survival strategy

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"The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (via chndlrbng)

(Source: donnerpartydinnerparty)

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"‘There are all kinds of courage,’ said Dumbledore, smiling. ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.’"

I just realized today how much more meaningful this quote is when you remember Dumbledore’s backstory. For years, Albus remained at Gellert Grindelwald’s side even as Grindelwald became more and more corrupt, simply because he was his friend. He turned a blind eye to the immorality of Gellert’s plans. He couldn’t bring himself to stand up to Grindelwald because he didn’t want to jeopardize their friendship. Even as an adult, he didn’t confront Grindelwald until it was nearly too late. Those ten points weren’t awarded to Neville just so Gryffindor would win the house cup. They were awarded because Dumbledore recognized that Neville, at the age of 11, was far braver than the young Albus had ever been. (via comidalatina)

(Source: cobbledstories)

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"I will love you as a thief loves a gallery and as a crow loves a murder, as a cloud loves bats and as a range loves braes. I will love you as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence, and as justice loves to sit and watch while everything goes wrong."

Lemony Snicket, The Beatrice Letters (via upon-the-heath)

(Source: upontheheath)

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"Buying a book is not about obtaining a possession, but about securing a portal."

Laura Miller (via booksandnerds)

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"I have a friend who’s an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say “look how beautiful it is,” and I’ll agree. Then he says “I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,” and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is … I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts."

Richard P. Feynman (via clavicola)

(Source: commovente)