#volition

So, how is it that you don’t have a girlfriend?” I asked boldly. Joel shrugged. “Have you ever had a girlfriend?” There was no way that he’d never had a girlfriend. He shrugged again. “You’re not serious.” “You’re surprised?” “I’m sorry, do you own a mirror?” Joel laughed in that I’ll-never-understand-women kind of way. “I’ve never wanted one,” he admitted, though it seemed that there was more to it. “What? A mirror? Or a girlfriend?” He laughed again, even harder this time. “A girlfriend.” “Are you gay?” He smiled. “No, I’m not gay.” “Oh.” I blushed. Why was I being so nosy all of a sudden? ↗

— Shawn Kirsten Maravel

#romance #severance #volition #young-adult #love

Joel sat back in his chair and laughed at what seemed to be an inside joke, one in which I wanted very much to be let in on. An amiable smile stretched across his lips quoted by perfect dimples. I stared at him wanting nothing more than to indulge myself in that smile. ↗

— Shawn Kirsten Maravel

#severance #shawn-kirsten-maravel #volition #young-adult-novels #love

The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril. ↗

— Xenophon

#arduous #being #cause #enduring #followers

fortitude is the capacity to say no, when the world wants to hear yes--eric fromm ↗

— Eric Fromm

#hope #volition #will #faith