"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes... don't resist them, that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality, let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." -Lao Tzu

"The tyrant is a child of Pride Who drinks from his sickening cup... Recklessness and vanity, Until from his high crest headlong He plummets to the dust of hope." -Sophocles: Oedipus Rex

"At this season of the year, darkness is a more insistent thing than cold... the days are short as any dream." -E.B. White

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over ...so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over." Ray Bradbury- Fahrenheit 451

"It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason... it has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom." -Edgar Allan Poe

What time is it?

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” -Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

"Practice makes perfect, but I'm still trying to learn it by heart... Eat, sleep, and breathe it, rehearse and repeat it, 'cause I... I got new rules, I count `em."

"Now some they do, and some they don't... and some you just can't tell. And some they will, and some they won't... with some it's just as well."

"Don't turn around, Der Kommissar's in town... he's got the power, and you're so weak, and your frustration will not let you speak. Don't turn around, Der Kommissar's in town... and if he talks to you, then you'll know why: The more you live, the faster you will die... Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?"

Latest headlines? ...oh, just one revolting reminder after another to never underestimate the capacity of so many to severely underwhelm when it comes to empathy, even in its most rudimentary form, and the steadily diminishing "common" human decency... what an absolute fucking disgrace.

Stop drop and roll was such a big deal when I was younger. I really expected to be on fire way more than the zero times I have been so far.

"No matter the self-conceited importance of our labors, we are all compost for worlds we cannot yet imagine." -David Whyte

When life feels extra tough, pause and ask yourself: “Did I poop my pants today?” If not, you’re doing okay ...honestly, better than a lot of people.

You need to stay focused, laser focused ...any lapse in conviction, you're bound to miss it; for that's exactly what it's designed to do ...slide under your radar. You mustn't get distracted by the slight of hand, nor the smoke and mirrors. Pay closest attention to what the smiling faces are doing under the table with their fat filthy hands, commanded by dark souls and cold hearts.

"I'm a fool ..I expect too much, then I'm angry because nothing ever works out the way I want. When I was young and full of hopes and aspirations, I didn't know I would get hurt so often. I think I'll get tough and won't ache again ...then my fragile shell shatters, and again, symbolically, my blood is spilled with the tears I shed." -V.C. Andrews

A whole bunch of people here need to be beaten silly with the pool noodle of humility ...promptly!