? Certes, none. Sophronia, then, is well and duly married to Titus Quintius Fulvus, a noble, rich and long-descended citizen of Rome and a friend of Gisippus; wherefore whoso complaineth or maketh moan of this doth not that which he ought neither knoweth that which he doth. Some perchance will say that they complain not of Sophronia being the wife of Titus, but of the manner wherein she became his wife, to wit, in secret and by stealth, without friend or kinsman knowing aught thereof; but this is no marvel nor thing that betideth newly. I willingly leave be those who have aforetime taken husbands against their parents' will and those who have fled with their lovers and have been mistresses before they were wives and those who have discovered themselves to be married rather by pregnancy or child-bearing than with the tongue, yet hath necessity commended it to their kinsfolk; nothing of which hath happened in Sophronia's case; nay, she hath orderly, discreetly and honourably been given by Gisippus to Titus. Others will say that he gave her in marriage to whom it appertained not to do so; but these be all foolish and womanish complaints and proceed from lack of advisement. This is not the first time that fortune hath made use of various means and strange instruments to bring matters to foreordained issues. What have I to care if it be a cordwainer rather than a philosopher, that hath, according to his judgment, despatched an affair of mine, and whether in secret or openly, provided the issue be good? If the cordwainer be indiscreet, all I have to do is to look well that he have no more to do with my affairs and thank him for that which is done. If Gisippus hath married Sophronia well, it is a superfluous folly to go complaining of the manner and of him. If you have no confidence in his judgment, look he have no more of your daughters to marry and thank him for this one.

• From History of the Christian Church: The Complete Set of Eight Volumes (1858)

  Decius Trajan (249–251), an earnest and energetic emperor, in whom the old Roman spirit once more awoke, resolved to root out the church as an atheistic and seditious sect, and in the year 250 published an edict to all the governors of the provinces, enjoining return to the pagan state religion under the heaviest penalties. This was the signal for a persecution which, in extent, consistency, and cruelty, exceeded all before it. In truth it was properly the first which covered the whole empire, and accordingly produced a far greater number of martyrs than any former persecution. In the execution of the imperial decree confiscation, exile, torture, promises and threats of all kinds, were employed to move the Christians to apostasy. Multitudes of nominal Christians,41 especially at the beginning, sacrificed to the gods (sacrificati, thurificati), or procured from the, magistrate a false certificate that they had done so (libellatici), and were then excommunicated as apostates (lapsi); while hundreds rushed with impetuous zeal to the prisons and the tribunals, to obtain the confessor’s or martyr’s crown. The confessors of Rome wrote from prison to their brethren of Africa: "What more glorious and blessed lot can fall to man by the grace of God, than to confess God the Lord amidst tortures and in the face of death itself; to confess Christ the Son of God with lacerated body and with a spirit departing, yet free; and to become fellow-sufferers with Christ in the name of Christ? Though we have not yet shed our blood, we are ready to do so. Pray for us, then, dear Cyprian, that the Lord, the best captain, would daily strengthen each one of us more and more, and at last lead us to the field as faithful soldiers, armed with those divine weapons (Eph. 6:2) which can never be conquered." The authorities were specially severe with the bishops and officers of the churches. Fabianus of Rome, Babylas of Antioch, and Alexander of Jerusalem, perished in this persecution. Others withdrew to places of concealment; some from cowardice; some from Christian prudence, in hope of allaying by their absence the fury of the pagans against their flocks, and of saving their own lives for the good of the church in better times. Among the latter was Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who incurred much censure by his course, but fully vindicated himself by his pastoral industry during his absence, and by his subsequent martyrdom. He says concerning the matter: "Our Lord commanded us in times of persecution to yield and to fly. He taught this, and he practised it himself. For since the martyr’s crown comes by the grace of God, and cannot be gained before the appointed hour, he who retires for a time, and remains true to Christ, does not deny his faith, but only abides his time."

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  The intention is to show the persistence of the view that Rabbinic soteriology is dominated by the theory that salvation is earned by the merit of good works. In the widely-circulated The Book of the Acts of God, Reginald Fuller wrote as follows concerning 'Pharisaism and Rabbinic Judaism': The two great commandments, love of God and love of the neighbour, were of course part of the law, but even in combination they were not accorded that central and unifying position which they were given in the New Testament. All this naturally led to legalism and scrupulosity, to a belief in the saving value of good works, and the consequent sense of pride which a doctrine of merit inevitably entailed. 64 Fuller denies that 'the rabbis completely abandoned the idea of sacred history' and even grants that 'they did not altogether ignore the crucial fact that the observance of the law was meant to be Israel's grateful response to the prior action of God'. Regrettably, he did not see that this last phrase 62 Vol. 3, pp. 774-81, especially p. 781. Cf.]. Neusner, The Rabbinic Traditions about the Pharisees Before 70 III, pp. 360-2. 63 Cf. Sandmcl ('Parallelomania', JBL 81, 1962, p. 9): Rabbinic Judaism in 'pseudo scholarship' is described 'as merely dry and arid legalism - it is never dry or arid, but always dry and arid'. Black has at least found a new turn of phrase. For the full offensiveness of this unscholarly and prejudicial way of describing Judaism, see Sandmel's comment on Black's article in The First Christian Century, pp. 101f.: 'I am personally a descendant of the Rabbinic religion, the sterility of which was not so complete as to prevent my being born. Black's article is not only unreliable, it is disgraceful that it should have appeared in the same dictionary to which I and some dozen other Jews contributed.' 64 In G. E. Wright and R. Fuller, The Book of the Acts of God, 1960, pp. 229f. 52 Tannaitic Literature [I would have been correct if he had changed 'did not altogether ignore' to 'emphasized above all'. Instead, he relegated doing the law as the response to grace to the status of a 'peripheral' belief. 65 Good works were primarily thought of as earning salvation. Bultmann's description of 'Jewish legalism' in Primitive Christianity is repeated only slightly altered by H. Conzelmann in An Outline of the Theo- logy of the New Testament. 66 For his purpose of giving a short account of 'Judaism' in the time of Jesus, Conzelmann returns to the practice of giving a composite picture based on the apocalypses and Rabbinic literature, although now some references to Q!imran are added. The description does not change, however: 'The way to salvation is the fulfilment of the law' (p. 20 ). The law is primarily understood as a formal requirement 'and is therefore not comprehensible in itself (p.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  5 But we did not yield to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would continue to remain with you [in its purity]. 6 But from those who were of high reputation (whatever they were—in terms of individual importance—makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality—He is not impressed with the positions that people hold nor does He recognize distinctions such as fame or power)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me [that is, they had nothing to add to my gospel message nor did they impose any new requirements on me]. [Deut 10:17 ] 7 But on the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (Gentiles), just as Peter had been [entrusted to proclaim the gospel] to the circumcised (Jews); 8 (for He who worked effectively for Peter and empowered him in his ministry to the Jews also worked effectively for me and empowered me in my ministry to the Gentiles). 9 And recognizing the grace [that God had] bestowed on me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars [of the Jerusalem church], gave to me and Barnabas the c right hand of fellowship, so that we could go to the Gentiles [with their blessing] and they to the circumcised (Jews). 10 They asked only [one thing], that we remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do. Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul 11 Now when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face [about his conduct there], because he stood condemned [by his own actions]. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat [his meals] with the Gentiles; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he began to withdraw and separate himself [from the Gentile believers], because he was afraid of those from the d circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in this hypocrisy [ignoring their knowledge that Jewish and Gentile Christians were united, under the new covenant, into one faith], with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas (Peter) in front of everyone, “If you, being a Jew, live [as you have been living] like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how is it that you are [now virtually] forcing the Gentiles to live like Jews [if they want to eat with you]?” 15 [I went on to say] “We are Jews by birth and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 yet we know that a man is not e justified [and placed in right standing with God] by works of the Law, but [only] through faith in [God’s beloved Son,] Christ Jesus.

• From Another Country (1962)

