Amber

“Loneliness is a very special place. It isn’t always easy to see the truth of Wilson’s statement, but over the course of my travels I’ve come to believe that he was right, that loneliness is by no means a wholly worthless experience, but rather one that cuts right to the heart of what we value and what we need. Many marvellous things have emerged from the lonely city: things forged in loneliness, but also things that function to redeem it.”
― Olivia Laing, The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone

“It is a strange pressure to be across from a man who wants something that you don't want to give. It's like standing in a forceful current, which at first you think is not too strong, but the longer you stand, the more tired you become, the harder it is to stay upright.”
― Stephanie Danler, Sweetbitter

“If in a relationship there is no tension [meaning no deepening of knowledge of self and others], it ceases to be a relationship and merely becomes a comfortable sleep state, an opiate - which most people want and prefer.”
― Charlotte Kasl, If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path

“Why do you put yourself in unsafe places? Because something in you feels fundamentally devoid of worth.”
― Olivia Laing, The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone