Information networks straddle the world. Nothing remains concealed. But the sheer volume of information dissolves the information. We are unable to take it all in. – Gunther Grass
Melancholy has ceased to be an individual phenomenon, an exception. It has become the class privilege of the wage earner, a mass state of mind that finds its cause wherever life is governed by production quotas. – Gunther Grass
If work and leisure are soon to be subordinated to this one utopian principle — absolute busyness — then utopia and melancholy will come to coincide: an age without conflict will dawn, perpetually busy — and without consciousness. – Gunther Grass
When somebody has an enormous success in this culture, people start asking two questions, which are What are you doing now? and How are you going to beat that? And I have to say, I love the assumption that your intention is to beat yourself constantly – that youre in battle against yourself. – Elizabeth Gilbert
The best thing that ever happened to me is that nothing happened in writing. I ended up working for engineering companies, and thats where I found my material, in the everyday struggle between capitalism and grace. Being broke and tired, you dont come home your best self. – George Saunders