A Great Rabbi stands, teaching in the marketplace. It happens that a husband finds proof that morning of his wife's adultery, and a mob carries her to the marketplace to stone her to death. There is a familiar version of this story, but a friend of mine - a Speaker for the Dead - has told me of two other Rabbis that faced the same situation. Those are the ones I'm going to tell you. The Rabbi walks forward and stands beside the woman. Out of respect for him the mob forbears and waits with the stones heavy in their hands. 'Is there any man here,' he says to them, 'who has not desired another man's wife, another woman's husband?' They murmur and say, 'We all know the desire, but Rabbi none of us has acted on it.' The Rabbi says, 'Then kneel down and give thanks that God has made you strong.' He takes the woman by the hand and leads her out of the market. Just before he lets her go, he whispers to her, 'Tell the Lord Magistrate who saved his mistress, then he'll know I am his loyal servant.' So the woman lives because the community is too corrupt to protect itself from disorder. Another Rabbi. Another city. He goes to her and stops the mob as in the other story and says, 'Which of you is without sin? Let him cast the first stone.' The people are abashed, and they forget their unity of purpose in the memory of their own individual sins. ‘Someday,’ they think, ‘I may be like this woman. And I’ll hope for forgiveness and another chance. I should treat her as I wish to be treated.’ As they opened their hands and let their stones fall to the ground, the Rabbi picks up one of the fallen stones, lifts it high over the woman’s head and throws it straight down with all his might it crushes her skull and dashes her brain among the cobblestones. ‘Nor am I without sins,’ he says to the people, ‘but if we allow only perfect people to enforce the law, the law will soon be dead – and our city with it.’ So the woman died because her community was too rigid to endure her deviance. The famous version of this story is noteworthy because it is so startlingly rare in our experience. Most communities lurch between decay and rigor mortis and when they veer too far they die. Only one Rabbi dared to expect of us such a perfect balance that we could preserve the law and still forgive the deviation. So of course, we killed him. -San Angelo Letters to an Incipient Heretic
Orson Scott Card
Related I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES Sheikh Bilal had taken him aside the day before the wedding and spoken to him of marriage ... ALAA AL ASWANY I. At Tea THE kettle descants in a cosy drone, And the young wife looks in her husba... THOMAS HARDY He grasped her by the wrist , running a thumb along the sensitive skin underneath. "Then let me call... SARAH J. MAAS A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .... enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of... PAMELA REDMOND SATRAN Her hands brushed Shane's, and he let go of the cards and took hold. And then somehow she... RACHEL CAINE THIS IS WHY He will never be given to wonder much if he was the mouth for some cruel... MICHAEL RYAN Start by pulling him out of the fire and hoping that he will forget the smell. He was supp... CAITLYN SIEHL She stared into his eyes and announced, “A good-bye kiss.” It was at that Raid stopped dead... KRISTEN ASHLEY MY MOTHER GETS DRESSED It is impossible for my mother to do even the simplest... DAPHNE GOTTLIEB Tonight I Can Write Tonight I can write the saddest lines. Write, for e... PABLO NERUDA KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gi... SUZY KASSEM Tonight I can write the saddest lines. Write, for example,'The night is shattered an... PABLO NERUDA I can write the saddest poem of all tonight. Write, for instance: "The night is full of ... PABLO NERUDA What do you want to show me?" "Nothing, really. I just want to be alone with you for a mi... RAINBOW ROWELL Lady of the silver moon Enchantress of the night Protect me and mine within this circle fa... MADELYN ALT This is what I am, I'll say, to leave this written excuse. This is my life. Now it is clea... PABLO NERUDA Ô, the wine of a woman from heaven is sent, more perfect than all that a man can in... ROMAN PAYNE This hand says you spend the rest of your life with me," he said, holding out his left hand, "and th... MELINA MARCHETTA For Lucie," Peter said quietly, the flame of a gilded saint's candle fluttering in his hand." "... SARAH BLAKLEY-CARTWRIGHT What does Éloa mean?” He narrowed his