bits of wisdom
by Rob Tourtelot · updated 3mo ago
bits of wisdom
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
- Most people, as they age, become less selfish and more loving. I think this is true. The great Syracuse poet, Hayden Carruth, said, in a poem written near the end of his life, that he was “mostly Love, now.”
from George Saunders's Advice to Graduates
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
- GEORGE SAUNDERS: I think ultimately it would be, are you benefiting the people in proximity to you? And truly benefiting them. And that in itself is, how would you know?
EZRA KLEIN: Yeah, how would you know is, I think, often a harder problem that we give it credit for. Why in proximity?
GEORGE SAUNDERS: Well, I think that’s the place to start. And s... See morefrom Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews George Saunders (Published 2021)
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
- I think in a lot of these Eastern systems, the delusion is that we’re trapped inside this little machine that thinks it’s central, and permanent, and all-important and is always thinking it’s about its little victory narrative. But when you step out of it for a second, you see that it’s just a temporary construction of neurology, or karma, or whate... See more
from Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews George Saunders (Published 2021)
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
- if we look at ourselves, we’re kind of set up to be these little Darwinian survivors. So we’re given this really cool sensory apparatus, and a brain, and everything. And you know, that stuff is there to help us propagate the species. And the intersection between our perceptions, and understanding, and what’s actually true are pretty small and prett... See more
from Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews George Saunders (Published 2021)
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
- “Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or... See more
from No Part Of Yourself Is Unworthy.
Rob Tourtelot added 3mo ago
Kurt Vonnegut, talking about when he tells his wife he’s going out to buy an envelope:
“Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of b
... See moreRob Tourtelot added 4mo ago
- Maybe “what have you done for the world” isn’t even the right question. It assumes an acting upon, separate from-ness. What if the good stuff happens less when you act upon the world and more when you become one with it? Part of it.
from What Does Your Stupid Art Even Do for the World? by Alex Dobrenko`
Rob Tourtelot added 4mo ago
- Your job, really, is to find people who love you for reasons you hardly understand, and to love them back, and to try as hard as you can to make it all easier for each other."
Rob Tourtelot added 4mo ago
Being open with your insecurities paradoxically makes you more confident and charismatic around others. The pain of honest confrontation is what generates the greatest trust and respect in your relationships. Suffering through your fears and anxieties is what allows you to build courage and perseverance.
from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (Mark Manson Collection Book 1) by Mark Manson
Rob Tourtelot added 4mo ago