  Ida said nothing. He felt, rather then saw her smile, and he was delighted all over again by her beauty. It was as though she were wearing it especially for him. She was more friendly with him today than she had ever been. He did not feel today, as he had felt for so long, that she was evading him, locking herself away from him, forcing him to remain a stranger in her life. Today she was gayer and more natural, as though she had at last decided to come out of mourning. There was in her aspect the flavor of something won, the atmosphere of hard decisions past. She had come up from the valley. She moved with a wonderful, long-legged stride and she carried her head high, as though it had borne, but only yesterday, the weight of an African water jar. Her mother’s head had borne the weight of white folk’s washing, and it was because Ida had never known what to make of this fact—should she be ashamed of it, or proud?—that there mingled in her regal beauty something of the too-quick, diffident, plebeian disdain. She was working now as a waitress in a chain restaurant on the eastern edge of the Village and her confusion revealed itself in her attitude toward her customers, an attitude which was at once haughty and free. He had often watched her as she crossed the floor in her checkered apron, her face a dark mask behind which belligerence battled with humility. This was in her eyes which never for an instant lost their wariness and which were always ready, within a split second, to turn black and lightless with contempt. Even when she was being friendly there was something in her manner, in her voice, which carried a warning; she was always waiting for the veiled insult or the lewd suggestion. And she had good reason for it, she was not being fantastical or perverse. It was the way the world treated girls with bad reputations and every colored girl had been born with one. Now, as she walked beside him, trim and oddly elegant in a heavy, dark blue coat, and with her head covered by an old-fashioned and rather theatrical shawl, he saw that both her vanity and her contempt were being swollen by the glances which rested on her as briefly and unforgettably as the touch of a whip. She was very, very dark, she was beautiful; and he was proud to be with her, artlessly proud, in the shining, overt, male way; but the eyes they passed accused him, enviously, of a sniggering, back-alley conquest. White men looked at her, then looked at him. They looked at her as though she were no better, though more lascivious and rare, than a whore. And then the eyes of the men sought his, inviting a wet complicity.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  As you dive into the things of God and go deep in your spiritual walk with Him, you will gain power over your flesh and will grow spiritually strong. The things that tempted you before will pale in comparison to the joy of walking in obedience and enjoying sweet fellowship with Christ. In the video No More Sheets, Juanita Bynum shares her experience of falling back into sexual temptation. Juanita explains the importance of “going as deep in the things of God as you were in the things of the world,” not just for a season, but for a lifetime. She’s had to tell some friends, “I can’t do what you do…I can’t go where you go…I want to be free [from sexual immorality], and I want to stay free!” Perhaps some people might think you are legalistic for not going to an R-rated movie. Maybe your friend gets bent out of shape that you’ve stopped recording her soap opera for her while she’s at work. Your girlfriends may think you are being a stick-in-the-mud for not going out to the singles places with them anymore. Maybe your carpool companions think you’ve gone too spiritual on them because you only listen to Christian music in the car. But you know what will be evident in your life? You are a woman of conviction, and you live by those convictions. Others will see that your actions back up your words and that you give careful thought to the kind of woman you want to be. And if they ever come to realize that their lifestyles are not bringing them the fulfillment they long for, guess who they will likely run to for wise counsel? You guessed it: the woman who they know can teach them how to take every thought captive and live the overcoming life! [image file=image_rsrc247.jpg] He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! —Isaiah 26:3 (TLB) [image file=image_rsrc24C.jpg] guarding your heart Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. PROVERBS 4:23 I once made the mistake of running a pair of my son’s pants through the washer and dryer with several other articles of clothing. The problem? Rather than zips or snaps or buttons, the fly of these pants closed with a Velcro strip. Because I failed to protect the rest of my laundry by closing the Velcro flap, I ruined a silk blouse, a pair of pantyhose, and several other articles of clothing while peeling them from the Velcro’s fierce grip. Our hearts can be just like that Velcro strip. If we leave them unprotected, we make it easy for our hearts to latch on to everyone we are attracted to. Because of this, it is not enough for women to guard just our minds and bodies against sexual temptation. We also need to guard our hearts against inappropriate or forbidden relationships.

• From Push (1996)

  Rhonda still on set, some new girls—who is like me when I first walk through the door. Only now I the one who say "keep on keepin' on!" to new girls. I show them how the dialogue journal work. You know how you write to teacher 'n she write back to you in the same journal book like you talkin' on paper and you could SEE your talk coming back to you when the teacher answer you back. I mean thas what had made me really like writing in the beginning, knowing my teacher gonna write me back when I talk to her. I explain the phonics game, vocab building list—all stuff like that J know now. We have a class project—LIFE STORY. It's where we write our life stories and put it all in one big book. From the girls who been here awhile I only one ain' done my story yet. One day when I have time I read you what the other girls wrote. Some bitches get down, some bullshit. When I hear Rhonda's story, Rita Romero's story, I know I not the worse off. Rita's daddy kill her mother in front her eyes. Rita been on street selling pussy since she was twelve. She the only one came in like me—can't read, write nothin'. Then Rhonda's brother raping her since she was a chile, her mother fine out and put Rhonda, not brother, out. Consuelo in fantasy land, she pretty, long hair. But I glad she gone. She wave her pretty in my face like a flag, tell me exercise and stay out sun so I don't get no darker. Say she found good man. I glad. I don't hate no one. I don't hate Mama, Carl, so why I gonna get bent outta shape behind some Spanish talking bitch who bent outta shape 'cause she dark like nigger instead of white. Shit, Rhonda a nigger and she lighter than Consuelo! Consuelo did leave but Jer-maine didn't follow behin' her. Jermaine stayed on. She write real in book. Call what she is sexual preference. Say she shouldn't be judge 'cause of that. She got hard rock story too. Say mens beat her for what she is. Mother put her out house when she fine out. These girlz is my friends. I been like the baby in a way 'cause I was only 16 first day I walk in. They visit at hospital when I had Abdul and take up a collection when Mama kick me out and bring stuff to 2way house for me—clothes, cassette player, tuna fish, and Cambull soup, and stuff. They and Ms Rain is my friends and family.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  But the sinners among the Jews who forfeit the name 'Israel', are only those who sin worse than the Gentiles. There is no reason to think that this charge was lightly levelled against all those in a party which disagreed with the Pharisees on the interpretation of the law. The pious are, in one respect, a limited group of the specially scrupulous. On the other hand, all those who fear and love God and who do not commit one of the three types of sin listed above can be counted among the pious and are in Israel. That is, while the concept of 'Israel' is limited, it is not limited to the members of a neatly defined party, but to those who fear and love God and do not insolently and heinously transgress his will. This point may be seen most clearly in Psalm 17, which contains a prophecy of the new age to be inaugurated by God by means of a 'son of David' (17.23 [21)). The psalmist prays that the coming king will be strengthened, ... that he may shatter unrighteous rulers, And that he may purge Jerusalem from nations that trample (her) down to destruction. Wisely, righteously he shall thrust out sinners from (the) inheritance, He shall destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter's vessel. With a rod of iron he shall break in pieces all their substance, He shall destroy the godless nations with the word of his mouth; At his rebuke nations shall flee before him, And he shall reprove sinners for the thoughts of their heart. (17.24-7 [22-5]) The question here is whether the 'sinners' are the same as the 'nations'. The parallelism appears to be progressive rather than synonymous, and it seems that the prophecy is that the king will both purge Israel of foreigners (cf. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha [III also 17.31 [38]) and cast out domestic sinners. After this purging, a 'true Israel' will remain, which is called 'a holy people'; and all are 'sons of God' (vv. 28, 30 [26f.]; cf. 36 [32]). The author can speak of the 'tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the Lord', so that it appears that a full nation will remain, not just a handful of the ultra-pious (v. 28 [26]). As in the apocalyptic hope in Jubilees, Israel will then be sinless (vv. 29 [27]; 36 [32]; 46 [41]), and the ruler himself will be 'pure from sin' (v. 41 [36]). In those days Israel will be served by the Gentiles (v. 32 [Jo]), although their subjugation will be accomplished not by force of arms, but by God himself, and in part will be the result of the Gentiles' awe at the glory of Israel and the king (vv. 34-39 [30-35]). The psalm concludes: Blessed be they that shall be in those days, In that they shall see the good fortune of Israel which God shall bring to pass in the gathering together of the tribes.

• From Another Country (1962)

  I’ve just about had it, down here among the garbage cans. ” As for Ellis: “Vivaldo, if you want to believe I’m two-timing you with that man, that’s your problem. If you want to believe it, you’re going to believe it. I will not be put in the position of having to prove a damn thing. It’s up to you. You don’t trust me, well, so long, baby, I’ll pack my bags and go .” Some nights, when Ida came in, from the restaurant, her singing teacher, her parents, wherever she had been, bringing him beer and cigarettes and sandwiches, her face weary and peaceful and her eyes soft with love, it seemed unthinkable that they could ever part. They ate and drank and talked and laughed together, and lay naked on their narrow bed in the darkness, near the open windows through which an occasional limp breeze came, and tasted each other’s lips and caressed each other in spite of the heat, and made great plans for their indisputable tomorrow. And often fell asleep like that, at perfect ease with one another. But at other times they could not find each other at all. Sometimes, unable to reach her and unable to reach the people in his novel, he stalked out and walked the summer streets alone. Sometimes she declared she couldn’t stand him another minute, his grumpy ways, and was going out to a movie. And sometimes they went out together, down to Benno’s, or over to visit Eric—though these days, it was usually Eric and Cass. Ida professed herself very struck by the change in Eric—she meant by this that she disapproved of surprises and that Eric had surprised her—and the implacable, unaccountable Puritan in her disapproved of his new and astonishing affair. She said that Cass was foolish and that Eric was dishonest. Vivaldo’s feelings were much milder—it was not Eric who had surprised him, but Cass. She had certainly jeopardized everything; and he remembered her declaration: No, thank you, Vivaldo, I don’t want to be protected any more . And, insofar as his own confusion allowed him to consider hers at all, he was proud of her—not so much because she had placed herself in danger as because she knew she had. A French movie in which Eric played a bit part came to New York that summer and the four of them made an appointment to go and see it. Ida and Vivaldo were to meet Eric and Cass at the box office. “What does she think she’s doing?” Ida asked. She and Vivaldo were walking toward the theater through the July streets. “She’s trying to live,” said Vivaldo, mildly. “Oh, shit, baby, Cass is a grown woman with two kids. What about those kids? Eric’s not the fatherly type, at least not with boys that age.” “What a filthy little moralist you are. What Cass does with Cass’s life is her business.

