#elf

In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking. I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me. Perhaps these pages are more particularly addressed to poor students. As for the rest of my readers, they will accept such portions as apply to them. I trust that none will stretch the seams in putting on the coat, for it may do good service to him whom it fits. ↗

— Henry David Thoreau

#first #myself #person #self #walden

I've done a lot of collaboration over the years, but right now I'm enjoying writing by myself and just being me again for a while. ↗

— Delta Goodrem

#being #collaboration #done #enjoying #i

Democracy must learn to defend itself. ↗

— Mikhail Gorbachev

#democracy #itself #learn #must

My image lends itself a little bit more to the modern fan, sometimes more toward the kids, and I guess more toward the wine drinkers... I mean, I have my own wine, and fans love to pull for people they relate to. ↗

— Jeff Gordon

#drinkers #fan #fans #guess #i

I think if you exercise, your state of mind - my state of mind - is usually more at ease, ready for more mental challenges. Once I get the physical stuff out of the way it always seems like I have more calmness and better self-esteem. ↗

— Stone Gossard

#always #better #calmness #challenges #ease

I was enrolled in divinity school and thought I was going to become a minister - I'm Episcopalian - but I was disavowed of that notion pretty quickly while working at the hospital. I found myself really unfulfilled by the answers that are traditionally offered to questions of why some people suffer and why others suffer so little. ↗

— John Green

#become #divinity #enrolled #episcopalian #found

I'm competitive with myself, but not with other people. I set goals for myself. I don't really care about winning or losing as long as I do my best. ↗

— Lucas Grabeel

#best #care #competitive #goals #i

Today 80 percent of all the oil that comes out of the Gulf is from 1,000 feet or more and today almost a third of it is more than 5,000 feet below the surface. What hasn't happened is the safety and the ability to respond to a negative event such as this blowout, has been far outrun by the technology of drilling itself. We need to close that gap. ↗

— Bob Graham

#almost #been #below #close #comes

But after a while, she began to experience the new reality of each person as being as strong and as weak as anyone else. Slowly, she learned that each of us grown-ups has as much and as little power as the other, and that we had best learn to take care of ourselves.(83) ↗

— Sheldon B. Kopp

#self-control #experience

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. ↗

— Kenneth Grahame

#best #best part #busy #busy working #fellows