Constance

“The paradox of anthropology: to see something, you had to be outside of it, but when you were outside of it, you couldn't see it for what it was.”
― Paul La Farge, The Night Ocean

“If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already — it’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up-front in daily consciousness. Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart — you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on.”
― David Foster Wallace, This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

“Honesty is the most beautiful gift a person can give to another at the beginning of a friendship.”
― Kai Meyer

“You were young, I thought, not once but always before, always always, every day before the day just passed. You were young only minutes ago.”
― Timothy Schaffert, The Coffins of Little Hope