#individual

The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity. The inventor did it, because it was natural to him, and so in him it has a charm. In the imitator, something else is natural, and he bereaves himself of his own beauty, to come short of another man's. ↗

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

#individuality #invention #beauty

Christ delves far beyond the means of superficiality, not simply because of his immaculate love, but also because he considers the distinct cases of each individual rather than withholding a broadened perception by use of stereotypes. ↗

— Criss Jami

#christ #compassion #consideration #discernment #distinction

The thoughts of others Were light and fleeting, Of lovers' meeting Or luck or fame. Mine were of trouble, And mine were steady; So I was ready When trouble came. ↗

— A.E. Housman

#individual #love #lovers #luck #thoughts

I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy. Each of these innocents on the street is engulfed by a terror of their own ordinariness. They would do anything to be unique. ↗

— Katherine Dunn

#individuality #maniacal #humor

His thoughts inhabit a different plane from those of ordinary men; the simplest interpretation of that is to call him crazy. ↗

— Juliet Marillier

#differences #humor #individuality #humor

Erotic longing is really a longing to merge with something greater than oneself. For every kind of love is a force that holds the promise of taking us beyond the limitations of our individual lives. ↗

— Julianne Davidow

#individual #lives #longing #love #merge

But, of course, what mattered most of all was my deep-seated hatred of authority, my monstrous individualism, my lawlessness. No word in my vocabulary expressed deeper hatred than the word INTERFERENCE. But Christianity placed at the centre what then seemed to me a transcendental Interferer. If its picture were true then no sort of 'treaty with reality' could ever be possible. There was no region even in the innermost depth of one's soul (nay, there least of all) which one could surround with a barbed wire fence and guard with a notice No Admittance. And that was what I wanted; some area, however small, of which I could say to all other beings, 'This is my business and mine only. ↗

— C.S. Lewis

#christianity #god #individualism #morality #business

I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest. ↗

— Henry David Thoreau

#human-nature #individuality #liberty #strength #uniqueness

The first duty of a man is to think for himself ↗

— José Martí

#democracy #freedom #history #hope #individualism

There are two kinds of people. One kind, you can just tell by looking at them at what point they congealed into their final selves. It might be a very nice self, but you know you can expect no more suprises from it. Whereas, the other kind keep moving, changing... They are fluid. They keep moving forward and making new trysts with life, and the motion of it keeps them young. In my opinion, they are the only people who are still alive. You must be constantly on your guard against congealing. ↗

— Gail Godwin

#congealing #creativity #development #evolving #fluid