“For sure we live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we’re not young and glowing and “hot,” we don’t matter. But I refuse to buy into such a distorted view of reality. And I would never lie about or deny my age. To do so is to contribute to a sickness pervading our society—the sickness of wanting to be what you’re not. I know for sure that only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life. I feel sorry for anyone who buys into the myth that you can be what you once were. The way to your best life isn’t denial. It’s owning every moment and staking a claim to the here and now. You’re not the same woman you were a decade ago; if you’re lucky, you’re not the same woman you were last year. The whole point of aging, as I see it, is change. If we let them, our experiences can keep teaching us about ourselves. I celebrate that. Honor it. Hold it in reverence. And I’m grateful for every age I’m blessed to become.”
― What I Know for Sure
― What I Know for Sure
“Want to know how to make yourself instantly unhappy? Compare yourself with someone else.”
― Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
― Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
“All these things eventually turn on us. We become slaves to our belongings. Forced to spend time and energy caring for them. We lose ourselves in our possessions. Our tools become our masters.”
― Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
― Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
“If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn't spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.”
― Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
― Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
“Did men ever look in the mirror, I wondered, and find themselves wanting in deeply fundamental ways? When they opened a newspaper or watched a film, were they presented with nothing but exceptionally handsome young men, and did this make them feel intimidated, inferior, because they were not as young, not as handsome? Did they then read newspaper articles ridiculing those same handsome men if they gained weight or wore something unflattering?”
― Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
― Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
— 21893 members
— last activity 5 hours, 42 min ago
For those attempting the crazy feat of reading all 1001 books! For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 10 ...more
Betsy’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Betsy’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Polls voted on by Betsy
Lists liked by Betsy
























