Not with the myth and phosphorus of metaphor. Not
with lines of force looped in true-love knots.
Not by dumping the urn and reading the ashes. Not
through sonic wantonness, but not
through disciplined listening, either. Not
with numbers always setting words at naught
nor letter-cluttered words whose O is nought.
Not by guessing at the sea’s pet name for night. Not
by vivisecting “noun” and naming all its parts. Not
with tongs and not with tweezers, not
with tongues and not with gestures. Not
through loftiness, analysis, or laughter. Not
by saying what it is. But definitely not
by saying what it’s not.
—Amit Majmudar
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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