“I don t fit into any stereotypes. And I like myself that way.”
“I like to have powerful enemies. Makes me feel important.”
“Yes! I m me! I am careful and logical and I look up things I don t understand! When I hear people use the wrong words, I get edgy! I am good with cheese. I read books fast! I think! And I always have a piece of string! That s the kind of person I am!”
“I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.”
“It is good to know one s enemy. It is better to know one s self.”
“There are a lot of black-hearted, mean-spirited bastards in the world. It s important that we hold them to acount. But always remember that you might be the most black-hearted and mean-spirited in the lot, so hold yourself the most accountable of all.”
“Do not seek to rule any man other than yourself.”
“Maybe from as early as when you re five or six, there s been a whisper going at the back of your head, saying: “One day, maybe not so long from now, you ll get to know how it feels.” So you re waiting, even if you don t quite know it, waiting for the moment when you realise that you really are different to them; that there are people out there, like Madame, who don t hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you – of how you were brought into this world and why – and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs. The first time you glimpse yourself through the eyes of a person like that, it s a cold moment. It s like walking past a mirror you ve walked past every day of your life, and suddenly it shows you something else, something troubling and strange.”
“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.”
“The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you.”
“My friend...care for your psyche...know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves -Socrates”
“As you become more clear about who you really are, you ll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.”
“I love, because my love is not dependent on the object of love. My love is dependent on my state of being. So whether the other person changes, becomes different, friend turns into a foe, does not matter, because my love was never dependent on the other person. My love is my state of being. I simply love.”
“At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.”
“It is not the the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.”
“Every reader finds himself. The writer s work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself.”
“From Wetness and Water How does a part of the world leave the world? How can wetness leave water? Do not try to put out a fire by throwing on more fire. Do not wash a wound with blood. No matter how fast you run, your shadow more than keeps up. Sometimes it s in front. Only full, overhead sun diminishes your shadow. But that shadow has been serving you. What hurts you blesses you. Darkness is your candle. Your boundaries are your quest.”