Skander Toumi

“essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
― Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

“There is a tension between what is good for someone and what they want to do. This is because people, especially older people, like to do things as they've always done them. The problem is that when the brain develops ingrained habits, it doesn't need to think anymore. Things get done very quickly and efficiently on automatic pilot, often in a very advantageous way. This creates a tendency to stick to routines, and the only way of breaking these is to confront the brain with new information.”
― Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Ikigai: Los secretos de Japón para una vida larga y feliz

“Why, is it such a bad thing to die?”
― Han Kang, The Vegetarian

“I began to draw an invisible boundary between myself and other people. No matter who I was dealing with. I maintained a set distance, carefully monitoring the person’s attitude so that they wouldn’t get any closer. I didn’t easily swallow what other people told me. My only passions were books and music”
― Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart