Excerpt: In this short story, a heated debate arises between a donkey and a tiger so they go to the lion for help. What he advises might surprise you.
“The Stoic does two things when encountering hatred or ill opinion in others. They ask: Is this opinion inside my control? If there is a chance for influence or change, they take it. But if there isn’t, they accept this person as they are (and never hate a hater). Our job is tough enough already. We don’t have time to think about what other people are thinking, even if it’s about us.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 279)
“Nobody is rooting for you to fail. You may succeed. You may fail. But, for the most part, nobody cares one way or the other. This is good. The world is big and you are small, which means you can chase your dreams with little worry for what people think.”
James Clear, Blog
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.
“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
“Outside input is great, even necessary. It’s smart to receive feedback. But once you’ve heard all the opinions, there comes a point when you have to make your own choice.”
Alicia Keys, More Myself (Page 239)
“Believing ourselves to be possessors of absolute truth degrades us: we regard every person whose way of thinking is different from ours as a monster and a threat and by so doing turn our own selves into monsters and threats to our fellows.”
Octavio Paz, Sunbeams (Page 9)
“It’s hard to pinpoint the precise moment when we internalize others’ assessments; it’s usually not just a single experience but rather a series of moments that bruise the spirit and lead us to distrust ourselves and those around us. And then we wake up at age seventeen or twenty-five or thirty-seven and realize we don’t know the last time we’ve lived life only to please ourselves.”
Alicia Keys, More Myself (Page 29)
“All that is beautiful and all that is good and all that is divine can be felt only by the inner sense. Stop being influenced by people’s opinions. Rather, start looking in… allow your inner sense to say things to you. Trust it. If you trust it, it will grow. If you trust it, you will feed it, it will become stronger.”
Osho, Courage (Page 106)
These people gon’ tell you that you will never make it /
Then when you do, they gon’ say they knew you were goin’ places /
That’s just how it works, next thing you know you’ll be overrated /
Hearing people say they miss the “old you,” it’s crazy, ain’t it?
NF, Remember This
It doesn’t matter where you are in life, there will always be noise that’s trying to take you away from where you are. When you’re first starting out, of course you’re not great. Who is? In fact, you probably suck. Like, you’re probably really awful. Especially compared to all of the greats that you’re probably comparing yourself to. So, of course you’re going to have people around you saying you will “never make it.” That you should probably quit and stick to something more “commonplace.” Or that you will never be as good as that person or this person. The noise when you first start out is real and it can stop you in your tracks before you ever even start.
Read More »NF Quote from “Remember This” on Success and How There’s Always Hate At Each Step of the Way
Excerpt: Unpopular opinion: I believe that trust should be given, not earned. Most people model their relationships off of the inverse. Read on and weigh in.
“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“Social media is still an energy exchange… in case you were wondering why you’re exhausted all of the time.”
Unknown
When it comes to social media, what do we do if what we post causes other people pain? Assuming that’s not the intention, I find this to be a very valid concern when one of the main criticisms of social media use is the pain it can cause. The pain in seeing others in seemingly happy relationships. The pain in seeing people post exotic pictures from across the globe when you’re stuck at home. The pain in seeing distorted perceptions of beauty and then comparing it to yourself. The pain in seeing other people hit milestones that you haven’t even set as goals for yourself. The pain that comes from comparing highlight reels to your “normal” reels. Not wanting to contribute to any of that, the question that I find constantly stirring in my mind is, what moments to share and what moments to keep to myself?
Read More »On Social Media: “What If My Posts Are Causing Other People Pain? When Should I Share and When Shouldn’t I Share?”
