Meredith

“It’s alarming to face the prospect that you might never truly feel as though you know what you’re doing, in work, marriage, parenting, or anything else. But it’s liberating, too, because it removes a central reason for feeling self-conscious or inhibited about your performance in those domains in the present moment: if the feeling of total authority is never going to arrive, you might as well not wait any longer to give such activities your all—to put bold plans into practice, to stop erring on the side of caution. It is even more liberating to reflect that everyone else is in the same boat, whether they’re aware of it or not.”
― Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

“Smell is life’s oldest sense. Standing here alone, nostrils flaring, it occurs to me that breathing is so much more than just getting air into our bodies. It’s the most intimate connection to our surroundings.”
― James Nestor, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

“She was strangely different. Not actually in any way he [her father] might have feared. Rather, she seemed more sure, quieter, more still, more absorbent, more favorably aware of them [her family] than ever in the past.”
― Tanith Lee, Beauty

“In short: there are limits. Morality plays a big role in a rich and full life, but it's not everything. And if your inner fire burns bright, no need to stoke it hotter. In any case, don't let yourself be fuelled by a sense of guilt or shame, but rather with enthusiasm and a lust for life. Be ambitious, not perfect. There comes a point when you're fine just the way you are.”
― Rutger Bregman, Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference