#we

Sometimes we must undergo hardships, breakups, and narcissistic wounds, which shatter the flattering image that we had of ourselves, in order to discover two truths: that we are not who we thought we were; and that the loss of a cherished pleasure is not necessarily the loss of true happiness and well-being. (109) ↗

— Jean-Yves Leloup

#emotional-wounds #happiness #hardships #self-image #suffering

Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. ↗

— Benjamin Franklin

#everyone #governs #his #learns #nobody

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with any evil, in case he do otherwise. ↗

— John Stuart Mill

#libertarian #liberty #power #community

I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage. ↗

— L.M. Montgomery

#names #power-of-words #rose

Tucker: "But she gave me the perfect gift." Clara: "What?" Tucker: "You. ↗

— Cynthia Hand

#crush #gift #sweet #gifts

The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel... its poverty by how little. ↗

— Sherrilyn Kenyon

#soul #wealth #poverty

History is written by the rich, and so the poor get blamed for everything. ↗

— Jeffrey D. Sachs

#condition #human #maldistribution #poor #poverty

It is good," he thought "to taste for yourself everything you need to know. That worldly pleasures and wealth are not good things, I learned even as a child. I knew it for a long time, but only now have I experienced it. And now I know it, I know it not only because I remember hearing it, but with my eyes, with my heart, with my stomach. And it is good for me to know it! ↗

— Hermann Hesse

#wealth #poverty

Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ↗

— Paulo Freire

#conflict #hands #means #neutral #powerful

People are strange . . . ↗

— Jim Morrison

#strangeness #weirdness #strange