In the end the soul is itself the longing of the soulless for salvation.

The stories that grow up around a king are strong vines with a fierce grip.

The common soldiers did not blame him for his excessive grief. They knew him. They knew his flaws. Indeed, I think they loved him all the more because he was flawed, as they were, and did not hide his passionate, blemished nature.

What does sincerity mean if it is chosen as deliberate strategy?

Beauty will not come at the call of a legislature, nor will it repeat in England or America its history in Greece. It will come, as always, unannounced, and spring up between the feet of brave and earnest men.

I'm me, she whispered. MeNel didn't know quite what she meant, but on the other hand she knew exactly what she meant.I'm me. I'm not their daughter. I'm not Nel. I'm me. Me.Every time she said the word me there was a gathering in her like power, like joy, like fear. Back in bed with her discovery, she stared out the window at the dark leaves of the horse chestnut.Me, she murmured. And then, sinking deeper into the quilts, I want... I want to be... wonderful. Oh, Jesus, make me wonderful.

Letting go is actually a healthy foundation upon which we can open up to real love— to giving, receiving, and experiencing it authentically and organically.

Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: —It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to. #53 - Winter, January 22, 2004 ]

Lear, Macbeth. Mercutio – they live on their own as it were. The newspapers are full of them, if we were only the Shakespeares to see it. Have you ever been in a Police Court? Have you ever watched tradesmen behind their counters? My soul, the secrets walking in the streets! You jostle them at every corner. There's a Polonius in every first-class railway carriage, and as many Juliets as there are boarding-schools. ... How inexhaustibly rich everything is, if you only stick to life.

what matters is not the enclosure of the work within a harmonious figure, but the centrifugal force produced by it -- a plurality of language as a guarantee of a truth that is not merely partial.

So, how close are love and genius, really? We know that they are both mentioned far more than lived.

Every man has a specific skill, whether it is discovered or not, that more readily and naturally comes to him than it would to another, and his own should be sought and polished. He excels best in his niche - originality loses its authenticity in one's efforts to obtain originality.

When emerging from humble beginnings, those around you tend to underestimate your authenticity because they knew you before you were 'somebody'.

To truly motivate others 1) discover what their motives, desires & drivers are 2) genuinely connect with and support them from the heart.

I've found that trying to be like everyone else, do what others do and follow others 'guaranteed path' to 'so-called success' never really works for me. I have found my best strategy is to authentically be me, listen within and follow it....and then to treat and connect with others - wherever I can - personally, personably and individually.

In the long run most short cuts are flawed - especially on journeys to 'so-called' success

Authenticity is hard to fake

In the long run most short cuts are flawed - especially on journeys to 'so-called' success

The authentic is almost never found by being pursued; but there is no missing it when you are in its presence.

Men often applaud an imitation and hiss the real thing.