I have come one step away from everything. And here I stay, far from everything, one step away. – Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. – E.B. White, quoted in Israel Shenker, “E.B. White: Notes and Comment by Author,”