Brett Linsley

“There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.”
― Eric Hoffer, The True Believer

“Brotherhood has nothing to do with feelings; it has to do with how you define your relationship to others. It has to do with the rather profound decision to put the welfare of the group above your personal welfare. In such a system, feelings are meaningless. In such a system, who you are entirely depends on your willingness to surrender who you are.”
― Sebastian Junger, War

“You learn who you are only by making yourself accountable to the judgment of others.”
― Stanley Hauerwas, Hannah's Child: A Theologian's Memoir

“Finding oneself means, among other things, finding the story or narrative in terms of which one's life make sense. [...] In most societies in world history, the meaning of one's life has derived to a large degree from one's relationship to the lives of one's parents and one's children. [...] Clearly, the meaning of one's life for most Americans is to become one's own person, almost to give birth to oneself. Much of this process, as we have seen, is negative. It involves breaking free from family, community, and inherited ideas. Our culture does not give us much guidance as to how to fill the contours of this autonomous, self-responsible self, but it does point to two important areas. One of these is work, the realm, par excellence, of utilitarian individualism. [...] The other area is the lifestyle enclave, the realm, par excellence, of expressive individualism.”
― Robert N. Bellah, Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life