Elizabeth

“The tendency to leap to the worst possible conclusion — the “everything will be ruined” option — is known as catastrophizing. Like perfectionism, it’s a common trait of ASD and closely tied to black and white thinking.”
― Cynthia Kim, Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life

“I did not see where the bullets were going, but little songbirds flew down from the trees, confused and worried. They perched on my shoulders and then hid in the folds of my robes and shawl. But then I saw they were falling dead from me, their hearts broken by this noise.”
― Daoud Hari, The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur

“What is it like being self-aware without a self-construct? Much of my self-awareness is the result of indirect observation of the effects I have on people. I know I exist because I see people acknowledging my existence, just as we know that dark matter exists in the universe not because we can see or measure it directly, but because we can see its effects as its invisible gravity distorts the motion of objects around it. Sociopaths are like dark matter in that we typically keep our influence hidden, albeit in plain sight, but you can certainly see our effects. I watch for people's reactions to me so I am able to understand, "I make people feel scared when I stare at them this way." My awareness of self is made up of a million of these little observations to paint a picture of myself, like a pointillist portrait.”
― M. E. Thomas

“Rubbia seemed to understand that whether it was a W or not was almost inconsequential. What mattered was that it proved that UA1 could discern W-like events. Since the theory, which was almost certainly right, predicted that more W’s would be on the way, UA1 had every reason to be optimistic. Whether it was a W or not, Rubbia could use it to claim the discovery; as long as those other W’s showed up, no one would ever know the difference, or even care. Added to this, Rubbia seemed simply unwilling to waste his time with background. Background calculations did not win Nobel prizes. He let his junior colleagues worry about background.”
― Gary Taubes, Nobel Dreams: Power, Deceit, and the Ultimate Experiment