#superficiality

Our lives are mere flashes of light in an infinitely empty universe. In 12 years of education the most important lesson I have learned is that what we see as “normal” living is truly a travesty of our potential. In a society so governed by superficiality, appearances, and petty economics, dreams are more real than anything anything in the “real world”. Refuse normalcy. Beauty is everywhere, love is endless, and joy bleeds from our everyday existence. Embrace it. I love all of you, all my friends, family, and community. I am ceaselessly grateful from the bottom of my heart for everyone. The only thing I can ask of you is to stay free of materialism. Remember that every day contains a universe of potential; exhaust it. Live and love so immensely that when death comes there is nothing left for him to take. Wealth is love, music, sports, learning, family and freedom. Above all, stay gold. ↗

— Dominic Owen Mallary

#appearances #beauty #death #education #existence

I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be, but most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see. ↗

— Douglas Pagels

#judgement #superficiality #awareness

The externals are important but I'm not interested in superficiality. ↗

— Kyan Douglas

#i #important #interested #not interested #superficiality

You must renounce all superficiality, all convention, all vanity and delusion. ↗

— Gustav Mahler

#delusion #must #renounce #superficiality #vanity

Our enemy is by tradition our savior, in preventing us from superficiality. ↗

— Joyce Carol Oates

#our #preventing #savior #superficiality #tradition

Hastiness and superficiality are the psychic diseases of the 20th century, and more than anywhere else this disease is reflected in the press. ↗

— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

#anywhere #century #disease #diseases #else

Now, 75 years [after To Kill a Mockingbird], in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books. [Open Letter, O Magazine, July 2006] ↗

— Harper Lee

#communication #computers #critical-thinking #modern-life #reading

Anyone can see that an ass laden with books remains a donkey. A human being laden with the undigested results of a tussle with thoughts and books, however, still passes for wise. ↗

— Idries Shah

#donkeys #ego #evolution #intelligence #poses

I just can’t wait to get out of Sweet Valley,' Jessica explained. 'I feel like I’ve been dancing with the same ten cute guys my whole life. ↗

— Francine Pascal

#dancing #leaving-home #superficiality #sweet-valley #home

The midwest is full of these types of people. The nice enoughs but with a soul made of plastic. Easy to mold, easy to wipe down. The woman's entire music collection is formed from Pottery Barn compilations. Her books shelves are stocked with coffee table crap The Irish in America, Mizzou Football - A History in Pictures, We Remember 911, something dumb with kittens. I knew I needed a pliant friend for my plan, someone I could load up with awful stories about Nick. Someone who would become overly attached to me. Someone who would be easy to manipulate. Who wouldn't think to hard about anything I said because she felt privileged to hear it. ↗

— Gillian Flynn

#superficiality #music