gaze, answered her literally. “It’s the name... SARAH MACLEAN From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how muc... SUZY KASSEM All right, then,” she snapped, “do as you please! Perhaps afterward we could manage a coherent d... LISA KLEYPAS The Story of the Woman with Three Brothers" A woman once had three brothers. They all had... LISA SEE For the Wife Beater's Wife With blue irises her face is blossomed. Blue Circling to ... BRUCE WEIGL Scully nodded. Of course. It made sense. Complete sense. No question about it. Mulder was perfectly ... LES MARTIN I was told The average girl begins to plan her wedding at the age of 7 She picks the color... RUDY FRANCISCO Stop! Stop!” Sophie shrieked with laughter as she ran down the stone steps that led to the g... JULIA QUINN I'd been making desicions for days. I picked out the dress Bailey would wear forever- a bl... JANDY NELSON There was a man whom Sorrow named his Friend, And he, of his high comrade Sorrow dreaming, W.B. YEATS I am the slave of the Master of Prophets And my fealty to him has no beginning. I am... يوسف النبهاني Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of ... LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI He sipped again, more deeply. “Is this an interrogation, Lieutenant?” It was the smile in his vo... J.D. ROBB Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it "Chops"... STEPHEN CHBOSKY Then Deborah stood at the wicket gate, the boundary, and there was a woman with outstretched hand, d... DAPHNE DU MAURIER Sick of body, unable to rise up, vehemently intoxicated without wine . . . And it is as t... AL-MUTANABBī I love you," he said. She looked up at him, her eyes shiny and black, then looked away. "... RAINBOW ROWELL Tell her this And more,— That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. STEPHEN CRANE That’s when Eena cut in. Both Ravelly and Unan looked to her as she announced, “My favorite part... RICHELLE E. GOODRICH Now he felt temper snapping at the nerves. “If you can’t be comfortable in the house while I’m... J.D. ROBB You have games on there?" he asks. "Yeah," I answer for her. "She's become a checkers fanatic. ... SIMONE ELKELES Sending out the Disciples Luke 10 1: AFTER THESE THINGS THE LORD APPOINTED O... SWAMI DHYAN GITEN By the Valg, three were made, Of the gate-Stone of the Wyrd: Obsidian the gods forbade SARAH J. MAAS The only ghosts, I believe, who creep into this world, are dead young mothers, returned to see... J.M. BARRIE That dog is a wolf, is he not?' 'Aye, well, mostly.' A small flash of hazel to... DIANA GABALDON He started to pull away again but she called his name so he stopped. “Yeah?” “Before... KRISTEN ASHLEY So now George has arrived. He is not nervous in the least. As he gets out of his car, he ... CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD Girl Without Hands Walking through the ruins on your way to work that do not lo... MARGARET ATWOOD She grew tired of shielding her body, For societal expectation and propriety, Double stand... JACQUELINE SIMON GUNN I've traveled all over the world for the Institute, but I never dreamed I'd meet someone like you."<... GENA SHOWALTER I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just... SYLVIA PLATH She chuckled, leaned on him as they headed out of the park. “All in all, it was a hell of a party.... J.D. ROBB And then that voice from behind her said her name again. "Celaena." They had d... SARAH J. MAAS Mom, how do you know if the guy is the guy?” You mean if he’ll be a good husba... ADRIANA TRIGIANI Once, [Rabbi Chanoch] Teller was traveling with 16 of his [18] offspring ... while changing planes i... LYNN VINCENT But what I would like to know," says Albert, "is whether there would not have been a war if th... ERICH MARIA REMARQUE I'm coming back into focus when Caesar asks him if he has a girlfriend back home. Peeta hesitates, t... SUZANNE COLLINS Sugar,” Jake said, “I’ve wanted you since the first time you sassed me.” “I wan... TINA LEONARD You are real," she said to herself. "Aye." His voice was deep and resonant, a caress in h... J.R. WARD And I know I’ve lost. Everything is lost. Everything is over. “As the newly appoi... PATRICK NESS She lends her pen, to thoughts of him, that flow from it, in her solitary. LANG LEAV There are moments in every relationship that define when two people start to fall in love. A fi... COLLEEN HOOVER And I'm not sensitive at all, Philip. Just mean." He smiled down at her. "Have you ever co... NORA ROBERTS I believe in you, my darling. I believe in you." He closed his eyes. And when he opened th... ELIZABETH HOYT She came towards me with a juicy gash between her legs that smelled like my best friend's sister" DAVE MATTHES He leaned forward to inspect her closer. "Is that all hair?" ... Sudden, overwhelming pan... MARISSA MEYER It was my teacher's genius, her quick sympathy, her loving tact which made the first years of ... HELEN KELLER As I said, you have mistaken me for another. London is full of drab little peahens, sir. Now, then, ... CHARLOTTE FEATHERSTONE Dear Deborah, Words do not come easily for so many men. We are taught to be strong, to... LISA WINGATE Tell me about the farm," she pleaded as drops of blood began to appear on her hand. "The farm?... MELINA MARCHETTA His breath caught, harsh enough that she looked over her shoulder. But his eyes weren't o... SARAH J. MAAS Failing and Flying" Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew. It's the same when lo... JACK GILBERT Her room was warm and lightsome. A huge doll sat with her legs apart in the copious easy-chair besid... JAMES JOYCE After a steadying breath, Aislinn turned to Keenan. "I'm sure you can figure out lunch without help.... MELISSA MARR This Stone He went looking for a road that doesn't lead to death. He went looki... URSULA K. LE GUIN Rush-hour on the A rain. A blind man staggers forth, his cane tapping lightly own the ais... OCEAN VUONG I drop my face to my hands and scrub hard. "I wish I had your boobs," I hear Sam announc... KRISTEN PROBY And I understand my sisters when they say every woman has a story that's been told a maxim of one so... MARK GONZALES She is pissed off all the time,” he mumbled and I remained silent, letting him ramble. “She want... C.A. HARMS THE OLD MAN IN THE CORNER The man in the corner Is dying with words He's crying... SUZY KASSEM A love poem about the most invisible woman: The perfect mind, the perfect cover. I k... WILL ADVISE Sweet Grace amazes me The way that she can see Beyond the man I am To the man that I ... JASON GRAY you left and i wanted you still yet i deserved someone who was willing to stay RUPI KAUR Hemingway is overrated, Twain is even more lost at sea, And all truths point to the mouth ... DAVE MATTHES The Janus Guard will also be out that night,” he said, one hand reaching out to squeeze her should... LESLEY LIVINGSTON Your daughter is ugly. She knows loss intimately, carries whole cities in her belly. ... WARSAN SHIRE He Is Not Dead I cannot say, and I will not say That he is dead. He is just away. JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY he turns to the sunlight, And lifts her face up, She searches for the light, The ligh... ASHISH BHARDWAJ It was two weeks after the day she turned eighteen All dressed in white Going to the churc... CARRIE UNDERWOOD The thunder howled and the rain splashed, the leaves played with the breeze and the lightning flashe... AVIJEET DAS Or perhaps we should just ask Todd." I pound the glass right at his face. He doesn't even flinc... PATRICK NESS In the Novel He described her mouth as full of ashes. So when he kissed her finally<... SUSAN STEWART Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman--a rope over an abyss. A dan... FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE Sermon of the Mounts Matthew 5 AND SEEING THE MULTITUDES, HE WENT UP INTO THE ... SWAMI DHYAN GITEN Frowning, she warmed up the scone she’d saved for Callum. “I could get a pop-up camper to pull b... KATIE RUGGLE I WANT her though, to take the same from me. She touches me as if I were herself, her own. D.H. LAWRENCE Wow, hi,’ Eight says, and when he speaks it’s with his own voice. It’s him. It’s ... PITTACUS LORE Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Jack lifts his mug. Me an Ike do the same. To Molly Pratt, says Jack. Ike scowls at him. W... MOIRA YOUNG A rape victim...a rape victim who fights...They've been violated, made helpless and afraid. It break... PATRICIA BRIGGS
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ORSON SCOTT CARD Twisted and perverse are the ways of the human mind," Jane intoned. "Pinocchio was such a dolt to tr... ORSON SCOTT CARD Anything can become a children's book if you give it to a child...Children are actually the best (an... ORSON SCOTT CARD So from then on, he looked at all his choices and said, What would a good person do, and then did it... ORSON SCOTT CARD Besides," said Suriyawong. "This was not a rescue operation." "What was it, target practice? Ch... ORSON SCOTT CARD I will never hurt you. I will always help you. If you are hungry Ill give you my food... ORSON SCOTT CARD It's the most charming thing about humans. You are all so sure that the lesser animals are bleeding ... ORSON SCOTT CARD I realized that everything important in sci-fi showed up in the magazines first. It's the proving gr... ORSON SCOTT CARD Ningún ser humano es indigno cuando se comprenden sus motivos. Ninguna vida deja de merecer la pena... ORSON SCOTT CARD There was no doubt now in Ender's mind. There was no help for him. Whatever he faced, now and foreve... ORSON SCOTT CARD As long as you keep getting born, it's alright to die some times. ORSON SCOTT CARD ...you seemed to be listening to me, not to find out useful information, but to try to catch me in a... ORSON SCOTT CARD Nero, you are an example to all the children on this shuttle. Because most of them are so foolish, t... ORSON SCOTT CARD I'm not stupid!" In Bean's experience, that was a sentence never uttered except to prove its own ina... ORSON SCOTT CARD And then he thought: Is this how idiots rationalize their stupidity to themselves? ORSON SCOTT CARD Stories are invented as you go along... ORSON SCOTT CARD But the truth is that no person ever understands another, from beginning to end of life, there is no... ORSON SCOTT CARD This is how humans are: We question all our beliefs, except for the ones that we really believe in, ... ORSON SCOTT CARD I came because I've spent my whole life in the company of the brother that I hated. Now I want a cha... ORSON SCOTT CARD The piggies were not to be disturbed- ORSON SCOTT CARD Home is anywhere that you know all your friends and all your enemies. ORSON SCOTT CARD But if you caught my informant,' said Achilles, 'why in the world would Chamrajnagar—or Graff, if ... ORSON SCOTT CARD I need to find out if I'm as good at peace as I am at war ORSON SCOTT CARD We're going to make him the best military commander in history. And then put the fate of the world o... ORSON SCOTT CARD I’m not one to despise other people for their sins. I haven’t found one yet, that I didn’t say... ORSON SCOTT CARD The computer is also not famous for having mercy. ORSON SCOTT CARD Don't judge me until you understand me. You can't understand me if you've already judged me. ORSON SCOTT CARD I think Bonzo died. I dreamed about it last night. I remembered the way he looked after I jammed his... ORSON SCOTT CARD Home was merely a dull ache in the back of his memory. A tiredness in his eyes. ORSON SCOTT CARD The highest beings of all are the ones who are willing to pay any personal cost for the good of thos... ORSON SCOTT CARD Graff had isolated Ender to make him struggle. To make him prove, not that he was competent, but tha... ORSON SCOTT CARD Ender leaned his head against the wall of the corridor and cried until the bus came. I am just like ... ORSON SCOTT CARD You get all the pleasures of the puppeteer. ORSON SCOTT CARD I am a disbeliever in the unbelievable. ORSON SCOTT CARD I thought commanders could order anything.” "They can order the moon to turn blue, too, but i... ORSON SCOTT CARD Come into our home, daughters of Earth; dwell in our tunnels, harvest our fields; what we cannot do,... ORSON SCOTT CARD Cover your butt. Bernard is watching. ORSON SCOTT CARD That's what Ender has to understand. There really is evil in the world, and wickedness, and every br... ORSON SCOTT CARD We people only live on the top, like the bugs that live on the scum of the still water near the shor... ORSON SCOTT CARD I'll become exactly the tool you want me to be, said Ender silently, but at least I wont be fooled i... ORSON SCOTT CARD When you walk on the face of a world, then forgiveness comes. ORSON SCOTT CARD Nonsense," said Graff. "Ender always has plans within plans. ORSON SCOTT CARD There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do ... ORSON SCOTT CARD He is dangerous, he is beautiful, I could drown in his understanding. ORSON SCOTT CARD Ender understood more than she said. Manipulation of gravity was one thing; deception by the officer... ORSON SCOTT CARD I love you Ender. More than ever. No matter what you decide. ORSON SCOTT CARD I don't care how much you eat, Ender, self-cannibalism won't get you out of this school. ORSON SCOTT CARD At last he came to a door, with these words in glowing emeralds: THE END OF THE WORLD ORSON SCOTT CARD No human being, when you understand his desires, is worthless. No one's life is nothing. Even the mo... ORSON SCOTT CARD