#wilde

Anybody can make history; only a great man can write it. ↗

— Oscar Wilde

#history #oscar-wilde #historical

Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self pity. Self pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. It is, to slightly paraphrase what Wilde said about hatred, and I think actually hatred's a subset of self pity and not the other way around - ' It destroys everything around it, except itself '. Self pity will destroy relationships, it'll destroy anything that's good, it will fulfill all the prophecies it makes and leave only itself. And it's so simple to imagine that one is hard done by, and that things are unfair, and that one is underappreciated, and that if only one had had a chance at this, only one had had a chance at that, things would have gone better, you would be happier if only this, that one is unlucky. All those things. And some of them may well even be true. But, to pity oneself as a result of them is to do oneself an enormous disservice. I think it's one of things we find unattractive about the american culture, a culture which I find mostly, extremely attractive, and I like americans and I love being in america. But, just occasionally there will be some example of the absolutely ravening self pity that they are capable of, and you see it in their talk shows. It's an appalling spectacle, and it's so self destructive. I almost once wanted to publish a self help book saying 'How To Be Happy by Stephen Fry : Guaranteed success'. And people buy this huge book and it's all blank pages, and the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '. Use the rest of the book to write down your interesting thoughts and drawings, and that's what the book would be, and it would be true. And it sounds like 'Oh that's so simple', because it's not simple to stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's bloody hard. Because we do feel sorry for ourselves, it's what Genesis is all about. ↗

— Stephen Fry

#depression #depression-humor #happiness #marriage-advice #morality

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ↗

— Alan Alda

#comfort #discover #go #into #intuition

Never in my wildest dreams did I entertain the idea that I would become a fashion designer. ↗

— Giorgio Armani

#designer #did #dreams #entertain #fashion

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. ↗

— Edward Abbey

#human spirit #luxury #necessity #spirit #wilderness

The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders. ↗

— Edward Abbey

#defense #idea #needs #only #wilderness

The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. ↗

— Alan Alda

#city #comfort #creative #else #ever

Things have gone beyond my wildest expectations and dreams, and I feel like I've been given so many blessings in my life, between my friendship with the guys in the band, our wonderful audience, being able to play this music, and then my family. ↗

— Trey Anastasio

#audience #band #been #being #between

In marriage there are no manners to keep up, and beneath the wildest accusations no real criticism. Each is familiar with that ancient child in the other who may erupt again. We are not ridiculous to ourselves. We are ageless. That is the luxury of the wedding ring. ↗

— Enid Bagnold

#again #ageless #ancient #beneath #child

The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love. What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork. ↗

— Pearl Bailey

#less #love #more #needs #paperwork