Nate Cornell

“Besides, humility had always seemed to him a specious thing, invented for the comfort of others; you were praised for humility by people because you did not make them feel any more lacking than they already did.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

“Offstage I worry and sweat. Onstage I am calm as a windless winter night.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Every culture has its typical beliefs, norms and values, but these are in constant flux. The culture may transform itself in response to changes in its environment or through interaction with neighbouring cultures. But cultures also undergo transitions due to their own internal dynamics. Even a completely isolated culture existing in an ecologically stable environment cannot avoid change. Unlike the laws of physics, which are free of inconsistencies, every man-made order is packed with internal contradictions. Cultures are constantly trying to reconcile these contradictions, and this process fuels change.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“You can’t even read American fiction to get a sense of how actual life is lived these days. You read American fiction to learn about dysfunctional white folk doing things that are weird to normal white folks.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah