The question is, shall it or shall it not be linear history. I've always thought a kaleidoscopic view might be an interesting heresey. Shake the tube and see what comes out. Chronology irritates me. There is no chronology inside my head. I am composed of myriad Claudias who spin and mix and part like sparks of sunlight on water. The pack of cards I carry around is forever shuffled and re-shuffled; there is no sequence, everything happens at once. The machines of the new technology, I understand, perform in much the same way: all knowledge is stored, to be summoned up at the flick of a key. They sound, in theory, more efficient. Some of my keys don't work; others demand pass-words, codes, random unlocking sequences. The collective past, curiously, provides these. It is public property, but it is also deeply private. We all look differently at it. My Victorians are not your Victorians. My seventeenth century is not yours. The voice of John Aubrey, of Darwin, of whoever you like, speaks in one tone to me, in another to you. . Penelope Lively
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More Quotes By Penelope Lively
  1. The greatest power we have in life is not external, but internal.
  2. Burnout, beat-up and broken down we may limp away from a failed relationship, job or environment, but we will be better equipped to follow our hearts...thoughtfully. Our ability to see the potential in ourselves and others will determine our success.
  3. The question is not 'Am I a leader?' - the question is 'What kind of leader am I?
  4. There are no maps for the unexpected detours and unmarked paths we face in life.
  5. Love is easy early on...its when the busyness of life creeps in and felling ebb and flow that real love shines through in small choices.
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