In my experience, this is dead on.
In the depths of Winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
Albert Camus
If you get through a hard time, and really conquer it, then you are 10x stronger on the other side.
The key is to actually go through your winter (not around it), own it, and then flip it.
This Al Camus guy seems interesting. Apparently he was a philosopher, author, and journalist (yes!) from French Algeria.
I should probably read some of his books. 🤔
Back in college, I remember philosophy geeks loved to say, “Well, Kierkegaard said…” and would quote him and act all superior. It was so annoying.
But now I get it, dammit. 🤦🏻♂️ The dude was smart. Here’s one of my favorite quotes.
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
Søren Kierkegaard
It’s the basic trick of life. Take what you’ve learned so far in life and use it to more forward. ➡
I really like this quote because, like with Rumi, it’s practical advice about living a good life. It’s right on the edge between “cool ideas” and basic self-help.
Wait, am I become a philosophy geek? 😱
You gotta love this guy. He’s a real Einstein.
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
Albert Einstein
All the greatest scientists had wild imaginations. Otherwise you’re just a nerd in a lab coat.
Interesting things like time travel, black holes, and atomic energy can’t be solved by simply using what we know. You have to expand your mind.
And if you want to be extra smart about it, develop some theories and test them against reality (aka science). That’s such a powerful combination. 🤩
Another gem from Rumi, the 13th-century Persian fountain of wisdom. 🤯
Move, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Rumi
Rumi was part of the old-school philosophy (quite literally) that focused on how to live a good life rather than the big questions of the universe. Although these two questions can certainly meld together.
👉 This open and fearless attitude might be useful for those anti-vaxxers among us.
I’m adding Rumi to my list of ancient people I wish I could hang out with, along with Marcus Aurelius, the Roman philosopher king and self-awareness guru who pre-dated Rumi by over 1000 years.
At the end of an article about a decades-long archaeology effort in Southern California, the protagonist says this:
Consider yourself blessed if you have a passion for anything. Passion is a way of organizing your life; otherwise you go off in 20 different directions, and in the end, you wonder what you have.
Fred E. Budinger (LA Times | Apple News)
This dude knows what he’s talking about.
Fred E. Budinger has been pushing to prove, from the evidence in the ground in the Mojave Desert, that humans were in North American 200,000 years ago (not 11,000 years ago as previously thought) despite decades of misfortune, hostility, and even vandalism.
Good luck to you, Fred (pictured right, below). ✌️ Your passion is inspiring.
Mental Break Town 