#macy

This is what intimacy does to us over time. That's what a long marriage can do: It causes us to inherit and trade each other's stories. (p.237) ↗

— Elizabeth Gilbert

#stories #marriage

But it doesn't take a thousand men to open a door, my lord." "It might to keep it open. ↗

— Ursula K. Le Guin

#diplomacy #fear #power #men

I wonder if this is how people always get close: They heal each other's wounds; they repair the broken skin. ↗

— Lauren Oliver

#lauren-oliver #broken

Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft! ↗

— Theodore Roosevelt

#preparedness #strategy #honor

It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy;—it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others. ↗

— Jane Austen

#intimacy #marianne-dashwood #openness #opportunity #self-disclosure

Diplomacy and virtue do not make easy companions. ↗

— Iain Pears

#politics #virtue #dreams

Intimacy is the capacity to be rather weird with someone - and finding that that's ok with them. ↗

— Alain de Botton

#relationships #weirdness #weird

We have to constantly critique imperialist white supremacist patriarchal culture because it is normalized by mass media and rendered unproblematic. ↗

— Bell Hooks

#patriarchy #white-supremacy #media

Even as she spoke, silver blue flashed on her other side and then Illium was standing beside her, his wing touching Elena's in an intimacy that made Raphael raise an eyebrow. Illium's lips curved in a wicked smile that did little to hide the intensity of his emotions. I would not watch you die again, Sire. His veins stood out against his skin as he gripped the wrist of one hand with the other. Raphael met those eyes of gold that had stood beside him for centuries. If I had done so, I would have gone knowing you would keep my heart safe. Illium's gaze went to Elena. Always. ↗

— Nalini Singh

#elena #illium #raphael #intimacy

there's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood. And understanding someone else. ↗

— Brad Meltzer

#understanding #intimacy