#tho

In this county, we had to walk, eat, sleep and love in fear. ↗

— Herta Müller

#fear #love

A person without her or his own truth ain't a person at all, Ida said. Anybody who tells you different—is a jackass, and no longer deserves to be called human being. ↗

— Tom Spanbauer

#self-knowledge #unorthodoxy #γνῶθι-σεαυτόν #love

The Greek gods had personalities like those of humans and struggled with one another for position and power. They did not love humans (although some had favorites) and did not ask to be loved by them. They did not impose codes of behavior. They expected respect and honor but coud act contrary to human needs and desires. ↗

— Barry B. Powell

#greek-mythology #love

She’s calm and happy now that Scotty loves her. I can’t tell if she’s actually real, or if she’s stopped caring if she’s real or not. Or is not caring what makes a person real? ↗

— Jennifer Egan

#love

What is withdrawal?" "Let's see, since you know your scripture so well, was that Onan? Yes, that bugger. What he did." "Spilling his seed on the floor?" "Yes," continued her husband, "it would be lovely if I could take you and spill my seed somewhere else. Not on the floor, mind you. But perhaps on your very soft belly. Perhaps even on your splendid breasts. and perhaps, if I'm in a really terrible mood, I'll make you swallow it. - Vere to Elissande ↗

— Sherry Thomas

#sherry-thomas #vere #love

For the rest of the afternoon, Miss Bloom smiled almost as bright as the big yellow sun shining through the front picture window. Her library was filled up with people who loved books. ↗

— Augusta Scattergood

#civil-rights-movement #happiness #libraries #mississippi-authors #love

We are more severe judges of our own acts... We judge our thoughts, our intents, our secret curses, our secret hates, not only our acts. ↗

— Anaïs Nin

#acts #judgement #life #reflection #self

All our hope rests upon the possibility of a change of the laws which concern it, so that only rape or the comission of public offence, when this can be proved at the same time, shall be punishable. ↗

— Richard von Krafft-Ebing

#equity #gay-rights #homosexuality #hope #law

Long Distance training can be a positive & constructive form of selfishness. After all, once you're at the starting line, you're there by yourself. No one can run a single step for you. No one can jump in & help you. No one but you can make the decisions about what to do to keep going. It's all up to you. ↗

— John Bingham

#marathoning-for-mortals #running #inspirational

Everybody has a soul." I turn to Pelly. "And that means you, too." "I'm not so sure of that," he says. "What does it feel like?" "Having a soul?" I look at Maxine, but she only shrugs. "I don't know," I tell Pelly. "I don't have anything to compare it to- you know, what not having a sould would feel like." We fall into a kind of awkward silence. I don't know about the others, but I'm working on what a soul is and not coming up with a whole lot. I mean, I just always thought of it as me- what I feel like being me. But surely Pelly feels like himself, so that means he's got a soul right? But if that's not your soul, then what is? It's weird and not something you really think about, is it? ↗

— Charles de Lint

#soul #thoughts #inspirational