“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”

Ursula le Guin, on the accusation that fantasy is an escape from reality

“The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,” ~from “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collin’s

Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. ~Dorothy Parker, Resume

“For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger, something better, pushing right back.” ~Albert Camus

“Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!” ~from If We Must Die by Claude McKay

“I loved you in the morning Our kisses deep and warm Your hair upon the pillow Like a sleepy golden storm Yes many loved before us I know that we are not new.” ~Leonard Cohen

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~from “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. ~Langston Hughes, “Dreams”

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don't let yourself lose me.” ~Rilke

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” ~from “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.” ~from “Desiderata: Words for Life” by Max Enhrmann