Eric Rothman

When I give of myself, when I genuinely care about others, I generate a feeling of connection, a feeling that is closely related to love. This is a feeling we long for. And it is common to think of it as something we must receive —that to feel a connection, we must find someone who sees us and who cares about our authentic self. But what people who... See more

The secret to being an artist and creator , which is, I think, to not give a fuck about what anyone thinks about you, or your work, but with integrity to your personal greatness. To create without inhibition, from a state of pure un-self-consciousness, without (dare I say) ego — which is the golden place where magical things happen. The place of... See more

Freedom comes from acceptance of all parts of the journey — like paddling a canoe across the ocean — to be able to do so calmly, gracefully, rather than constantly trying to find land, some imagined sanctuary of security, validation, or permission. No one and nothing can give that to you, so the best thing to do is to simply surrender. Let go. Know... See more

One belief I have is that if you wish to be virtuous you will learn to eat cereal virtuously.

The novice of virtue is tempted by dreams of heroic acts, just as the novice sculptor daydreams of palatial monuments, or other grand work. But the master sculptor is extraordinary not because he has been commissioned for monumental bronzes (which may never... See more

You should write because when you know that you’re going to write, it changes the way you live. I’m thinking about a book I read called Field Notes on Science & Nature , a collection of essays by scientists about their notes. It’s hard to imagine a more tedious concept — a book of essays about notes ? — but in execution it was wonderful. What it... See more