Ain't No Thang

"Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?"

— Helena Bonham Carter

Exotic and Familiar

"She loved the landscape inside him. It was exotic and familiar at the same time. From the start she knew she could live there for years and feel at home."

— Jonathan Carroll
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The one and only...

"I always marvel at the humans’ ability to keep going. They always manage to stagger on even with tears streaming down their faces."

— Markus Zusak, ”The Book Thief” 

Lighten the Load

"Most people think happiness is about gaining something, but it’s not. It’s all about getting rid of the darkness you accumulate."

— Carolyn Crane  

Introverts

"Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions."

— Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Make Mistakes

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. 

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something. 

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. 

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

— Neil Gaiman 

Risk Risk

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth." 
— Katherine Mansfield