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“The covert-aggressive’s dislike of appearing overtly aggressive is as practical as it is face-saving. Manipulators know that if they’re above-board in their aggression, they’ll encounter resistance. Having learned that one of the best ways to “overcome” an obstacle is to “go around” it, they’re adept at fighting unscrupulously yet surreptitiously.”
― George K. Simon Jr., In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People

“Can a man make a table before he has learned how to handle a tool and drive a nail? And can a man fashion his mind in accordance with truth before he has overcome the slavery of his body?”
― James Allen, Out from the Heart

“If one accomplishes some good though with toil, the toil passes, but the good remains; if one does something dishonourable with pleasure, the pleasure passes, but the dishonour remains.”
― Musonius Rufus, That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of a Roman Stoic

“يظن الناس أنفسهم أحرارًا لأنهم شاعرون بإرادتهم ورغباتهم، ولكنهم يجهلون الأسباب التي أفضت بهم إلى الإرادة والرغبة”
― Baruch Spinoza, Ethics