Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life's cruelest irony.
Douglas CouplandRead
I'm always looking for things that are so incredibly present that they become invisible.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the idea that things which are ever-present can become overlooked or taken for granted.
Douglas Coupland's quote suggests that in our daily lives, we often overlook the significance of things and experiences that are continuously around us. The notion that something can be so constant that it becomes 'invisible' invites us to reflect more deeply on our surroundings and appreciate the subtle yet profound elements that contribute to our existence.
Themes
PresenceInvisibilityAppreciationEveryday LifeAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mindfulness, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of being present.
More from Douglas Coupland
All quotes →...we're told by TV and Reader's Digest that a crisis will trigger massive personal change--and that those big changes will make the pain worthwhile. But from what he could see, big change almost never happens. People simply feel lost. They have no idea what to say or do or feel or think. they become messes and tend to remain messes.
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When the world throws you too much information, the only way you can stay sane or survive is to look for pattern recognition. Amidst all the blurs, is there a constellation that emerges, is there a straight line that's emerging?
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I'm not patient - and I'm getting more impatient as I get older - but I am disciplined about writing, and I want that on my tombstone: 'He wasn't patient, but he was disciplined.'
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If you waste five minutes of time a day, over the course of a year that adds up to one full work day. Think of five wasted minutes as a slow-release holiday drug. Savour it.
Douglas CouplandRead
When someone tells you they’ve just bought a house, they might as well tell you they no longer have a personality. You can immediately assume so many things: that they’re locked into jobs they hate; that they’re broke; that they spend every night watching videos; that they’re fifteen pounds overweight; that they no longer listen to new ideas. It’s profoundly depressing.
Douglas CouplandRead
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