Benjamin B

“I have no need to forgive you. You cannot offend me.”
― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.”
― André Aciman, Call Me by Your Name

“Too much joy, I swear, is lost in our desperation to keep it.”
― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

“The nonacceptance of your body is yet one more expression of the internal shame. The apparent motive for body building is to achieve a beautiful physique; however, the underlying motive is to relieve shame. It’s all about making yourself more acceptable and less flawed, and in short, less shameful.”
― Alan Downs Ph. D., The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World