Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life's cruelest irony.
Douglas CouplandRead
...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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that while crises are expected to bring about significant personal transformation, they often lead to confusion and ongoing struggles instead.
Douglas Coupland reflects on the common belief that crises result in profound personal change, as often portrayed in media. He points out that, contrary to this notion, many individuals experience a sense of disorientation and remain in a state of turmoil, rather than achieving meaningful transformation or resolution.
Themes
ChangeCrisisPersonal GrowthConfusionTurmoil
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity, this quote highlights the reality of personal struggles during crises.
More from Douglas Coupland
All quotes →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.
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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.
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You've seen what you've seen; you've felt what you've felt. Ideology is for people who don't trust their own experiences and perceptions of the world.
Douglas CouplandRead
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To change the printout of the body, you must learn to rewrite the software of the mind.
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