“"Very" is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen. For example, would you rather hear the mincing shallowness of "I love you very much" or the heart-slamming intensity of "I love you"?” WritingHeartLanguageLove YouExampleUselessIntensityEnglish LanguageTreacherousShallownessI Love You Very Much Author:Florence King
“If you're following the news, you know that the major religions differ in their interpretation of the holy books. For example, one way to interpret God's will is that you should love your neighbor. An alternate reading of the holy books might lead you to rig a donkey cart with small mortar rockets and aim it at a hotel full of infidels. In summary, po-tay-to, poh-tah-to. Religions are very flexible.” IfsKnowsWayShouldBookMightReligionReadingLove YouExampleHolyMajorsNewsAimFollowingNeighborGods WillOne WayHotelInterpretationFlexibleRocketsCartsDonkeyInfidelSummaryMortarHoly BooksLove Your NeighborRigs Author:Scott Adams
“It's much easier, for example, to play a heroin addict and you're withdrawing - you tear the ceiling off - that's much easier than it is to come in and say, 'Hello.' Or, 'I love you'. When you judge it in that way, the heavy isn't as difficult.” WayPlayDifficultLove YouExampleTearsJudgingEasierHeavyHelloAddictCeilingsHeroinWithdrawing Author:James Stewart
“To love those that love you is easy. To love those that love you not is not so simple. If you want to change anyone, set a better example. Show more kindness, more understanding, more love. That has a sure effect. To those who are not kind, show kindness. To those who are mean, show bigness of heart.” IfsWantHeartKindMeanShowsEasyUnderstandingSimpleKindnessEffectsLove YouExample Author:Paramahansa Yogananda
“In a story, for example, you'll start off with a character who is a little bit of a cartoon. That's not satisfying and you start revising. And as you revise you always are making it better by being specific and by observing more closely, which actually is really the same as saying you love your characters. The close observation equals love of them.” LittlesCharacterStoriesBitsLove YouExampleLittle BitObservationSatisfyingCartoonObservingRevising Author:George Saunders