300 Arguments
By: Sarah Manguso
Graywolf Press (February 7, 2017)
105 pages
300 Arguments is just as the title says, a collection of 300 pithy observations.
Manguso covers everything from shame to handwriting to success. Of course, you can not agree in full with everything that anyone says, but I found this book a delight to ponder on during late night readings. This book is similar in tone to The Bed Of Procrustes,
Two of my favorite quotes:
With great and solemn portent, my teacher announced she would tell us something that her teacher had told her, and that her teacher’s teacher had told him, and so on, back to Yeats: The thing to remember is that no one ever finds out that you don’t know what you’re doing.
I wish I could ask the future whether I should give up or keep trying. Then again, what if trying, even in the face of certain failure, feels as good as accomplishing? What if it’s even better? And here we are again.