The urge to abandon our jobs for creative pursuits in a world that doesn’t seem to value analytical skills.

Make a habit of reading writers you expect to disagree with. One idea that challenges your beliefs is worth a hundred ideas that confirms them

the depth of a conversation depends on how deeply seen you feel, not on the topic of conversation

We can’t write off the danger of complacency, growing rigidity, imprisonment by our own comfortable habits and opinions. Look around you. How many people whom you know well — people even younger than yourselves — are already trapped in fixed attitudes and habits. A famous French writer said “There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in ... See more

what if public libraries were open late every night and we could engage in public life there instead of having to choose between drinking at the bar and domestic isolation

Many people who are talented in their various fields have access to insight they can’t share with others. They simply see something we can’t. They try to describe it—picture any Paris Review interview—and often hearing them talk about their process is interesting and informative. But they’re unable to describe the core thing—what gives them the sto... See more

The things you learn in maturity aren’t simple things such as acquiring information and skills. You learn not to engage in self-destructive behavior. You leant not to burn up energy in anxiety. You discover how to manage your tensions, if you have any, which you do. You learn that self-pity and resentment are among the most toxic of drugs. You find... See more

Being alive consists of nothing more than the sum of what we pay attention to.