on life

"Caring about everything is a disaster.

Caring about nothing is also a disaster.

Nurture the small pocket of things that truly matter to you."

3-2-1: On magic bullets, how to handle criticism, and what to let go of this year

On taking action…It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

James Clear • Masters of Habit: Rituals, Lessons, and Quotes from Marcus Aurelius

Generous people view their possessions as temporary; they are joining in a bigger story. Generous people are always looking toward the needs of others by using what they have been given. Things don’t matter; people do. They open their house to others. They open their pool for parties. They let people borrow their cars. They freely give, with no

Jeff Shinabarger • More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity

‘Make no effort to join society. Stay right where you are and wait for society to form around you. Because it most certainly will.’

Jo Tinsley • The Odditorium

“whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal”

But what if your purpose is simply to build a good life? To raise kind children. To cook a little better each year. To read a few excellent books. To notice the seasons. To build meaningful relationships. To help others. To give time - and money if you can - to causes you care about.

Pamela Clapp • Why the French Don’t Obsess Over Purpose

Already in 1877, Robert Louis Stevenson called busyness a symptom of deficient vitality, and observed a sort of dead-alive, hackneyed people about, who are scarcely conscious of living except in the exercise of some conventional occupation.

Jenny Odell • How to Do Nothing

‘The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.’ by Karen Blixen, writing as Isak Dinesen