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.
Edward AbbeyRead
Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Interpretation
Conflict in relationships can indicate a deeper need for each other.
This quote by Edward Abbey suggests that contrary to the common perception that only harmonious couples are truly connected, even those who argue frequently may share a profound bond. The intensity of conflict can sometimes reflect a passionate interdependence, implying that love can manifest in various forms, including through struggles and disagreements.
In practice
During a relationship counseling session, when discussing the dynamics of love and conflict.
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.
Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a modern Melville or Tolstoy. But our best fictioneers confine themselves to domestic drama -- soap opera with literary trimmings.
Marriage is a school itself. Also, having children. Becoming a father changed my whole life. It taught me as if by revelation.
I wholeheartedly believe that we can't organize just as women. There has to be specific messaging and an issue prioritization based on identity groups. Because when you ask a black woman what her top priority issues are versus a white woman versus a Muslim woman versus an undocumented woman, you're going to get... different answers.
I think the greatest of all human virtues is loyalty. It embraces all the best of the human character: courage, faith, love and charity.
What is marriage, is marriage protection or religion, is marriage renunciation or abundance, is marriage a stepping-stone or an end. What is marriage.
At some point, you grow out of being attracted to that flame that burns you over and over and over again.
Whenever I meet someone, I try to imagine her wearing an invisible sign that says: MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT. I respond to this sign immediately, and it works wonders.
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