Quotes About Reflection

Peace of mind for five minutes, that's what I crave.

I am what I am Are you what you are or What?

And all I need now is intellectual intercourse, a soul to dig the hole much deeper

Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)

If there was a lesson to be taken from history, it was that men lived but never learned from

I give myself strength by staying away from any music.

there were certain chapters when I stopped writing, saw the domestic situation I was in and thought, "I don't want to face this world, let's get back to the hellish one I'm imagining.

I ought to have more love before I die. I've not had enough.

Readers develop unique histories with the books they read. It may not be immediately apparent at the time of reading, but the person you were when you read the book, the place you were where you read the book, your state of mind while you read it, your personal situation (happy, frustrated, depressed, bored) and so on – all these factors, and others, make the simple experience of reading a book a far more complex and multi-layered affair than might be thought.

the present is intelligible only as a commentary upon and response to the past in which the past, if necessary and if possible, is corrected and transcended

Man is ... essentially a story-telling animal. That means I can only answer the question 'what am I to do?' if I can answer the prior question of 'what story or stories do I find myself a part of?

This kind of philosophy is, when conducted in self-aware fashion, what some of its most acute exponents always said that it was, a way of clarifying issues and alternatives but not if providing grounds for conviction on matters of any substance.

Tarih ne bir hapishane ne bir müze ve ne de kendi kendini kutlama vesilesi olacak bir malzemeler kümesidir." s.8

So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to the death of Philip Gould. Philip was without doubt my closest friend in politics. When he died, I felt like I had lost a limb.

Sometimes all you need is to climb a simple hill, to spend time staring at an empty horizon, to jump into a cold river or sleep under the stars, or perhaps share a whisky at a small country inn in order to remind yourself what matters most to you in life.

diary that night: 'Lessons learned today: Don't make big decisions when tired, lonely, hungry, frightened, ill or at night.

It is always worth making a little effort to find a special spot to sleep because the memories and the smug Instagram photo last long after you've got your breath back. Bivvying

I realise how pleasant life can be if I stop thinking about it. It is much simpler to exist than to live.

It is normal nowadays to spend most of our lives inside, temperature-controlled, light-switched, water-softened, air-freshened and double-glazed. We have become like babies in incubators, unable to survive in the world. I only sense the sterility of this when my situation is reversed and I spend so much time outside that going in feels strange once more. I am more at peace with myself and the world when I spend an extended period outdoors.

The life that I could still live, I should live and the thoughts that I could still think, I should think

I am more at peace with myself and the world when I spend an extended period outdoors

I'll die? I'm going to die anyway, so what difference does it make?"She paused, allowing the melancholic chorus of the machines to swell and fill the room. "Probably by the end of the week. And all I've got to look forward to is the inside of this room or the view out this window. At least let me see something different." ~"Understanding Space & Time

It's not how far you've come that matters. It's where you've come from.

But it's the greater fate of the Congregation that concerns me more. Our Occupation, and how it will end. I thought it silly of Rackamore to be troubled by such a distant concern, but I find it much harder to dismiss his fears now. What is the point of any deed, good or otherwise, if this little window of civilisation of ours will soon have its end?