Quotes from Elizabeth Gilbert

As someone who struggles with anxiety and cowardice, as we all do, I'm profoundly inspired by. . . . full-on commitment to wonder, to wonder as a response to anguish or difficulty. It makes everything a puzzle, right? A catastrophe is nothing but a puzzle with the volume of drama turned up very high.

What did I want to do with myself? I wanted to do this! I wanted to drink martinis with showgirls, and listen to Broadway business talk, and eavesdrop on the gossip of boys who looked like girls! I wanted to hear about people's big sex lives!

Só porque a criatividade é mística, não quer dizer que não deva ser desmistificada - especialmente se isso significa libertar os artistas das limitações de seus delírios de grandeza, de seu pânico e de seu ego.

And this commitment of ours—consciously devoid of official commitment—felt miraculous in its liberation.

Perfectionism stops people from completing their work, yes—but even worse, it often stops people from beginning their work. Perfectionists often decide in advance that the end product is never going to be satisfactory, so they don't even bother trying to be creative in the first place.

Even if my acquaintance at the publishing party was certain that she herself would never abandon her husband, the question was not entirely up to her. She was not the only person in that bed. All lovers, even the most faithful lovers, are vulnerable to abandonment against their will.

The sooner and more passionately you get married to this idea—that it is ultimately entirely up to you—the better off you'll be.

She's a cheerful soul who's having a wonderful time living out the existence that best suits her nature and most brings her to life.

Though I suppose people do reproduce sometimes for that reason—for insurance against later regret.

if your life has become a trash compactor, then you are allowed to try to escape that trash compactor, whatever it takes.

I used to think the 109th bead was an emergency spare. Like the extra button on a fancy sweater, or the youngest son in a royal family.

Lapse saamine on umbes nagu oma näo tätoveerimine. Sa pead ikka raudselt kindel olema, et see on just see, mida sa tahad.

we can't just follow Paris for the sake of Paris.

My desire to work—my desire to engage with my creativity as intimately and as freely as possible—is my strongest personal incentive to fight back against pain, by any means necessary, and to fashion a life for myself that is as sane and healthy and stable as it can possibly be. But

Sõltuvus on iga meeletu armumise paratamatu koostisosa.

the older I get, the less impressed I become with originality. These days, I'm far more moved by authenticity. Attempts at originality can often feel forced and precious, but authenticity has quiet resonance that never fails to stir me. Just say what you want to say, then, and say it with all your heart. Share whatever you are driven to share. If it's authentic enough, believe me—it will feel original. Motives

Dante writes that God is not merely a blinding vision of glorious light, but that He is, most of all, l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle… "The love that moves the sun and the other stars.

Me peame laskma oma südamel aeg-ajalt puruneda. Purustatud süda on hea märk. See tähendab, et sa vähemalt pürgisid millegi poole.

Was I tapping into a universal yearning for God? Did I have a chemical imbalance? Or did I just need to get laid?

I pause here for a moment to explain exactly what I mean when I say that word, just so people can decide right away how offended they need to get.

Well, you can't have too much conscience about things!" said Gladys. "Or else you'll never stop worrying!" And that, I'm afraid, was the extent of our moral agonies. Subject closed.

Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be…a prudent insurance policy.

I can't be certain that Frank and I would have felt the same depth of love and tenderness for each other, had sex ever been part of our story. Sex is so often a cheat, a short cut of intimacy, a way to skip over knowing somebody's heart by knowing instead their mere body. So we were devoted to each other in our own way.

If your goal in life is to become fearless, then I believe you're already on the wrong path, because the only truly fearless people I've ever met were straight-up sociopaths and a few exceptionally reckless three-year-olds—and those aren't good role models for anyone.