Ritsy > Ritsy's Quotes

“My past is everything I failed to be.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“I've always been an ironic dreamer, unfaithful to my inner promises.
Like a complete outsider, a casual observer of whom I thought I was,
I've always enjoyed watching my daydreams go down in defeat.
I was never convinced of what I believed in.
I filled my hands with sand, called it gold, and opened them up to let it slide through.
Words were my only truth.
When the right words were said, all was done; the rest was the sand that had always been.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarates, the performing arts (such as acting and dance) entertain. Literature, however, retreats from life by turning in into slumber. The other arts make no such retreat— some because they use visible and hence vital formulas, others because they live from human life itself.
This isn't the case with literature. Literature simulates life. A novel is a story of what never was, a play is a novel without narration. A poem is the expression of ideas or feelings a language no one uses, because no one talks in verse.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“I asked for very little from life, and even this little was denied me. A nearby field, a ray of sunlight, a little bit of calm along with a bit of bread, not to feel oppressed by the knowledge that I exist, not to demand anything from others, and not to have others demand anything from me - this was denied me, like the spare change we might deny a beggar not because we're mean-hearted but because we don't feel like unbuttoning our coat.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“In the ordinary jumble of my literary drawer, I sometimes find texts I wrote ten, fifteen, or even more years ago. And many of them seem to me written by a stranger: I simply do not recognize myself in them. There was a person who wrote them, and it was I. I experienced them, but it was in another life, from which I just woke up, as if from someone else's dream.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“pg 9, "The consciousness of life's unconsciousness is the oldest tax levied on the intelligence.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“Ah, what a morning this is, awakening me to life's stupidity. [98 - Zenith trans.]”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“Perhaps it's my destiny to remain a book-keeper for ever and for poetry and literature to remain simply butterflies that alight on my head and merely underline my own ridiculousness by their very beauty.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“To possess something is to lose it. To feel something without possessing it is to keep it, because in that way one extracts its essence.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“You can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever.... connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“Don't be afraid of your fears. They're not there to scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“Ethical leaders do not run from criticism, especially self-criticism, and they don’t hide from uncomfortable questions. They welcome them.”
― James B. Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“Everyone lies at some point in their life. The important questions are where, about what, and how often?”
― James B. Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“Effective leaders almost never need to yell. The leader will have created an environment where disappointing him causes his people to be disappointed in themselves. Guilt and affection are far more powerful motivators than fear. The great coaches of team sports are almost always people who simply need to say, in a quiet voice, “That wasn’t our best, now was it?” and his players melt. They love this man, know he loves them, and will work tirelessly not to disappoint him. People are drawn to this kind of leader, as I was drawn all those years ago to Harry Howell, the grocer. A leader who screams at his employees or belittles them will not attract and retain great talent over the long term.”
― James B. Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“Ethical leaders choose a higher loyalty to those core values over their own personal gain.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“Guilt and affection are far more powerful motivators than fear.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“In every man’s life there comes a time when the good Lord tests him,”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“if the criticism is coming from a person I know to be thoughtful, I pay close attention to it. I even pay attention to anonymous critics and even savage partisans if their logic or factual presentation tell me they may be seeing something I missed. The rest of the crazies, and there were a lot of crazies, I ignore.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“A leader who screams at his employees or belittles them will not attract and retain great talent over the long term.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“The tough and kind leader loves her people enough to know they can always improve their game. She lights a fire in them to always get better.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“It may sound strange, but throughout my five months working under Donald Trump, I wanted him to succeed as president. That’s not a political bias. Had Hillary Clinton been elected, I would have wanted her to succeed as president. I think that’s what it means to love your country. We need our presidents to succeed.”
― James Comey, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

“In other words, the default state is to trust, and what the amygdala does is learn vigilance and distrust.”
― Robert M. Sapolsky, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.”
― Robert M. Sapolsky, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

“It’s the loneliest people who love books the most.”
― Etaf Rum, A Woman is No Man

“Carpe somnum!” calls Daniel. “Seize the naps!”
― Kelly Harms, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

“when you take positive steps in your life, the universe rewards you by making your path forward easier.”
― Kelly Harms, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

“One loses everything when one loses one's sense of humor.”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

“Never ask people about your work.”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

“What greater wealth is there than to own your life and to spend it on growing? Every living thing must grow. It can't stand still. It must grow or perish.”
― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

“Every form of happiness is private. Our greatest moments are personal, self-motivated, not to be touched".”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead