I am much better employed from every point of view, when I live solely for my own satisfaction, than when I begin to worry about the world. The world frightens me, and a frightened man is no good for anything. – George Gissing
Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applause which he cannot keep. – Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, 1750
The atmosphere is much too near for dreams. It forces us to action. It is close to us. We are in it and of it. It rouses us both to study and to do. We must know its moods and also its motive forces. – Cleveland Abbe