• From Confessions of the Flesh (The History of Sexuality, Vol. 4) (2021)

  The last two orators of the Banquet form the accompaniment for Thecla and her grand discourse. The ninth is delivered in the language of paraenesis: an exhortation of the soul to prepare for the feast that the seventh millennium holds in store. How is one to “adorn oneself with the fruits of virtue”? And “shade one’s brow with the boughs of purity”? And “adorn one’s tabernacle”? To answer these questions Methodius refers to a text of Leviticus.74 First gather “fine ripened fruits”—that is, those that grew on the tree of life in paradise, from which man turned away; today it means those Christians who have been “cultivated in the Gospel orchard.” Next “the plumes of the palm tree”: here it’s a matter of purifying the mind, of ridding the soul of the dust and dirt of passion. Then willow branches, signifying justice. And finally, chastetree branches, which of course symbolize chastity, the crowning virtue.75 However, an important qualification: this chastity is not to be identified with celibacy because it can be practiced “by those who live chastely with their wives,” though they don’t reach the top or even the main branches of the tree like those who constrain themselves to practice a complete virginity. Nor is it to be equated with the refusal of fornication, or with the pure and simple abstinence from sexual relations: virginity demands that even desires and lusts be rooted out. As a virtue and indeed the pinnacle of all the virtues, as a preparation for the completion of the ages, virginity must be not a rejection of the body, but a labor of the soul upon itself.

• From Another Country (1962)

  Neither had he been working—for a long time; he had merely been keeping his hand in. It had been because of Yves; so he had told himself; but was this true? He looked at Vivaldo’s white, passionate face and wondered if Vivaldo were now thinking that he had not been working because of Ida: who had not, however, allowed him to distract her . There she was, up on the stand, and unless all the signs were false, and no matter how hard or long the road might be, she was on her way. She had started. Give Mama my clothes , Give Betty my diamond ring . Tomorrow’s Friday , The day I got to swing . She and the musicians were beginning to enjoy each other and to egg each other on as they bounced through this ballad of cupidity, treachery, and death; and Ida had created in the room a new atmosphere and a new excitement. Even the heat seemed less intolerable. The musicians played for her as though she were an old friend come home and their pride in her restored their pride in themselves. The number ended and Ida stepped off the stand, wet and triumphant, the applause crashing about her ears like foam. She came to the table, looking at Vivaldo with a smile and a small, questioning frown, and, standing, took a sip of her drink. They called her back. The drummer reached down and lifted her, bodily, onto the stand, and the applause continued. Eric became aware of a shift in Vivaldo’s attention. He looked at Vivaldo’s face, which was stormier than ever, and followed his eyes. Vivaldo was looking at a short square man with curly hair and a boyish face who was standing at the end of the bar, looking up at Ida. He grinned and waved and Ida nodded and Vivaldo looked up at the stand again: with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, with an air of grim speculation. “Your girl friend’s got something,” Eric said. Vivaldo glanced over at him. “It runs in the family,” he said. His tone was not friendly; it was as though he suspected Eric of taunting him; and so referred, obliquely, to Rufus, with the intention of humbling Eric. Yet, in a moment he relented. “She’s going to be terrific,” he said, “and, Lord, I’m going to have to buy me a baseball bat to keep all the hungry cats away.” He grinned and looked again at the short man at the bar. Ida stepped up to the microphone. “This song is for my brother,” she said. She hesitated and looked over at Vivaldo. “He died just a little before Thanksgiving, last year.”

• From American Swing (2008)

