Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Hanya Yanagihara

Quote by Hanya Yanagihara

Work

The People in the Trees

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Hanya Yanagihara

Browse famous quotes and profile details for Hanya Yanagihara. more

You May Also Like

“Cardan pulls a pin from his coat, a glittering, filigree thing in the shape of an acorn with an oak leaf behind it. For a delirious moment, I think he's going to give it to Locke in exchange for leaving me there. That seems impossible, even to my wild mind. Then Cardan takes hold of my hand, which seems even less possible. His fingers are overwarm against my skin. He stabs the point of his pin into my thumb. 'Ow,' I say, pulling away from him and putting the injured digit in my mouth. My own blood is metallic against my tongue. 'Have a nice walk home,' he tells me. ... I suck on my injured thumb, feeling odd. My head is still swimming, but not like it was. Something's wrong. A moment later, I realise what. There's salt in human blood. My stomach lurches.”

KindnessHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceCharmedBreaking A Spell
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“I am my connectome—my brain network. There is no “will” that is free from physics and biology, no “soul.” If I were born into a different family, with different genes, my connectome would be different, and I would be making different decisions and ending up in a very different situation. At the same time, my connectome constantly chooses its subjective values and courses of action. So here they are. 1. I choose to be kind. No natural (or supernatural) law tells me this. Humans simply get to choose which world they want to live in. My understanding of the fact that I am just my connectome helps me feel humility and compassion for others. Because it could have been me. Always. I also choose to feel compassion for myself when things are tough. And when things are good, I choose to replace the feeling of pride with gratitude because… hello? 2. I also choose to seek truth and base my actions on objective truth. The reality. Whether I like it or not. This is what reason and rationality mean to me now. The scientific method is the pursuit of this objectivity. Beliefs in the supernatural (soul, god(s), afterlife, synchronicities, telepathy, etc.) are understandable but have no evidential basis. The burden of proof lies with those who make such claims. Such beliefs can easily lead to injustice due to their subjectivity, against which rationality and facts are helpless.”

ReasonScienceJusticeBrainCompassionKindness
Book:Just City
Create image