So, naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller Fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite ‘em,
And so proceed ad infinitum.
This every poet, in his kind
Is bit by him that comes from behind

— Jonathan Swift, On Poetry, A Rhapsody

Voltaire said about God that ‘there is no God, but don’t tell that to my servant, lest he murder me at night’.

— Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens

It is necessary to renounce a freedom that does not exist, and to recognize a dependence of which we are not conscious.

— Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.

— Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

…we’ve all benefited from this model of the internet. All around the world, people have free and easy access to instant global communication networks, the wealth of human knowledge at their fingertips, up-to-the-minute information from across the earth, and unlimited usage of the most remarkable software and technology, built by private companies, paid for by adverts.

— Hannah Fry, Hello World