Happiness, said De Quincey, on his discovery of the paradise that he thought he had found in opium, could be sent down by the mail-coach; more truly I could announce my discovery that delight could be contained in small octavos and small type, in a bookshelf three feet long.

Arthur Machen
About This Quote

When Thomas de Quincey was told of his addiction to opium, he realized the power of drugs. He was no longer able to distinguish between happiness and pleasure. He realized that more could be done with drugs then he had imagined. He knew that there was more that could be done with the drug of happiness then he had hoped.

When people speak of opium they often think of it as a drug that takes you out of this world and into the next one, while at the same time bringing you back down so you can be back in this world again. However, De Quincey knew that there was more to happiness than just being away from the pain of the world. He knew that happiness could be found in books, in small octavos and small type, in three foot long bookshelves.

Source: The Autobiography Of Arthur Machen

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