Not being caught up and controlled by trends, political narratives, hunger, momentary pain, other peoples' opinions, comfort.
The more you are controlled, the less autonomy you own.
The less autonomy, the less fulfilment.
Not being caught up and controlled by trends, political narratives, hunger, momentary pain, other peoples' opinions, comfort. The more you are controlled, the less autonomy you own. The less autonomy, the less fulfilment.
Rather, a life spent ‘not minding what happens’ is one lived without the inner demand to know that the future will conform to your desires for it – and thus without having to be constantly on edge as you wait to discover whether or not things will unfold as expected.
Oliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks
That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.
Farnam Street • This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)
When we pursue optionality, we avoid bold decisions. Like anything meaningful, venturing into the unknown is an act of faith. It demands responsibility. You‘ll have to take a stand, trust your decision, and ignore the taunts of outside dissent. But a life without conviction is a life controlled by the futile winds of fashion. Or worse, the hollow e... See more
David Perell • Peter Thiel’s Religion
“The person is free who lives as they wish, neither compelled, nor hindered, nor limited—whose choices aren’t hampered, whose desires succeed, and who don’t fall into what repels them. Who wishes to live in deception—tripped up, mistaken, undisciplined, complaining, in a rut? No one. These are base people who don’t live as they wish; and so, no bas
... See moreRyan Holiday • The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: Featuring new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius
What doesn’t allow you to live the way you want to live is the belief that you “have” to accomplish what you’re “supposed” to do instead of following your genuine interests and curiosity.