At one magical instant the page of a book –
that string of confused, alien ciphers –
shivered into meaning.
Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets;
At that moment, whole universes opened.
You became, irrevocably, a reader.
– Alberto Manguel
William Wegman, an artist and photographer, has been photographing his Weimaraners for over forty years.
We read to know we’re not alone.
– C.S. Lewis
A great book that comes from a great
thinker is a ship of thought,
deep freighted with truth and beauty.
– Pablo Neruda
Books are the plane, and the train, and the road.
They are the destination and the journey.
They are home.
– Anna Quindlen
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily,
often helplessly, into another’s skin,
another’s voice, another’s soul.
– Joyce Carol Oates
Reading is everything.
Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something,
learned something, become a better person.
Reading makes me smarter.
Reading gives me something to talk about later on…
Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.
– Nora Ephron
I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.
– Jorge Luis Borges
Signed posters are available at stevemccurry.com/posters
Steve McCurry Curated 
21 replies on “One Magical Instant”
I especially like the picture of the young boy in Yangon, Myanmar. Reminds me of my son. He makes himself a place to read, no matter where we may be. 🙂
Reblogged this on Giai01's Blog and commented:
Hi
beautiful! i always consider you as my own photo guru. Thanks.
Absolutely wonderful, Steve. I am in my mid 70’s, and yet I remember the first book I was able to read from cover to cover, when I was just a kid. It was a truly sublime moment in my life and changed it forever. I have read more books than I can count on more subjects than I can enumerate. They are the key to our past, present and future & you have expressed it so well with your images and quotes. You are a phenomenon.
Wonderful collection of moments and glimpses on other peoples
journey
Splendid… A picture can tell a story.
Again and again you prove that the key to great photography is being there. Thanks for committing your life to being there for us to enjoy.
And books … yes!
THE photo of young elephant leaning on man reading immediately brought to mind….”Leaning into body of a lover long gone I miss terribly…If I could be with you I would be THE ‘Elephant-in-the-room!!!!’”
As usual beautiful images encapsulated with beautiful words from the soul.
Amazing Post…Reading is indeed absolute bliss
Is there life without reading? Wonderful quotes and photos. Thank you.
Maravilloso, único y necesario. Gracias maestro.
“Reading is bliss”. You’ve captured that sentiment beautifully, Steve. Thank you.
Language is simply magic. It starts everything. In the Beginning, was the word.
Mesmerizing… amazing photo théme!
Steve McCurry just can do it!
Fantastic images as usual. Sad to think that Steve would not be likely to capture so many of these moments now that reading is frequently digital.
I do miss the rich color of Kodachrome visually as rich as the experience of reading itself.
This series is close to my heart. Reading has such a profound effect on our soul and mind. Power found from the pages is incomparable with anything. Love how people had immersed them in their favorite reading amidst so many situations of life where some situations are leisure, quality time and some are challenging. Phenomenal works Sir! ❤🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you Steve.
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Wonderful series of amazing moments beautifull ycaptured