Associate with the noblest people you can find; read the best books; live with the mighty; but learn to be happy alone.
Saul BellowRead
I seem to have the blind self-acceptance of the eccentric who can't conceive that his eccentricities are not clearly understood.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a unique perspective on self-acceptance, highlighting the disconnect between one's self-perception and how others perceive them.
Saul Bellow's quote speaks to the idea of eccentricity and self-acceptance, suggesting that some individuals, particularly those who embody eccentric traits, may possess a profound, almost unyielding acceptance of themselves despite others' inability to understand or relate to their behaviors. This creates a rift where the person is entirely at peace with their uniqueness, while outside observers might struggle to comprehend or accept these differences, illuminating the complexities of identity and social perception.
Themes
Self-AcceptanceEccentricityIdentityPerceptionUniqueness
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about embracing one's individuality.
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In here, the human bosom -- mine, yours, everybody's -- there isn't just one soul. There's a lot of souls. But there are two main ones, the real soul and a pretender soul. Now! Every man realizes that he has to love something or somebody. He feels that he must go outward. 'If thou canst not love, what art thou?' Are you with me?
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I've discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.'
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I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the "warehouse of good intentions": "Can't do it now." "Then put it on hold." This is one's strategy for coping with old age, and with death--because one can't die with so many obligations in storage. Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.
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A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.
Saul BellowRead
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