Tak Bon > Quotes

“How did we end up like this? Being obsessed with how we're perceived. Overlooking things that are right under our noses. Working for something that's unrealistically ideal. Obsessing after being turned down. We're all living our lives the way we choose. Some people say, "Is that who you really are?" "Don't you think you're capable of so much more?" I'm quite sure of it. Because there's still room for improvement. We all expect the best from ourselves and it's not easy to reach that point, no matter how hard we try. Even if we succeed, we easily crumble in the face of criticism. Sometimes we lose our way and can't accept ourselves, or we simply hide. We can never truly be free from others. It's great to put in the effort to become better, but we also need to work hard to get along with others. I'm not saying that it's all bad, but that doesn't mean you have to hate yourself for not being accepted. You may think it wasn't enough. But that's also a part of you. And if you look back on it, it may not've been as bad as you thought. It's a part of you that doesn't disappear. And it's something to live with. If you're swayed by what others think and start hating yourself, there's something wrong with that.”
― Tak Bon, Who Can Define Popularity?

“A relationship is like a taut piece of string. It can break because of someone else. It can tangle because of selfishness. No matter how tightly I hold onto it, it can end if the other lets go. But if you hold it, hold it tightly...that's enough to make me happy.”
― Tak Bon, Who Can Define Popularity?

“I'm not sure you can count those things as the truth. More like a list of characteristics?"
"But what else do you believe other than what he shows you? You can never know if what you see is the truth or not. Something you thought was a lie could be true, and something you thought was true could be a lie. Honestly, I'm in a no better position to tell you these things. I was anxious, because I showed him my true self. But it felt like he wasn't doing the same for me. Like I was the only one who was desperate. But I was wrong. Duan was always honest with me. We're the ones not believing him. I think you and I are very similar. We both like Duan, we both worked our asses off to get what we wanted, and we're both cowards when it comes to relationships. We question someone who's honest. We hurt them by not believing them, because we're scared. We get defensive and regret it later. Truth isn't anything more than showing them for what it is. That being said, Duan always showed us his truth. His feeling for us were genuine. But the truth becomes a lie when the other person doesn't believe it.”
― Tak Bon, Who Can Define Popularity?