On 8/31/26
Daily Letter
Control · Inspiration & Quotes
To extend one’s memory through deeds: this is the work of courage.
He feigns hope in his face, and presses the pain deep in his heart
The paradox of the will centers on the problem of desire. I can very often will what I want (I am capable enough), but the wanting itself is not under my control. My desires are fickle and destructive, and once they take hold, they become impossible to resist. Attention, for Weil and for Murdoch, is a way of enlarging one's desire for good.
We find a focal point that appears to contain the good, we look at it, we wait, and over time, if we're patient, our will becomes aligned with it.
Every Roman was surrounded by slaves. The slave and his psychology flooded ancient Italy, and every Roman became inwardly, and of course unwittingly, a slave. Because living constantly in the atmosphere of slaves, he became infected through the unconscious with their psychology. No one can shield himself from such an influence.
It is important to clarify that optimism is not the same as hope. Hope is an emotional state most closely related to wishing for important - but less likely - outcomes that are more out of our control. Optimists go further in that they believe outcomes will be better and so work harder, longer and persevere when pessimists give up.
Public · Design & Objects × People & Society
The human condition doesn’t change? Whodathunkit
Cannot shield yourself, environment is too important
Actually · Inspiration & Quotes × People & Society
Cognitive dissonance is not a synonym for "hypocrisy." Hypocrisy is when someone's stated values and behavior conflict. Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable mental state that may occur when the person notices the conflict and actually cares that it exists. However, if the person doesn't care, or they've already resolved the conflict such that it doesn't bother them anymore, then there's no cognitive dissonance. Remember, cognitive dissonance is a state of discomfort. No discomfort means no cognitive dissonance,
You are what you are
Every man is born with qualities he can't ever change. Trying to fix them actually worsens his condition
Doesn't matter if you like the quality, or if other people do either. It's yours to utilize & embrace
Misc
The beauty you see everywhere is a mirror of what lives in you.
I know the harshness you have towards others is a mirror of how you speak to yourself, which is a mirror of how someone spoke to you once when you were young and did not deserve anything but gentleness. Still, I want to shake you sometimes and say: yes you are brilliant, yes everything you say is true, but there are a million true things around you, all the time, that you could notice instead. Is this really where you want your attention to go? To have the ability to see in the dark and to only look for what is missing.