There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
Chuck PalahniukRead
You have no idea what it is like to constantly disappoint people. You see it the moment you meet them. You see in their eyes that they expected something so entirely different, and here they are meeting... you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Disappointing others can be a heavy burden, as their expectations may not align with reality.
In this quote, Chuck Palahniuk expresses the feeling of being perceived by others, particularly in how their expectations can weigh heavily on an individual. The constant awareness of disappointing those around us highlights the emotional toll of living up to the perceived ideals others have, which may not truly reflect our authentic selves. This sense of disillusionment can create a disconnect between who we are and what others hope to see, emphasizing the struggle of personal identity amidst external expectations.
Themes
DisappointmentExpectationsIdentitySelf-PerceptionRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a motivational speech about authenticity and self-acceptance.
More from Chuck Palahniuk
All quotes →Griping isn't the same as creating something. Rebelling isn't rebuilding. Ridiculing isn't replacing. We've taken the world apart but we have no idea what to do with the pieces.
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If we can forgive what’s been done to us... If we can forgive what we’ve done to others... If we can leave all of our stories behind. Our being villains or victims. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.
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We're all trapped. It's always 1734. All of us, we're stuck in the same time capsule, the same as those television shows where the same people are marooned on the same desert island for thirty seasons and never age or escape. They just wear more makeup. In a creepy way, those shows are maybe too authentic.
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One thing I really envy about my friends who have kids is that as their children develop, they're able to revisit their own developmental stages and recognise themselves and undo a lot of things they decided.
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If you knew that your life was merely a phase or short, short segment of your entire existence, how would you live? Knowing nothing 'real' was at risk, what would you do? You'd live a gigantic, bold, fun, dazzling life. You know you would. That's what the ghosts want us to do - all the exciting things they no longer can.
Chuck PalahniukRead
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