  751 00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:12,628 A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING LARRY LEVENSON, 752 00:36:12,628 --> 00:36:14,463 A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY SLEAZE. 753 00:36:14,463 --> 00:36:17,884 I HEARD THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH THE OTHER NIGHT. HE TALKED ABOUT TRUTH, 754 00:36:17,884 --> 00:36:20,720 SERVICE, SACRIFICE, THE AMERICAN DREAM. 755 00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:23,973 AND THEN WE SEE IN THIS COUNTRY A DISINTEGRATION OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY-- 756 00:36:23,973 --> 00:36:27,059 THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REALLY TELLING US. THAT'S WHAT PLATO'S RETREAT 757 00:36:27,059 --> 00:36:29,228 - IS ABOUT-- OR MONOGAMY IS DEAD. - OH NO. 758 00:36:29,228 --> 00:36:30,980 - Man: NO! - Siegel: I'M SAYING THAT-- 759 00:36:30,980 --> 00:36:33,316 Mary: THIS IS A PRESERVATION IN A SENSE, STANLEY. 760 00:36:33,316 --> 00:36:35,318 DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW MANY MEN SAY 761 00:36:35,318 --> 00:36:37,403 "I'M GOING OUT WITH THE BOYS TONIGHT," 762 00:36:37,403 --> 00:36:39,655 - AND THEY CHEAT AND THEY LIE? - THE QUESTION IS 763 00:36:39,655 --> 00:36:41,199 WHY AREN'T YOU IN JAIL? 764 00:36:42,742 --> 00:36:45,161 WE'RE HERE AT THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM NOW. 765 00:36:45,161 --> 00:36:49,832 - ( laughing ) - WATCHING ORCA SHAMU DO HIS THING. 766 00:36:49,832 --> 00:36:52,585 LARRY, YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER REALLY GOTTEN A CHANCE TO TALK TO YOU. 767 00:36:52,585 --> 00:36:55,171 WHY DON'T YOU PLAY WITH MY ASS AND TELL ME YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE? 768 00:36:56,631 --> 00:36:58,925 WHOO! 769 00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:02,595 - OH MY GOD, HE'S DOING IT. - Bacho: LARRY GOT INVOLVED WITH YOUNGER WOMEN, 770 00:37:02,595 --> 00:37:06,599 WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH THESE WOMEN THAT TOOK HIM FOR HIS MONEY-- 771 00:37:06,599 --> 00:37:08,809 THE MONEY HE DIDN'T HAVE 772 00:37:08,809 --> 00:37:11,187 AND THE DRUGS HE DID HAVE. 773 00:37:11,187 --> 00:37:14,148 LARRY WAS BORING BECAUSE HE THOUGHT 774 00:37:14,148 --> 00:37:16,192 HIS WHOLE WORLD WAS SEX. 775 00:37:16,192 --> 00:37:19,195 HIS WORLD WAS GENITALIA. 776 00:37:19,195 --> 00:37:21,447 AGAIN, HE NEVER READ A BOOK. 777 00:37:21,447 --> 00:37:25,243 HE NEVER HAD A THOUGHT. IT WAS ALL ABOUT HIM AS A LEGEND. 778 00:37:25,243 --> 00:37:28,746 HE REALLY THOUGHT THAT WHEN IT CAME TO SWINGING 779 00:37:28,746 --> 00:37:32,250 HE WAS-- EVERYONE LOOKED AT HIM AS "THE KING" LITERALLY. 780 00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:35,044 WE GOT PEOPLE FROM FORT LAUDERDALE. WE GOT PEOPLE FROM CALIFORNIA. 781 00:37:35,044 --> 00:37:38,547 WE GOT PEOPLE FROM PARIS, FRANCE, COMING TO PLATO'S. THEY FLY IN. 782 00:37:38,547 --> 00:37:41,008 WE'RE THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD. OKAY? 783 00:37:41,008 --> 00:37:43,386 I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S IMMORAL. 784 00:37:43,386 --> 00:37:46,097 THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING TO HIT NEW YORK CITY SINCE THE WORLD'S FAIR. 785 00:37:46,097 --> 00:37:47,390 AND IT IS. 786 00:37:52,770 --> 00:37:55,273 Dorfman: THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT LARRY WAS 787 00:37:55,273 --> 00:37:57,733 THE GUY WAS GETTING SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS. 788 00:37:57,733 --> 00:37:59,443 HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY, 789 00:37:59,443 --> 00:38:02,446 YET HE WAS ABLE TO BORROW $150,000. 790 00:38:02,446 --> 00:38:05,199 WHERE DOES A GUY GET $150,000?

