Don Nissen

“Everything about these times, I have to say, worries me, but that the majority of the human race - women, children, men - is subjected in various ways to the effects of inequality seems to me at the core of all the problems that consume us. Above all, inequality generates an extraordinary waste of minds and creative energies, which, if they were trained and put to use, would likely make our history an active laboratory for repairing the damage we’ve caused so far - or at least of controlling its effects, rather than an unbearable list of horrors. - from Incidental Inventions”
― Elena Ferrante

“When someone tells me that they want to quit their job and open a catering company because they love to entertain, I give them a little test. I ask them to imagine how it would feel to throw a party almost every day for an entire year. Now imagine throwing multiple parties on the same day. Next, I ask them how they feel about physical and mental exhaustion (often at the same time) and guests with endless complicated food allergies. Finally, ask if, keeping all this in mind, they’re prone to panic attacks.”
― Mary Giuliani, Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites

“Something for nothing is nothing. Do not work for free. Don’t be so trusting in business: I have learned this the hard way. Don’t say yes to people in power just because they have power. Have skin in the game, get a good lawyer, and fight like a big girl for what is yours.”
― Mary Giuliani, Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites

“At one point I realized that if I didn’t start loving my life for exactly what it is in the moment, then everyone’s grass would always appear greener. I started to notice that a lot of people who we assume have it all struggle with the same insecurities and unhappiness that plague everyone. More is not more fulfilling. Bigger is not better. You can order all the caviar in the world and still be hungry. You can be the king of your dinner table but not want to go home to your castle.”
― Mary Giuliani, Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites