Jostein Gaarder

The protagonists are Sophie Amundsen, a 14-year-old girl, and Alberto Knox, her philosophy teacher. The novel chronicles their metaphysical relationship as they study Western philosophy from its beginnings to the present. A bestseller in Norway.

A Novel about the History of Philosophy

Sophie's World

Sofies verden

Amelia

at some point something must have come from nothing

It contained only a slip of paper no bigger than the envelope. It read: Who are you?

You can't experience being alive without realising that you have to die, she thought. But it's just as impossible to realise you have to die without thinking how incredibly amazing it is to be alive.

The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder.

But have you ever given any thought to the fact that you are a Martian yourself?

'I'm not playing!' Sophie retorted indignantly, 'I'm doing a very complicated philosophical experiment!'

Democritus called these smallest units atoms.

The word 'influenza' actually means a malign influence from the stars.

Wisest is she who knows she does not know.

The stupidest thing she knew was for people to act like they knew all about things they knew absolutely nothing about.

Sophie's World quotes

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