Aphorisms
All our resentments arise because, by repressing ourselves, we have failed to achieve our goals. We will never forgive others for this. EM Cioran, Syllogisms of Bitterness.
“I did this,” says my memory. “I couldn’t have done this,” says my pride, and it remains unmoved. In the end, memory gives in. Friedrich Nietzsche, How to Philosophize with a Hammer.
"Things are much simpler than one might think, but much more complex than one might understand." - Goethe
No one, Pascal argues, refrains from accepting a wager when they know that what they stand to lose is infinitely less than what they stand to gain. If one believes in God, and God does not exist, one loses nothing; whereas if one has faith, and God exists, one gains infinity. We are often better convinced by reasons we have discovered ourselves than by those presented by the intellect of others.
“At this moment I am bearing the wounds of all the battles I have avoided.” Pessoa.
“The quality of life improves greatly if we love what we have to do, provided we keep in mind that this love is not reason enough to do everything we like to do. To create an optimal life, it is not enough to strive for pleasurable goals. We must choose those that reduce psychological disorder in the world.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Cultural narratives—dynamic scripts—define our possibilities, our opportunities, and our lives. It's about being aware of them so they don't control us. —Lakoff
Building means "making," a way of achieving something in the world and not just thinking about it. Neimeyer (2013).