A growing thread of all my essays from The Diary of a Struggling Mind: ↓

james cameron dropped out of college to drive a truck full time and learn filmmaking part-time. he became director by going to the library, & reading books and dissertations on visual effects and cinematography. he'd keep a binder to take notes and store copies of the book pages.

tragedy and grief require answers, but there are no answers.

amy levy once wrote: “what should such fellows as I do, crawling between earth and heaven?” i ask, “what should hearts that have immortal longings do in this chaotic and unkind world?”

human emotions are so strange that the peak of happiness is crying, the peak of sadness is laughing, and the peak of anger is silence.

“what kind of lightning are you? setting farms on fire? what kind of cloud are you? raining down stones? what kind of hunter? caught in your own trap—a thief stealing from your own house.” — rumi

this world is a cruel place for kind hearts.

aaron sorkin is the king of rhythmical writing in hollywood, but he didn’t start writing until after college. yet he wrote some of the most famous films, like: - moneyball - molly’s game - the west wing - the social network it's never too late to start something you love.

a particular part of you remains completely unexplored until you meet a specific person.

only a calm mind can hold the storm at bay.

nick sleep and qais zakaria read annual reports until they were blue in the face and visited every company they possibly could until they were sick of it. that's how they built their insanely successful investment firm, nomad partnership.

“one of the reasons so many great artists die of overdoses early in their lives is because they’re using drugs to numb a very painful existence. the reason it’s painful is the reason they became artists in the first place: their incredible sensitivity.” — rick rubin

i asked, “what's the power of love?” the universe whispered in my ear, “ask the one who received it, ask the one who is embraced by it, and ask the one who is abandoned by it. they will tell you what the power of love is.”

multi-tasking is a myth. sequential tasking is lowering your efficiency. learn to focus on what's in front of you. “my own nature is such that,” writes j. paul getty in his autobiography, “i am able to concentrate on whatever is before me and am not easily distracted from

you can not rise above the human condition, but you can control whatever you are feeling in this very moment. control yourself by controlling your mind. control your life by controlling your fate.

“the answers you are looking for are in the silence you're avoiding.” — chris williamson

whenever someone asks jensen huang for advice on how to achieve success, his answer has been consistent over the years: “i wish upon you ample doses of pain and suffering. greatness comes from character and character is built in hard times.”

“i slept, and dreamed that life was joy; i woke and found that life was service. i acted, and behold, service was joy.” — ellen sturgis hooper, the dial (july 1840)

history's greatest men had one thing in common: they had sensitive hearts. achilles: would wept and wrapped himself in blankets like a baby. alexander the great: threw temper tantrums marcus aurelius: wrote notes to himself in a diary so he won't derail feynman: wrote a

“I choose me.” — Kendrick Lamar

her parents loved only her obedient side. her friends loved only the side they found interesting. society loved only the socially acceptable side of hers. but from you, she asks every minute of the day: “i want you to accept me, love me, keep me safe no matter what happens.”