You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
I push every day against forces that say you have to go faster, be more effective, be more productive, you have to constantly outdo yourself, you have to constantly outdo your neighbor - all of the stuff that creates an incredibly productive society, but also a very neurotic one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the pressure to constantly perform better in a competitive society.
Elizabeth Gilbert highlights the immense societal pressure to be perpetually productive and competitive, which, while driving success, can also lead to anxiety and neuroticism. She suggests that this relentless push for efficiency and superiority can be harmful, encouraging individuals to reflect on the balance between productivity and mental well-being.
Themes
ProductivityPressureSocietyNeuroticismPerformance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about work-life balance.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
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When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
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And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
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But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
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