Thin Thread

The world hangs on a thin thread, and that is the psyche of man.
--Carl G. Jung

Real Differences

Discussion of religion often glosses over the very real differences between systems of belief and the consequences of specific doctrines.
--Sam Harris

Wrong

Everyone wants to think they're smarter than the poor souls in developing countries, and smarter than their predecessors. They're wrong. And we can prove it.
--Carmen M. Reinhart (economist at the University of Maryland)

Laziness

What gets called "laziness" is usually a pull towards another conflicting kind of work rather than a desire to do nothing.
--Alain de Botton

Beauty

By beauty, I mean that quality or those qualities in bodies by which they cause love, or some passion similar to it.
--Edmund Burke

Values We Revere

Shelter aside, good architecture is about embedding values we revere into matter--so we can be reminded of what counts.
--Alain de Botton

Not Real

Money is not real. Yet somehow we've decided it's a great idea to stop feeding real food to real people and cease educating real children in order to demonstrate fealty to an abstract concept.
--Jonathan Schwarz

Your Journey

You chose your journey long before you came upon this highway.
--Leonard Cohen

The Odds

The odds against any of us being here at this moment are staggering.
--Roger Ebert

Silver, Gold

Race horses teach us things about ourselves that maybe at times we are too afraid to uncover. They show us that occasionally we miss the silver lining because we are too busy looking for gold.
--Claudette Canada

Too Expensive

It's just too expensive to save ourselves. It's not cost-effective.
--Kurt Vonnegut

Rising Age

You can measure out your years by observing the rising age of the oldest person you could conceive of sleeping with.
--Alain de Botton

Born For

We are all born for love; it is the principle of existence and its only end.
--Benjamin Disraeli

Embarassed

I'm embarassed to be human.
I'm embarassed that I want what I despise.
--Patty Larkin

Simplicity

Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.
--Rashi

Inflict Harm

History, science, psychiatry have shown us: those who intentionally inflict harm on the animal kingdom are just as likely to commit harm on the human side of species.
--Judge Frank LaBuda

Book of Job

I read the book of Job last night. I don't think God comes out well in it.
--Virginia Woolf

Good Movies

Good movies are a civilizing force. They allow us to empathize with those whose lives are different than our own. I like to say they open windows in our box of space and time.
--Roger Ebert

Socializing

Internet socializing is to socializing as reality television is to reality.
--Aaron Sorkin

Work Less Hard

We'd probably work a lot less hard if we could be sure of being liked without any worldly achievements to our names.
--Alain de Botton

Lack of Time

The first symptom of the process of our killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the Good Fight.
--Paulo Coelho