Jae

“I want to insist that our being alive is beautiful enough to be worthy of replication. And so what? So what if all I ever made of my life was more of it?”
― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

“You cannot be upset at strangers who hurt the people you love, but ignore when the people you love hurt strangers.”
― Maggie McMuffin, We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival

“Love cannot coexist with domination.”
― bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love

“Nietzsche (ugh) told us, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
You've been hearing this for years, in one form or another, but let's be specific. Like, if you're hit by a car and don't die, does the car make you stronger? No. Does injury or disease make you stronger? No. Does suffering alone build character? No. These things leave you more vulnerable to further injury.
What makes you stronger is whatever happens to you after you survive the thing that didn't kill you.
What makes you stronger is rest.”
― Emily Nagoski, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle