“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”

from “Song of Myself” By Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

My big brother quoted this to me one time when I was a kid, using large hand and arm gestures as he did so. Impressed, I looked into who Whitman was and have been trying to finish “Leaves of Grass” ever since.

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.

Helen Keller (1880-1968)

“The great thing about suicide is that it’s not one of those things you have to do now or you loose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later.”

Harvey Fierstein

“The only reason I have lived so long is that I let go of my past. Shut the door on grief on regret on remorse.”

Lucia Berlin (1936 – 2004)

More about Lucia Berlin: https://www.vice.com/en/article/saint-lucia-a-roundtable-on-writer-lucia-berlin-0817/

I usually shy away from cussing in this blog, but this quote from Arnold resonates with me and I think it should be read intact, as spoken:

Q: You seem pretty Zen now. So what gets under your skin?

A: We all know the rules of life: Hardship and struggle makes you stronger. So I always look forward to discomfort. Why do I go skiing in Aspen for three days in high altitude that wipes you out? Because it’s tough to do, especially at my age. Everyone is talking about their feelings. That’s OK if that’s how you want to occupy yourself. How I feel is irrelevant. I don’t give a fuck how I feel. What I care about is: What can I do to make it better? Sometimes I get out of bed and feel shitty. But I get on a bike or go feed the animals and suddenly I feel great. This country was not built by people feeling good. This country was built by people working their asses off. We have to work our ass off and stop worrying about feelings. Just swallow it. If you feel shitty, don’t think, just do things.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

“No one’s ever as worried about you as you think they are.”

Quinta Brunson

“Don’t hate the black, don’t hate the white. If you get bit, just hate the bite.”

Sly Stone (1943 – 2025)

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

George Bernard Shaw

“My dad always said to me: ‘I wish you enough,’ ” she continues. “When I was young, I would say, ‘No, I don’t want to have enough! I want more!’ Now I understand. It’s learning to be content. Live with an open hand, not a tight fist.”

Michelle Yeoh

(From interview with Rebecca Sun)

You go through stages in your career that you feel very good about yourself. Then you feel awful, like, ‘Why didn’t I choose something else?’ But overall I’m pretty satisfied that I made the right choice when I decided to be an actor.

Gene Hackman

(1930-1925)