• From Another Country (1962)

  She moved with a wonderful, long-legged stride and she carried her head high, as though it had borne, but only yesterday, the weight of an African water jar. Her mother’s head had borne the weight of white folk’s washing, and it was because Ida had never known what to make of this fact—should she be ashamed of it, or proud?—that there mingled in her regal beauty something of the too-quick, diffident, plebeian disdain. She was working now as a waitress in a chain restaurant on the eastern edge of the Village and her confusion revealed itself in her attitude toward her customers, an attitude which was at once haughty and free. He had often watched her as she crossed the floor in her checkered apron, her face a dark mask behind which belligerence battled with humility. This was in her eyes which never for an instant lost their wariness and which were always ready, within a split second, to turn black and lightless with contempt. Even when she was being friendly there was something in her manner, in her voice, which carried a warning; she was always waiting for the veiled insult or the lewd suggestion. And she had good reason for it, she was not being fantastical or perverse. It was the way the world treated girls with bad reputations and every colored girl had been born with one. Now, as she walked beside him, trim and oddly elegant in a heavy, dark blue coat, and with her head covered by an old-fashioned and rather theatrical shawl, he saw that both her vanity and her contempt were being swollen by the glances which rested on her as briefly and unforgettably as the touch of a whip. She was very, very dark, she was beautiful; and he was proud to be with her, artlessly proud, in the shining, overt, male way; but the eyes they passed accused him, enviously, of a sniggering, back-alley conquest. White men looked at her, then looked at him. They looked at her as though she were no better, though more lascivious and rare, than a whore. And then the eyes of the men sought his, inviting a wet complicity. The women, too. They saw Ida first and might have been happy to admire her if she had been walking alone. But she was with Vivaldo, which gave her the status of a thief.

• From Henry Miller on Writing (1964)

  The marvel is that I am walking about as a free man. I should have been condemned the moment I stepped out of my mother’s womb. In that heartrending account of my return to the bosom of the family which is given in “Reunion in Brooklyn,”7 I concluded with these words, and I meant them, each and every one of them: “I regard the entire world as my home. I inhabit the earth, not a particular portion of it labeled America, France, Germany, Russia…. I owe allegiance to mankind, not to a particular country, race or people. I answer to God, not to the Chief Executive, whoever he may happen to be. I am here on earth to work out my own private destiny. My destiny is linked with that of every other living creature inhabiting this planet—perhaps with those on other planets too, who knows? I refuse to jeopardize my destiny by regarding life within the narrow rules which are laid down to circumscribe it. I dissent from the current view of things, as regards murder, as regards religion, as regards society, as regards our well-being. I will try to live my life in accordance with the vision I have of things eternal. I say “Peace to you all!” and if you don’t find it, it’s because you haven’t looked for it. It is curious, and not irrelevant, I hope, to mention at this point the reaction I had upon reading Homer recently. At the request of the publisher Gallimard, who is bringing out a new edition of the Odyssey , I wrote a short Introduction to this work. I had never read the Odyssey before, only the Iliad , and that but a few months ago. What I wish to say is that, after waiting sixty-seven years to read these universally esteemed classics, I found much to disparage in them. In the Iliad, or “the butchers’ manual,” as I call it, more than in the Odyssey . But it would never occur to me to request that they be banned or burned. Nor did I fear, on finishing them, that I would leap outdoors, axe in hand, and runamok. My boy, who was only nine when he read the Iliad (in a child’s version), my boy who confesses to “liking murder once in a while,” told me he was fed up with Homer, with all the killing and all the nonsense about the gods.

• From Henry Miller on Writing (1964)

  The social pattern remains the same, fundamentally, despite all the dazzling changes we have witnessed. It gets more thwarting all the time—for the born individualist. And, as you know, I am interested—like God—only in the individual. One of the things which irks me most, with the critics, is the statement you throw out—about being unlike myself. This is simply impossible. I don’t care who the artist is, if you study him deeply, sincerely, detachedly, you will find that he and his work are one. If it were otherwise the planets would be capable of leaving their orbits. I think your trouble may lie here, that the part of me you don’t know from direct experience—I mean the me of youth, of long before we met—you tend to idealize. The man you met in the Villa Seurat was a kind of monster, in a way, in that he was in the process of transformation. He had become partially civilized, so to speak. The tensions had eased up, he could be himself, and his own, natural self was, at the risk of being immodest, what you always sense and respect in me. (To myself I always think I was born “ultra civilized.” Another way of saying it, a more invidious way, would of course be to say that I was oversensitive.) And I suppose it is always the oversensitive creatures who, if they are bent on surviving, grow the toughest hides. This tough hide revealed itself in my case, more in what I passively permitted to be done for me and to me than by what I did of my own volition—vindictively, outrageously, and so on. The coward in me always concealed himself in that thick armor of dull passivity. I only grew truly sensitive again when I had attained a certain measure of liberation. I don’t want to embark on another autobiographical fragment! Stop me, for God’s sake. If I let myself go it is only because with the years I get new visions of myself, new vistas, and their one value to me is that they are more inclusive pictures of the parts that go to make the whole—the enigmatic whole. Here I digress a moment to mention a noticeable difference in the reactions of Europeans to my work. Seldom do they, for instance, speak of these “discrepancies.” Perhaps they have had too much contact with discordant authors all their lives. They seem to realize, without mentioning it, that all the contrarieties of make-up and attitude are the leaven necessary to the making of the bread. When they are shocked, to take another example, it is because of the language itself, what has been done to it and with it by the author, not by the moral or immoral implications of this language.

• From Another Country (1962)

  Ida said nothing. He felt, rather then saw her smile, and he was delighted all over again by her beauty. It was as though she were wearing it especially for him. She was more friendly with him today than she had ever been. He did not feel today, as he had felt for so long, that she was evading him, locking herself away from him, forcing him to remain a stranger in her life. Today she was gayer and more natural, as though she had at last decided to come out of mourning. There was in her aspect the flavor of something won, the atmosphere of hard decisions past. She had come up from the valley. She moved with a wonderful, long-legged stride and she carried her head high, as though it had borne, but only yesterday, the weight of an African water jar. Her mother’s head had borne the weight of white folk’s washing, and it was because Ida had never known what to make of this fact—should she be ashamed of it, or proud?—that there mingled in her regal beauty something of the too-quick, diffident, plebeian disdain. She was working now as a waitress in a chain restaurant on the eastern edge of the Village and her confusion revealed itself in her attitude toward her customers, an attitude which was at once haughty and free. He had often watched her as she crossed the floor in her checkered apron, her face a dark mask behind which belligerence battled with humility. This was in her eyes which never for an instant lost their wariness and which were always ready, within a split second, to turn black and lightless with contempt. Even when she was being friendly there was something in her manner, in her voice, which carried a warning; she was always waiting for the veiled insult or the lewd suggestion. And she had good reason for it, she was not being fantastical or perverse. It was the way the world treated girls with bad reputations and every colored girl had been born with one. Now, as she walked beside him, trim and oddly elegant in a heavy, dark blue coat, and with her head covered by an old-fashioned and rather theatrical shawl, he saw that both her vanity and her contempt were being swollen by the glances which rested on her as briefly and unforgettably as the touch of a whip. She was very, very dark, she was beautiful; and he was proud to be with her, artlessly proud, in the shining, overt, male way; but the eyes they passed accused him, enviously, of a sniggering, back-alley conquest. White men looked at her, then looked at him. They looked at her as though she were no better, though more lascivious and rare, than a whore. And then the eyes of the men sought his, inviting a wet complicity.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  Let’s put this all together. For a Christian woman, sexual and emotional integrity means that her thoughts, words, emotions, and actions all reflect an inner beauty and a sincere love for God, others, and herself. This doesn’t mean she is never tempted to think, say, feel, or do something inappropriate, but that she tries diligently to resist these temptations and stands firm in her convictions. She doesn’t use men in an attempt to get her emotional cravings met or entertain sexual or romantic fantasies about men she is not married to. She doesn’t compare her husband to other men, discounting his personal worth and withholding a part of herself from him as punishment for his imperfections. She doesn’t dress to seek male attention, but she doesn’t limit herself to a wardrobe of ankle-length muumuus, either. She may dress fashionably and look sharp or may even appear sexy (like beauty, sexy is in the eye of the beholder), but her motivation isn’t self-seeking or seductive. She presents herself as an attractive woman because she knows she represents God to others. A woman of integrity lives a life that lines up with her Christian beliefs. She lives according to the standard of love rather than law. She does not claim to be a follower of Christ yet disregard His many teachings on sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, immodest dress, and inappropriate talk. A woman of integrity lives what she believes about God, and it shows everywhere from the boardroom to the bedroom. If you are ready to discover more about how you can claim the prize of sexual integrity, keep reading as we dispel some of the most popular myths that keep women entrenched in this battle. [image file=image_rsrc247.jpg] Therefore I do not run like a [woman] running aimlessly; I do not fight like a [woman] beating the air. No, I beat my body [and my mind] and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. —1 Corinthians 9:26-27 [image file=image_rsrc248.jpg] seven myths that intensify our struggle Wisdom is better than weapons of war. ECCLESIASTES 9:18 In my thirteen years of speaking and lay counseling with women on sexual issues, I’ve uncovered seven popular myths that I believe confuse the issue and make sexual integrity far more challenging. Although at first glance you may not believe that you subscribe to a particular misconception, I encourage you to read about it anyway. We are often only aware of what we believe in regard to the things we have actually experienced but are undecided about our beliefs regarding the things or feelings we have not yet experienced. If we understand these myths and the lies they are based on, we’ll have a stronger defense if and when we’re tempted in one of these areas. MYTH 1 There’s nothing wrong with comparing myself or my husband to other people.