driftspace

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
(Albert Einstein)

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child, listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me. Anything can happen, child, anything can be."
(Shel Silverstein)

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the race."
(Calvin Coolidge)

***

It's a mixed sensation when you find that someone else can express what you are feeling better than you ever could; sometimes it makes me feel unimportant, uninspired, and unimaginative; other times it makes me feel like I'm not so alone, and comforts me by suggesting that others have been there, too, and that I'm a part of something larger.

About the Coolidge quote: persistence is key, but if we could couple it with talent, genius, and/or education ... I assume he's just saying that those things are no good on their own, and he's right about that.

The above quotes are comforting, but they can't shake the emptiness tonight; no matter how many times I read them, recapitulate, or simplify, we're still ... here.