“We believe in conservatism; but it is a conservatism not of timidity, not of mere stolidity, it is the conservatism of good sense. We do not intend to be spurred into rash action or to be frightened out of action that is needed by the circumstances of the case.”
“THE WALLS I BUILD TRAP ME IN THE WALLS I BUILD ARE MY TRAPPINGS”
“In your meditations, call to mind the Absolute Reality. As you choose to see this Absolute Reality, so will you see the world. For, is not the Absolute, in its microcosmic aspect, a projection of your thoughts and imaginations of your very self? If you view the Absolute Reality as having some kind of mental infirmity, of whom are you speaking? Some contemporary Gnostics hold to the mythos that the Absolute Reality had some sort of emotional/mental breakdown and because of this breakdown, evil entered the Universe in the form of Sophia’s fall from the Pleroma, as well as the creation of the Demiurge and the Archons. Yet, if you believe that the Absolute Reality is Infinite, it must have integrity (the state of being whole and undivided). Consequently, the Absolute Reality cannot be divided against itself. By its very definition, it must be whole and undivided. This is why you need not fear, for you contain a spark of Divinity and that Divinity is One, and nothing can exist apart from that One. If a person or an Archon attacks you, they are attacking the entire Universe. Your task is to cultivate a realization of the integrity of the Universe.”
“Here is the beginning of integrity. A human being who deeply looks into himself or herself and asks: Who am I? What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Why is anything here? Why are other people here? Where is here? and so forth, begins to find within himself or herself their authentic beliefs.”
“Therefore I conclude that the difficulty concerns integrity. People whose lives are not balanced by a healthy love of money suffer from an appalling obsession with personal integrity.”
“We have very few writers and journalists not on the payroll of the empire or the oppressive powers in today’s world. With few exceptions, most accounts and narratives I hear from and read by the so-called ‘journalists’ and ‘experts’ about Middle East affairs remind me of Upton Sinclair’s immortal words … where he writes It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon him not understanding it.”
“There are men of character in the U.S. Congress, both House and Senate. There are women of character, too. But the evidence for character needs to be something other than the iteration of the word itself.”
“Authenticity cannot be automated”
“If you tour any workplace, you will see countless logos and banners paying lip service to freedom of speech, democracy, logos like ‘speak up, speak out’, creativity, innovation, and on and on goes the list of flashy words and adjectives that companies and corporations want their employees (and outsiders) to believe are part of their work ethics and culture. Yet, most employees learn at the earliest stages of their careers that these bogus adjectives will get them fired, if they are naïve enough to believe in – let alone act on – them.”
“Millions of Americans have quietly and hopelessly concluded that paychecks and the freedom to be creative at American workplaces rarely – if ever – coexist.”
“Sometimes it s best to do what feels safe, and sometimes it s better to do what you know is right, even though the cost may be high.”
“Beauty always fades, but it lasts so much longer if you lay a thick layer of intelligence and integrity underneath it.”
“I want us all to grow so comfortable in our own feelings, our own knowing, our own imagination that we become more committed to our own joy, freedom, and integrity than we are to manipulating what others think of us. I want us to refuse to betray ourselves. Because what the world needs now in order to evolve is to watch one woman at a time live her truest, most beautiful life without asking for permission or offering explanation.”
“If you do not take risks for your opinion, you re nothing.”
“Disruptive behavior is any form of behavior that comprises the integrity of the workplace.”
“Whether one calls oneself conservative or revolutionary, whether one composes in a conventional or progressive manner, whether one tries to imitate old styles or is destined to express new ideas -- whether one is a good composer or not -- one must be convinced of the infallibility of one s own fantasy and one must believe in one s own inspiration. ( Composition with Twelve Tones )”
“Your integrity, your dignity, your honor - they aren t for sale. Not ever. Not to anyone.”