I mean, it's like we all get our raw materials from our families―but it's up to us whether we build bridges or bombs.
Neal ShustermanRead
I'll never understand how a man can live his life With his finger on the self-destruct button, Holding it there day after day, Blinded by an obsession to press it But lacking the conviction to do even that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the struggle between self-destructive tendencies and the inability to take decisive action.
Neal Shusterman's quote delves into the paradox of human behavior, where an individual may be fully aware of their self-destructive impulses yet remains inactive and paralyzed by their internal conflicts. It emphasizes the complexity of human psychology, highlighting how obsession can blind a person to their true desires or needs, leaving them in a state of inaction even when they have the power to change their circumstances.
Themes
Self-DestructionActionObsessionConvictionPsychology
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming personal struggles.
More from Neal Shusterman
All quotes →Either things happen for a reason, or they happen for no reason at all. Either one's life is a thread in a glorious tapestry or humanity is just a hopelessly tangled knot.
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Unwinds didn't go out with a bang-they didn't even go out with a whimper. they went out with the silence of a candle flame pinched between two fingers.
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She smiles at them as they go by and continues to play, making it clear that this furnace of a place, full of planes that cannot fly, is more than it seems. It is a womb of redemption for every Unwind, and fora ll those who fought the Heartland War and lost - which was everybody.
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Words don't hurt you." Which is one of the hugest criminal lies perpetrated by adults against children in this world. Because words hurt more than any physical pain.
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Which is worse, Risa often wondered, to have tens of thousands of babies that no one wanted or to silently make then go away before they were even born
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