As a matter of selective necessity, man is an agent. He is, in his own apprehension, a centre of unfolding impulsive activity; "teleological activity." He is an agent seeking in every act the accomplishment of some concrete, objective, impersonal end. By force of being such an agent, he is possessed of a taste for effective work, and a distaste for futile effort. ~Thorstein Veblen
#quotes #thorstein-veblen #human

Human lives are hard, even those of health and privilege, and don't make much sense. This is the message of the "Book of Job": Any snappy explanation of suffering you come up with will be horseshit. ~Anne Lamott
#quotes #anne-lamott #suffering #books

Experience this moment to its fullest. ~Zen Proverb
#proverbs #zen-proverbs #buddhism #experience

I am still me even after all that has happened. ~Victoria Beckham
#quotes #victoria-beckham

I always stayed for the first curtain call and people always said, "Who's that?" But this got me started in acting. ~James Stewart
#quotes #james-stewart #acting

Nakata is empty inside. Do you know what it means to be completely empty? Being empty is like a vacant house. An unlocked, vacant house. Anybody can come in, anytime they want. That is what scares me the most. ~Haruki Murakami
#quotes #haruki-murakami #emptiness

Repression, however, is not the most obvious characteristic of the sea; the sea is a collector, quick to return a rapacious look. ~Marianne Moore
#quotes #marianne-moore #sea

To sleep around is absolutely wrong for a woman; it's degrading and it completely ruins her personality. Sooner or later it will destroy all that is feminine and beautiful and idealistic in her. ~Barbara Cartland
#quotes #barbara-cartland #women

Don't give advice unless you're asked. ~Amy Alcott
#quotes #amy-alcott #advice

Loyalty, Signor Molteni, not love. Penelope is loyal to Ulysses but we do not know how far she loved him; and as you know people can sometimes be absolutely loyal without loving. In certain cases, in fact, loyalty is form of vengeance, of black-mail, of recovering one's self-respect. Loyalty, not love. ~Alberto Moravia
#quotes #alberto-moravia #loyalty #love #self

Gardening is a humbling experience. ~Martha Stewart
#quotes #martha-stewart #gardening

No wonder, he thought, that the panhandle people were a godly lot, for they lived in sudden, violent atmospheres. Weather kept them humble. ~Annie Proulx
#quotes #annie-proulx

Without consciousness, space and time are nothing. ~Robert Lanza
#quotes #robert-lanza #conscious #time #space

You don't run out on people; you run out on yourself. ~Truman Capote
#quotes #truman-capote #people

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. ~Proverb
#proverbs #grandparents

Women in general want to be loved for what they are and men for what they accomplish. ~Theodor Reik
#quotes #theodor-reik #women #men #love

If you have someone in your life that you are grateful for, someone to whom you want to write another heartfelt, slanted, misspelled thank you note, do it. Tell them they made you feel loved and supported. That they made you feel like you belonged somewhere and that you were not a freak. Tell them all of that. Tell them today. ~Lisa Jakub
#quotes #lisa-jakub #love #life

Happy are men who yet before they are killed, can let their veins run cold. ~Wilfred Owen
#quotes #wilfred-owen #war #death

If nothing is going well, call your grandmother. ~Italian Proverb
#proverbs #italian-proverbs #grandparents

Geez, I just played cricket because I loved the game. I never thought about it much, never really had any formal coaching. ~Steve Waugh
#quotes #steve-waugh #sports #games #cricket

All I care is that my family, and my loved ones, understand me. Or that they understand me to a degree; I don't understand me very much. And I don't need the world to understand me. That is the most egocentric thing. ~Andrea Corr
#quotes #andrea-corr #family #understanding #communication

My dad loved comedians, especially George Jessel, and he loved Henny Youngman and Buddy Hackett. ~Al Franken
#quotes #al-franken #george-jessel #henny-youngman #comedy

In culture after culture, people believe that the soul lives on after death, that rituals can change the physical world and divine the truth, and that illness and misfortune are caused and alleviated by spirits, ghosts, saints; and gods. ~Steven Pinker
#quotes #steven-pinker #believe #soul #culture

The greatest parts, without discretion as observed by an elegant writer, may be fatal to their owner; as Polyphemus, deprived of his eyes, was only the more exposed on account of his enormous strength and stature. ~Joseph Addison
#quotes #joseph-addison #polyphemus

I like Chris Rock. He's dangerous. ~Mel Brooks
#quotes #mel-brooks #chris-rock #entertainment