Cory Alexander

“If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don't waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.
There may be a few wagons and boats,
but these don't go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,
spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“We are all broken—that’s how the light gets in.”
― Ernest Hemingway

“Why did she have to happen? Just when I was doing so good without her.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary

“Poetry is the fiery index to the genius of the age.”
― Babette Deutsch