Art is a selective re-creation of reality

— Ayn Rand, The Romantic Manifesto

If someone can suffer more, it means he’s worthy of suffering more.

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot

If we’re spending a lot of time second-guessing someone’s domain expertise and decision-making, then maybe they’re the wrong person.

— Janice Fraser, Jason Fraser, and Eric Ries, Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama

…some of today’s florid outbursts of irrationality may be understood as the rational pursuit of goals other than an objective understanding of the world.

— Steven Pinker, Rationality

When it comes to our actions, disorder and distraction are death. The unordered mind loses track of what’s in front of it—what matters—and gets distracted by thoughts of the future.

— Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way