“More damage is inflicted by people who think they have it all together than by people who have been humbled by the realization that they probably do not.”
Marianne Williamson, The Shadow Effect (Page 172)
“We like to say that we don’t get to choose our parents, that they were given by chance—yet we can truly choose whose children we’d like to be.”
Seneca, On The Brevity Of Life, via The Daily Stoic (Page 173)
“Just because you’ve begun down one path doesn’t mean you’re committed to it forever, especially if that path turns out to be flawed or impeded. At that same time, this is not an excuse to be flighty or incessantly noncommittal. It takes courage to decide to do things differently and to make a change, as well as discipline and awareness to know that the notion of ‘Oh, but this looks even better’ is a temptation that cannot be endlessly indulged either.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 172)
47 Quotes On Gossip: To Speak Or Not To Speak Of Others?
Excerpt: To speak or not to speak of others? THAT is the question this incredible list of quotes on gossip seeks to answer. Some might surprise you.
Read More »47 Quotes On Gossip: To Speak Or Not To Speak Of Others?
“Literature and gossip are closely related. People who are curious and imaginative long to know ‘what it’s like for other people.’ This longing can be satisfied in its basest, most banal form through gossip, just as it can attain a more refined and complex gratification in art. Both gossip and literature, each in its own way, are capable of offering a partial antidote to fanaticism, because they both relish the fascinating differences between people.”
Amos Oz
“When people come together—let’s say they come to a little party or something—you always hear them discuss character. They will say this one has a bad character, this one has a good character, this one Is a fool, this one is a miser. Gossip makes the conversation. They all analyze character. It seems that the analysis of character is the highest human entertainment. And literature does it, unlike gossip, without mentioning real names.
The writers who don’t discuss character but problems—social problems or any problems—take away from literature its very essence. They stop being entertaining. We, for some reason, always love to discuss and discover character. This is because each character is different, and human character is the greatest of puzzles.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer
“Your character defects are not where you’re bad, but where you’re wounded. But no matter who or what caused the wound, it’s yours now and you’re responsible for it. The only person who can bring it up and release it is you. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you got your character defects anyway. They’re yours now. You can’t live with a sign around your neck saying, ‘It’s not my fault. My parents were difficult.’ Your only way out of your conundrum is to take total responsibility for those defects.”
Marianne Williamson, The Shadow Effect (Page 171)
“Our power to override their destructive intensity lies in our ability to love with as much conviction as they show in hate. Hating with conviction, they draw forth more hatred; when we love with greater conviction, we will draw forth more love.”
Marianne Williamson, The Shadow Effect (Page 160)
“To the shadow, the light is an enemy. But to the light, the shadow is nothing. It simply does not exist.”
Marianne Williamson, The Shadow Effect (Page 157)
“Let us not underestimate the power of the shadow. It’s not enough to just meditate sometimes; we should meditate daily. It’s not enough, if you’re a recovering addict, to attend a meeting every once in a while; you should attend a meeting every day. It’s not enough that we forgive a few people; we must try our best to forgive everyone, for only love is real. If I withhold it from anyone, then I withhold it from myself. And it’s not enough to love only when it’s easy; we must try to expand our capacity to love even when it’s hard.”
Marianne Williamson, The Shadow Effect (Page 157)