Mark Schoen

“I understood, at last, how our revolution had gone from being the vanguard of political change to the rearguard hoarding power. In this transformation, we were not unusual. Hadn’t the French and the Americans done exactly the same? Once revolutionaries themselves, they had become imperialists, colonizing and occupying our defiant little land, taking away our freedom in the name of saving us. Our revolution took considerably longer than theirs, and was considerably bloodier, but we made up for lost time. When it came to learning the worst habits of our French masters and their American replacements, we quickly proved ourselves the best. We, too, could abuse grand ideals! Having liberated ourselves in the name of independence and freedom—I was so tired of saying these words!—we then deprived our defeated brethren of the same.”
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer

“Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders.”
― Diane Nash

“Everything in life has a pattern and a coincidence is simply the moment when the pattern becomes briefly visible.”
― Anthony Horowitz, Moonflower Murders

“Gods pretend to be parents, but they are children, clapping their hands and shouting for more.”
― Madeline Miller, Circe