Words of Wisdom — December 10, 2013

Emily Dickinson on Poetry

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” – Emily Dickinson (born on this date in 1830)

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” – Emily Dickinson (born on this date in 1830)

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A man holding a transparent rectangular object up to his eyes, reminiscent of the analytical gaze of Robert and Frank Oppenheimer.

The Past

The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer

A rift in thinking about who should control powerful new technologies sent the brothers on diverging paths. For one, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public.

Strange Maps

Mapping Middle-earth: The lopsided demographics of Tolkien’s universe

Fantasy, meet statistics: The census comes to Middle-earth!

High Culture

6 famous writers who never made a dime

We all love the art, but we often forget the difficulty of being an artist. Here are some of the most famous, greatest writers of all time who never could quite make a living doing it.

Culture & Religion

Four ways to find meaning in life

In her book, The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith details the four pillars of meaning, arguing that they’re much more important than chasing happiness.

High Culture

How reading rewires your brain for higher intelligence and empathy

Get lost in a good book. Time and again, reading has been shown to make us healthier, smarter, and more empathic.

Up Next

The Coldest Place in the World

Researchers used thermal infrared sensors to pinpoint the record-setting pockets on a high ridge of the East Antarctic Plateau. The record low: minus 136 F (minus 93.2 C), set on August 10, 2010.