Quote of the Day

I have been collecting quotations that I like for years and though I'd share one today. I copied this from somewhere but I'm afraid I forgot to note the author. Of course, he is talking about a few lines from one of Tolstoy's short stories but the author of the rest of the comments is a mystery. Anyway, I hope you get something out of it.

“I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt myself in a super abundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life.”

–Leo Tolstoy, in “Family Happiness”

"I saw this quote for the first time in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild. It’s true–why live a simple, quiet life when there is so much more to life than stagnation? Its the extremes, seen via dangers and excitements, which give our lives true satisfaction. The status quo, normal, conventional life is exactly what Tolstoy describes as “the calm course of existence.” Why stay calm, when you can experience the un-calm? The fluctuations, the extremes, and the inherent mystery in the loud, active life, is invaluable. Why would you live at medium, when you could be experiencing high highs and low lows? It is the extremes which truly impact us. It is the movements in our moods, personalities, friends, and surroundings, which give us more meaning and more of an intriguing identity. Travel. Move. Always Change. Don’t stay in one place, and never be quiet, in words nor actions. Always Progress, and never waste anytime."