Betsy

“Let me adapt some of Nietzsche's words and say this to you: "To become wise, you must learn to listen to the wild dogs barking in your cellar.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death

“I agree with Viktor Frankl that a sense of life meaning ensues but cannot be deliberately pursued: life meaning is always a derivative phenomenon that materializes when we have transcended ourselves, when we have forgotten ourselves and become absorbed in someone (or something) outside ourselves.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy

“Your task is to accept yourself—not to find ways to gain my acceptance.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept

“I urge you not to distract yourself. Instead, savor awakening. Take advantage of it. Pause as you stare into the photograph of the younger you. Let the poignant moment sweep over you and linger a bit; taste the sweetness of it as well as the bitterness. Keep in mind the advantage of remaining aware of death, of hugging its shadow to you. Such awareness can integrate the darkness with your spark of life and enhance your life while you still have it. To way to value life, the way to feel compassion for others, the way to love anything with greatest depth is to be aware that these experiences are destined to be lost.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death