Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
The consolation of reading biography: Most great men have led lives even more miserable than our own.
Interpretation
Reading biographies can provide comfort by revealing that even great individuals faced severe hardships.
Edward Abbey's quote highlights the value of biographies in understanding that many celebrated figures in history have endured significant struggles, often more severe than those we experience in our own lives. This perspective can serve as both a comfort and a reminder that greatness does not exempt one from adversity; in fact, it often comes from overcoming it.
In practice
In a speech about resilience, one might quote Abbey to illustrate that personal struggles are universally shared.
Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
To know what people really think, pay regard to what they do, rather than what they say.
Be grateful that your righteous life molds you so that you donβt fit where you donβt belong
The historian's first duties are sacrilege and the mocking of false gods. They are his indispensable instruments for establishing the truth.
Next, feel your heart, literally placing your hand on your chest if you find that helpful. This is a way of accepting yourself just as you are in that moment, a way of saying, "This is my experience right now, and it's okay." Then go into the next moment without any agenda.
Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence.
Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.
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