Tress of the Emerald Sea

by Brandon Sanderson

Once a society reaches peak Doug, it’s time for it to go sit in the corner and think about what it has done.

That is one of the great mistakes people make: assuming that someone who does menial work does not like thinking. Physical labor is great for the mind, as it leaves all kinds of time to consider the world. Other work, like accounting or scribing, demands little of the body—but siphons energy from the mind.

Even small actions have consequences. And while we can often choose our actions, we rarely get to choose our consequences.

Enjoy memories, yes, but don’t be a slave to who you wish you once had been. Those memories aren’t alive. You are.