The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

Recommended reading: The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Solitude does not necessarily mean living apart from others; rather, it means never living apart from one’s self. It is not about the absence of other people – it is about being fully present to ourselves, whether or not we are with others. Community does not necessarily mean living face-to-face with others; rather, it means never losing the awareness that we are connected to each other. It is not about the presence of other people – it is about being fully open to the reality of relationship, whether or not we are alone.

Recommended reading: A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life.

You are born alone. You die alone. The value of the space in between is trust and love.

Recommended reading: Louise Bourgeois Destruction of the Father / Reconstruction of the Father: Writings and Interviews, 1923-1997.

Reality is never and nowhere more accessible than in the immediate moment of one’s own life. It’s only there that it can be won or lost.

Recommended reading: Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories.

Anybody can learn to think, or believe, or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel…the moment you feel, you’re nobody but yourself.

Recommended reading: E. E. Cummings: Complete Poems, 1904-1962.

People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullsh*t. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.

Recommended reading: Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison, Volume 1.

No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn.

Recommended reading: Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison, Volume 1.

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.

Recommended reading: Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison, Volume 1.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Recommended reading: The Basic Works of Aristotle.

The value of experience is not in how many we devour, but in how many we digest.

Recommended reading: The Meaning of Suffering.