About 80 percent of the stuff I live with is old. I like letting things take on the character they’re meant to have by really being used. … when you own things that have the imperfections they deserve, that they’ve earned from a well-lived life, it frees you from feeling as though they’re untouchable.
Interpretation
Embracing imperfections in possessions allows for a more meaningful and less stressful relationship with them.
Nate Berkus reflects on the value of owning items that bear the marks of age and use, suggesting that their imperfections are a testament to a well-lived life. By appreciating these flaws, one can develop a deeper connection with their belongings, freeing oneself from the fear of damaging or losing something that is overly pristine and thus untouchable.
In practice
In a speech about minimalism, you might quote this to emphasize the beauty of aged belongings.
I see it every day: People trying to create a home that somebody else tells them they should have. I don't care if it's a magazine or a bossy friend - when somebody says, 'This is what's elegant, this is what's trendy,' if it doesn't represent you, you're not going to be happy.
I believe your home tells a story about who you are and who you aspire to be. We represent ourselves through the things we own. I don't believe in trends. I believe in collecting things that you connect with. We should surround ourselves with things we care about, that have meaning.
One of the great privileges of having grown up in a middle-class literary English household, but having gone to school in the front lines in Southeast London, was that I became half-street-urchin and half-good-boy at home. I knew that dichotomy was possible.
I am this space my body believes in.
Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.
Some people will say that words like scum and rotten are wrong for Objective Journalism -- which is true, but they miss the point. It was the built-in blind spots of the Objective rules and dogma that allowed Nixon to slither into the White House in the first place.
Desire nothing for yourself, which you do not desire for others.
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