Courtesy of Gretchen Rubin Moment of Happiness
“A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within.”
Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings
“The best way out is always through.”
Robert Frost, “A Servant to Servants”
“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.”
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, or Meditation on Transcendent Gastronomy
“A house has a physical definition; a home has a spiritual one.”
Jamaica Kincaid, My Garden
“I love a broad margin to my life.”
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.”
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
“From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life. I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves.”
Henry Matisse with Pierre Courthion, Chatting with Matisse: The Lost 1941 Interview
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
“The brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy.”
Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of a Soul
“Sartaj was thinking about how uncanny an animal this life was, that you had to seize it and let go of it at the same time, that you had to enjoy but also plan, live every minute and die every moment.”
Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games
“If you loved anybody that long, first as an infant, then as a child, then as a man, you gain a strange perspective on time and human pain and effort. Other people cannot see what I see whenever I look into your father’s face, for behind your father’s face as it is today are all those other faces that were his.”
James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
“If you know what somebody wants, you know what he is like.”
W. H. Auden, The Dyer’s Hand and Other Essays
“One’s life begins on so many occasions, constructing itself out of accident derived from coincidence compounded by character.”
Donald Hall, Unpacking the Boxes
“I believe in the miracles of art, but what
prodigy will keep you safe beside me…”
Jane Kenyon, “Afternoon at MacDowell”
“Nobody really looks at anything; it’s too hard.”
Andy Warhol, “Warhol Interviews Bourdon”
“But real flowers can never be dispensed with. If they could, human life would be a different affair altogether.”
Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room
“Strangers have a reality for me on the bus that they cannot have on the freeway, simply because we’ve agreed to be in an enclosed space in which we are subject to each other’s actions.”
Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing
“As a parent, at some point, you have to switch from being an advisor to cheerleader.” (If you want to hear me talk about this advice, you can listen to this short episode of A Little Happier.)
“Alas, there are no wizards.” My father reminded me that it can be tempting to believe that if I could just find the right helper, the right adviser, the right person to do a job, all my problems would magically be solved, and I wouldn’t have to be worried or involved with a project any more. But while there are smart and capable people, if something’s important to me, I have to stay involved. I can’t just delegate to some wizard.
“Enjoy the process.” My father always emphasizes that if we can enjoy the process, we’re less concerned about outcomes, and we’re less disappointed if our efforts end in failure or frustration. That’s a big help in the world.
“All you have to do is put on your running shoes and let the front door shut behind you.” Back in high school, when I was first trying to get myself in the habit of daily exercise, he gave me this advice. It’s an excellent mantra for all couch potatoes trying to pick up an exercise habit. Just put on your shoes and step outside!
“If you’re willing to take the blame when you deserve it, people will give you the responsibility.”
Gretchen Rubin
