“Take risks! That is really what life is about. We must pursue our own happiness. Nobody has ever lived our lives; ther are no guidelines. Trust your instincts. Accept nothing but the best. But then also look for it carefully. Don't allow it to slip between your fingers. Sometimes, good things come to us in a such a quiet fashion. And nothing comes complete. It is what we make of whatever we encounter that determines the outcome. What we choose to see, what we choose to save. And what we choose to remember. Never forget that all the love in your life is there, inside you, always.” RiskTrustInstinctDecisions Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“But once you accept the fact that you have always been alone, and will always be, then your perspective can begin to change. You can become aware of the small kindnesses, the little comforts. Be grateful for them.” KindnessGratitudeComfort Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“I have stopped painting. I stand in front of the easel, brush in hand, but my mind is blank. It is as if I have been struck by a strange kind of blindness.” Pain Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“There are no secrets here. Everybody knows everything about everybody. Or they would like to think they do. Secrets have to be well guarded, and the price is high.” SolitudeSecrets Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“My aloneness had never bothered me; I hadn't even been aware of it. But now it overwhelmed me. The awareness washed over me with painful sharpness and deep grief. Now that I had company.” LonelinessSolitude Book:The Memory of Love Source: The Memory of Love
“I had accepted that all the dark memories were mine. But I had never realized that the beautiful ones were mine too. I had a right to them. And the right to embrace them, regardless of what happened before and after. I had a right to my happiness, as well as my grief.” HappinessBeautyDarknessPerspective Book:The Memory of Love Source: The Memory of Love
“I think that if we just listen to ourselves we know what it is we have to do . . . . And I have come o think that however much it hurts, however hard it is, we have to listen. We have to live our lives.” IfsThinkingKnowsHardHurtOur LivesIt HurtsJust Listen Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“Take risks! That is really what life is about. We must pursue our own happiness. Nobody has ever lived our lives; ther are no guidelines. Trust your instincts. Accept nothing but the best. But then also look for it carefully. Don't allow it to slip between your fingers. Sometimes, good things come to us in a such a quiet fashion. And nothing comes complete. It is what we make of whatever we encounter that determines the outcome. What we choose to see, what we choose to save. And what we choose to remember. Never foget that all the love in your life is there, inside you, always.” LooksSometimesRememberLife IsAcceptingOur LivesRiskFashionQuietGood ThingsInstinctFingersDeterminePursueOutcomesEncountersSlipsGuidelinesTrust Your Instincts Author:Linda Olsson
“Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists of fragments where some are so blinding in their intensity that they make everything else indistinguishable. It feels as if my existence was extinguished in a flash, and afterwards my universe became incomprehensible. I want to remember everything. But perhaps I need to give it more time. Allow myself some rest. Distance myself a little, to see if I can make out a pattern. And face the truth about what is really there.” IfsWantNeedsGivingFeelsYearsLittlesI CanSeemsLastsRememberFacesOrderUniverseMemoriesExistenceParticularDistancePatternsSurfaceYesterdayMore TimeIntensityFlashLast YearFragmentsMake OutRemembers EverythingFacing The TruthDistance Myself Author:Linda Olsson
“Sometimes we are given exactly what we need. The precise people that you need the most come stumbling into your life. Sometimes you don't notice, and this is very sad. Sometimes you lose them again. This is sad too, but not as sad. Because what you have once had together you have forever.” PeopleNeedsSometimesTogetherGivenLosesForeverPreciseStumblingVery Sad Book:The Memory of Love: A Novel Source: The Memory of Love: A Novel
“Like memories. You can make yourself believe that they have been erased. But they are there, if you look closely. If you have a wish to uncover them.” IfsBelieveLooksHas BeensWishMemories Book:Astrid and Veronika Source: Astrid and Veronika
“I lay down on the bed clasping the pictures and buried my face in the pillow in a vain attempt at silencing my sobs. But it was as if all my life's accumulated grief had finally found an outlet and was allowed to take its course. I screamed, I cried, until the grief became bearable. (174)” IfsFacesCoursesFoundGriefBedLaysVainBuriedCriedOutletsPillowBearableSilencing Book:Sonata for Miriam: A Novel Source: Sonata for Miriam: A Novel
“It's often about the simple things, isn't it? Painting and photography are first about seeing, they say. Writing is about observing. Technique is secondary. Sometimes the simple is the most difficult.” WritingFirstsSometimesDifficultSimpleSeeingPaintingPhotographyTechniqueObservingSimple Things Author:Linda Olsson