“Dearest Ariane,

 

(I am 70 years old and a bit paternalistic), I don't know how to express my gratitude to you for clarifying my thoughts, to which you have added key words and nourishing concepts. It is a priceless contribution to allow discernment. Thanks to you, I can confirm what I am deep down and this gives me a pride that you have driven home.

 

Thank you and thank you again.”

 

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“A very, very big THANK YOU Ariane for your generosity in sharing your thoughts on the Seven Sages of Antiquity!

 

I had really hesitated to join the Unicorn (it's been done for 2 weeks), because I already follow you (the reason why I'm subscribed) but it was too irresistible for me because I had a crazy desire to read your articles on 'Most men are wicked.' and 'What we owe to Albert Camus'... A bit like a kid in front of sweets.

 

I, whose schooling ended at middle school and who hated reading because I didn't understand much of what I read and who during my schooling didn't read a single book, well, I learned to love reading thanks to the encounter with a great author that I discovered by chance on one of the shelves of Gibert Jeune located on the Grand Boulevard St-Michel in Paris: Alain, Propos sur l'éducation. It was like a revelation for an uneducated young person like me: I don't know by what miracle, but I immediately fell in love with his style and his writings deeply moved me!

 

So, I set out to acquire all the old editions of second-hand books on Alain (this suited me rather well because financially, I was rather broke). From there, I became interested in his biography, his intellectual journey... And in my great admiration for this author and to better understand some of his words, I began to read the great classical authors like Victor Hugo, Stendhal and a lot of Balzac... etc. And thirty years later, I continue and I humbly try at my level to do my humanities in these troubled times. And having the pleasure of reading your articles on the Unicorn and also some of your works, this makes me think of a very beautiful expression of this "big mouth" of Alain (from memory, because I no longer remember in which sentence) who spoke of certain writings which have the effect of the morning dew which awakens...

Reading you is a bit like receiving the invigorating effect of this morning dew on the face and takes me back thirty years and being able to still tell myself that there are still authors who can mark you and influence your mind forever... if we took the trouble to dig a little deeper!

 

It is with these poor words of mine (political refugee who arrived in France at the age of 11, French is my second adopted language) that I would like to end by expressing my deep gratitude for your courage, your gift and your exemplary nature for the person that you are!”

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“Hello and thank you Ariane for introducing us to and sharing your thoughts on the riches of your travels.”