#am

Honestly, I cannot understand what people mean when they talk about the freedom of the human will. I have a feeling, for instance, that I will something or other; but what relation this has with freedom I cannot understand at all. I feel that I will to light my pipe and I do it; but how can I connect this up with the idea of freedom? What is behind the act of willing to light the pipe? Another act of willing? Schopenhauer once said: Der Mensch kann was er will; er kann aber nicht wollen was er will (Man can do what he will but he cannot will what he wills). ↗

— Albert Einstein

#free-will #freedom #human-will #sam-harris #freedom

Does he treat you with respect at all times? That’s the first question. The second question is, if he is the exact same person twenty years from now that he is today, would you still want to marry him? And finally, does he inspire you to want to be a better person? You find someone you can answer yes about to all three, then you’ve found a good man. ↗

— Colleen Hoover

#colleen-hoover #love #questions #slammed #inspirational

Dogmatism of all kinds--scientific, economic, moral, as well as political--are threatened by the creative freedom of the artist. This is necessarily and inevitably so. We cannot escape our anxiety over the fact that the artists together with creative persons of all sorts, are the possible destroyer of our nicely ordered systems. (p. 76) ↗

— Rollo May

#dogmatism #fundamentalism #courage

Among the problems with shame was that it in fact did not make you shorter or quieter or less visible. You just felt like you were. ↗

— J.R. Ward

#sadness #shame #insight

...you definitely are deep water Dr. Fisher. Fathoms deep. ↗

— J.M. Richards

#davin #nicknames #romantic #tall-dark-streak-of-lightning #romantic

Here I came to the very edge where nothing at all needs saying, everything is absorbed through weather and the sea, and the moon swam back, its rays all silvered, and time and again the darkness would be broken by the crash of a wave, and every day on the balcony of the sea, wings open, fire is born, and everything is blue again like morning. ↗

— Pablo Neruda

#painted-a-picture #sun #broken

Just take the weapon you hold in your hand and drive it through his heart," Valentine's voice was soft. "One simple motion. Nothing you haven't done before." Jace met his father's stare with a level gaze. "I saw Agramon," he said. "It had your face." "You saw Agramon?" The Soul-Sword glittered as Valentine moved toward his son. "And you lived?" "I killed it." "You killed the Demon of Fear, but you won't kill a single vampire, not even at my order?" Jace stood watching Valentine without expression. "He's a vampire, that's true," he said. "But his name is Simon. ↗

— Cassandra Clare

#ethics #fear #jace-wayland #loyalty #simon-lewis

i think of all the thousands of billions of steps and missteps and chances and coincidences that have brought me here. Brought you here, and it feels like the biggest miracle in the world. ↗

— Lauren Oliver

#kent #miracle #sam #steps #chance

What's your name,' Coraline asked the cat. 'Look, I'm Coraline. Okay?' 'Cats don't have names,' it said. 'No?' said Coraline. 'No,' said the cat. 'Now you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names. ↗

— Neil Gaiman

#names #self-knowledge #need

How we need another soul to cling to. ↗

— Sylvia Plath

#companionship #loneliness #need