Doubling Down Quotes

“Having had occasion in the past to observe Communist statesmen, I saw with surprise that they were often extremely critical of the reality ensuing from actions of theirs that they saw turn before their eyes into an uncontrollable chain of consequences. If they were really so clear-sighted, you will say, why did they not just quit? Was it out of opportunism? Love of power? Out of fear? Perhaps. But it cannot be ruled out that at least some of them were guided by a sense of responsibility for an act they had helped to set loose in the world and for which they did not want to deny paternity, still cherishing the hope that they would manage to correct it, modify it, give it back meaning. The clearer it became that the hope was illusory, the more clearly emerged the tragedy of their lives.”
― Milan Kundera, The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts

“You act like this industry is a joke— like it's just smut, like it doesn't matter! It does matter! Love makes people happy! It makes the world go round! People read this stuff when they're sad, when they're horny, when they're dying, when their lives are falling apart, when they're too scared to—"
"Katie," he said again.
"You don't get it, do you? How good it feels to believe in something! To believe your person is out there! That one day, everything is going to finally make sense, finally fall into place! To hang on to something like that, despite your fear, despite how lonely you are, despite how many times you've been hurt”
― Lauren Okie, Tropesick