Brain PIckings Yearly

The best of Brain Pickings this year. NOTE: This message might be cut short by your email program. View it in full. If a friend forwarded it to you and you'd like your very own newsletter, subscribe here â€“ it's free.

donating = loving In 2016, I poured tremendous time, thought, love, and resources into Brain Pickings, which remains free. If you found any joy and stimulation here this year, please consider supporting my labor of love with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner: You can also become a one-time patron with a single donation in any amount:  And if you've already donated, from the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU. Share  Forward to a friend Connect  Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  Tumblr Unsubscribe Hello, Larry! As this season of reflection draws to a close, I take stock of the best Brain Pickings articles this year -- "best" being a composite measure of those you read and shared the most, and those I most enjoyed writing – in this special annual edition. The regular weekly newsletter will return on Sunday, as usual. If you're enjoying it, please consider supporting this labor of love with a donation â€“ in 2016, I spent thousands of hours and tremendous resources on it, and every little bit of support helps enormously. 10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    What Makes a Person: The Seven Layers of Identity in Literature and Life READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    There Is a Crack in Everything, That’s How the Light Gets In: Leonard Cohen on Democracy and Its Redemptions READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Secret Life of Trees: The Astonishing Science of What Trees Feel and How They Communicate READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Third Self: Mary Oliver on Time, Concentration, the Artist’s Task, and the Central Commitment of the Creative Life READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Young Barack Obama on What His Mother Taught Him About Love READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Psychology of What Makes a Great Story READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Cry, Heart, But Never Break: A Remarkable Illustrated Meditation on Loss and Life READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Rebecca Solnit on Hope in Dark Times, Resisting the Defeatism of Easy Despair, and What Victory Really Means for Movements of Social Change READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Against Self-Criticism: Adam Phillips on How Our Internal Critics Enslave Us, the Stockholm Syndrome of the Superego, and the Power of Multiple Interpretations READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear: Toni Morrison on the Artist’s Task in Troubled Times READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Science of How Our Minds and Our Bodies Converge in the Healing of Trauma READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Ursula K. Le Guin on Power, Oppression, Freedom, and How Imaginative Storytelling Expands Our Scope of the Possible READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Difficult Balance of Intimacy and Independence: Beloved Philosopher and Poet Kahlil Gibran on the Secret to a Loving and Lasting Relationship READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Bruce Lee’s Never-Before-Seen Writings on Willpower, Emotion, Reason, Memory, Imagination, and Confidence READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    What Depression Is Really Like READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Frida Kahlo on How Love Amplifies Beauty: Her Breathtaking Tribute to Diego Rivera READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Leonard Bernstein on Cynicism, Instant Gratification, and Why Paying Attention Is a Countercultural Act of Courage and Rebellion READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    How Pioneering Physicist Lise Meitner Discovered Nuclear Fission, Paved the Way for Women in Science, and Was Denied the Nobel Prize READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Magic of the Book: Hermann Hesse on Why We Read and Always Will READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    James Baldwin on Freedom and How We Imprison Ourselves READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    The Psychology of Time and the Paradox of How Impulsivity and Self-Control Mediate Our Capacity for Presence READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Carl Sagan on Moving Beyond Us vs. Them, Bridging Conviction with Compassion, and Meeting Ignorance with Kindness READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /    Reclaiming Friendship: A Visual Taxonomy of Platonic Relationships to Counter the Commodification of the Word “Friend” READ ARTICLE   /   FORWARD TO A FRIEND   /

If you enjoyed my newsletter this year, please consider helping me keep it going with a modest donation.