Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.
Robert FulghumRead
Life is. I am. Anything might happen. And I believe I may invest my life with meaning. The uncertainty is a blessing in disguise. If I were absolutely certain about all things, I would spend my life in anxious misery, fearful of losing my way. But since everything and anything are always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease.
Interpretation
Life is unpredictable, and that uncertainty allows for meaning and miracles to emerge.
In this quote, Robert Fulghum emphasizes the importance of uncertainty in life. He suggests that having absolute certainty can lead to anxiety and a lack of joy, whereas embracing the unpredictable nature of existence opens up the possibility for meaning, miracles, and continual wonder in our lives. The quote celebrates life’s unpredictability as a source of richness and depth.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing life's unpredictability.
Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.
If dandelions were rare and fragile, people would knock themselves out to pay $14.95 a plant, raise them by hand in greenhouses, and form dandelion societies and all that. But, they are everywhere and don't need us and kind of do what they please. So we call them weeds and murder them at every opportunity
We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love.
Peace is not something you wish for, it's something you make
Doing a straight-forward, clear-cut task that has a beginning and an end balances out the complexity-without-end that often vexes the rest of my life. Sacred simplicity.
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
Today I know that all things are watching, that nothing goes unseen, that even wallpaper has a better memory than human beings.
It's the job of intellectuals and writers to cast doubt on perfection.
When men are oppressed, it's a tragedy. When women are oppressed, it's tradition.
The story of terrorism is written by the state and it is therefore highly instructive… compared with terrorism, everything else must be acceptable, or in any case more rational and democratic.
I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.
I don't get all choked up about yellow ribbons and American flags. I see them as symbols, and I leave them to the symbol-minded.
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