Eva

“What i fear are affirmative actions of sober and well intentioned men, granting the government power to do something that appears to need doing.”
― Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

“Ben, for three thousand years architects designed buildings with columns shaped like female figures. At last Rodin pointed out that this was work too heavy for a girl. He didn't say, "Look, you jerks, if you have to do this, make it a brawny male figure." He showed it. This poor little caryatid has fallen under the load. She's a good girl—look at her face. Serious, unhappy at her failure, not blaming anyone, not even the gods. And still trying to shoulder her load after she has crumpled under it. But she is more than good art denouncing bad art. She is a symbol for every woman who ever shouldered a load too heavy. But not only women. This symbol means every man and woman who ever sweated out fortitude until they crumpled under their loads. It is courage, Ben, and victory.
Victory?
Victory in defeat, Ben—there is none higher. She is still trying to shoulder that stone long after it has crushed her.”
― Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

“I had the sense that something in my life had ended, my image of myself as a whole or normal person maybe. I realised my life would be full of mundane physical suffering, and that there was nothing special about it. Suffering wouldn’t make me special, and pretending not to suffer wouldn’t make me special. Talking about it, or even writing about it, would not transform the suffering into something useful. Nothing would. I thanked my mother for the lift to the station and got out of the car.”
― Sally Rooney, Conversations with Friends

“Dette livet hadde nå likevel ved nærmere ettersyn artet seg litt underlig. I grunnen hadde jeg i mange år etter at det ble slutt med Camille sagt til meg selv at vi før eller siden kom til å finne sammen igjen. Det var uunngåelig for vi elsket jo hverandre. Vi måtte bare la sårene gro som det heter. Vi var jo enda unge. Vi hadde hele livet foran oss. Nå så jeg meg tilbake og så at livet var over. At det hadde dratt forbi uten å vinke særlig ivrig på oss. Dernest at det hadde samlet inn kortene sine diskre, elegant og forsiktig. At det rett og slett hadde vendt seg bort fra oss. Sannelig når jeg så nærmere etter hadde det ikke vært særlig langt dette livet vårt”
― Michel Houellebecq, Serotonin