Bill McDavid

“In late 2015, a bus in eastern Kenya was stopped by gunmen from an extremist group named Al-Shabaab that made a practice of massacring Christians as part of a terrorism campaign against the Western-aligned Kenyan government. The gunmen demanded that Muslim and Christian passengers separate themselves into two groups so that the Christians could be killed, but the Muslims—most of whom were women—refused to do it. They told the gunmen that they would all die together if necessary, but that the Christians would not be singled out for execution. The Shabaab eventually let everyone go.”
― Sebastian Junger, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

“Poets die young. That is not just a cliché. The life expectancy of poets, as a group, trails playwrights, novelists, and nonfiction writers by a considerable margin. They have higher rates of “emotional disorders” than actors, musicians, composers, and novelists.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know

“Cubans tend to have personal and complex relationships with Fidel Castro, often combining feelings of veneration, respect, or love with frustration or even hate.”
― Julia E. Sweig, Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know

“Your demons may have been ejected from the building, but they’re out in the parking lot, doing push-ups.”)”
― Dan Harris, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story