I recently added a Daily Literary Quote widget to my iGoogle homepage, as you do. Literary quotes are like horoscopes — they might not be true, they might not make sense, but sometimes they resonate in a way that truthful, sensible statements simply cannot.

Here are some of the quotes that are currently making me go, “oh, damn. I feel you.”

I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger than reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I cannot transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn’t impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, & when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.  { Anaïs Nin }

The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for. { Oscar Wilde }

Only the mediocre are always at their best.  { Jean Giraudoux }

There are days when solitude, for someone my age, is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall. { Colette }

Let the fear of poverty govern your life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.  { George Bernard Shaw }

A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.  { William Arthur Ward }

The best way to get approval is not to need it.  { Hugh Macleod }

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn.  { Gore Vidal }

Learn to value yourself, which means: to fight for your happiness. { Ayn Rand }

The best revenge is massive success. { Frank Sinatra }

 
XO.
 

 

About a month ago, I watched a mediocre indie flick called Wonderful World.

The movie revolves around Ben (Matthew Broderick) — a downtrodden, divorced stoner dad who falls in love with Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) — a woman from Senegal. She’s visiting America because her brother — Ben’s roommate — is in a diabetic coma. Complicated cross-cultural romance and stressful family dynamics ensue.

At one point in the movie, it becomes unclear whether Khadi is gunning for a fast-track marriage and a green card, or if she “really” loves Ben. And then her brother (temporarily revived from his coma) says something interesting:

It is possible to love someone, and to also want something from them.

A fairly simple statement from a fairly forgettable movie. Yet weeks later, I can’t get it out of my head. What Ben’s roommate is talking about, of course, is Game Theory.

Game Theory scholars differentiate between “zero-sum” games, where one player wins and the other loses, and “non-zero-sum” games, where both players have opportunities to win because their interests are not in direct opposition.

I guess the difference between a “healthy” relationship and an “unhealthy” relationship depends on whether the players are engaged in a zero-sum or non-zero-sum game. But either way, there’s no such thing as unconditional love.

This cheery message brought to you by My Brain, with additional support from Matthew Broderick.

 
XO.
 

 

I’m 25 years old.

I’m a stand-up citizen who pays my taxes, eats my vegetables and calls my mom.

I’m also obsessed with happy hardcore, neon glowsticks, trippy visuals and PLUR.

According to this site, I’m a “geriatric raver.”

I’m a little depressed now.

There are few things on God’s green earth better than receiving a surprise card, letter or (be still my beating heart!) package in the mail.

Pick someone you care about — in another country, another state, or even just another zip code — and send them something. It doesn’t have to be big ‘n fancy. Just a token of your affection.

If the lucky recipient is anything like me, they’ll weep tears of joy. And even if they’re not like me, chances are favorable that they’ll really, truly appreciate it.

Happy New Year … here’s to a year of (delightful) surprises!

 
XO.