“Where are you looking at blessing as bondage, something you GET to do as something you've GOT to do?” Quote by David McGee
“Certainly we're always rooting for our particular contingent moment to be a great one. Pain-free. But the more expansive vision has to include the idea that, even for us, sometimes our particular contingent moment is going to be horrific.” IdeasSometimesMomentsPainVisionParticularGreat OnesHorrific Author:George Saunders
“I keep thinking of Robert Stone making the distinction between the word sublime and the word beautiful. He described being in a battle as sublime. Because even though people were dying, it was such a huge sensory experience that it became sublime.” PeopleThinkingBeautifulDyingHugeBattleStonesDistinctionSublimeSensory Author:George Saunders
“In a certain way, we're always toggling back and forth between the absolute and the relative, if that makes sense.” IfsWayCertainAbsolutesMake SenseRelativeBack And Forth Author:George Saunders
“The other thing that's useful for me is this notion of the absolute versus the relative:if we walk out and it's a beautiful morning, it's only a beautiful morning because we don't have a broken leg or hemorrhoids or something.” IfsBeautifulWalksMorningBrokenAbsolutesNotionLegsRelativeVersusBeautiful MorningBroken LegHemorrhoids Author:George Saunders
“In the absolute sense - kind of from the God's-eye view - God might feel like, "I made this thing that has all of that in it, all the horror and all the beauty."” FeelsKindMadeMightEyeViewsHorrorAbsolutes Author:George Saunders
“I had an experience a few years ago where I was on a plane in which one of the engines went out. I couldn't even remember my name. I was just repeating the word no over and over.” YearsRememberNamesYears AgoPlanesEngines Author:George Saunders
“In the reason that the contrast between the absolute and the relative is so terrible is because we believe so fully in ourselves as permanent, continuous, and central. I feel insane saying this, but if one weren't so deluded about the permanent reality of the self, a lot of this pain would actually lessen.” IfsFeelsBelieveSelfReasonRealityPainTerribleAbsolutesInsanePermanentRelativeContrastDeluded Author:George Saunders
“The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.” MindHumansOrderHeavenRichDiversityTreasureHuman MindLackingNourishmentHuman DiversityTreasures In Heaven Author:Johannes Kepler
“If you could press a button and your ego investment was less, the toothache would be less. Or less tragic at least.” IfsWould BeEgoPressesInvestmentTragicButtonsToothache Author:George Saunders