Madi’s Reviews > Morrie: In His Own Words > Status Update

Why don't we listen? Our egos are always getting in the way, saying, "Me, me first—don't worry about the other guy." We have to realize that we must be responsible to and for each other. That is the most loving act we can perform.

“Don't wait until you're on your deathbed to recognize that this is the only way to live. To quote Stephen Levine, "Love is the only rational act." The Beatles said it: "Love is all you need." W. H. Auden said it: "Love each other or die." Many others, including Jesus, have said it, but we don't listen.

You can gain distance and perspective by writing down what you are going through. When I write about my experiences, they seem to take a place outside of me on the paper. When I'm reading about them, it is as if the events were happening to someone else, and I can look at that "someone else" more objectively.

For your own sake, don't make your life any more difficult than it has to be.

There are healthier and more pleasing ways to spend your efforts and energy.

We have a sense that we should be like the mythical cowboy. Free, easy, able to do anything, able to take on and conquer anything and live in the world without the need for other people. The Lone Ranger type.

That's an image a lot of men, especially, carry around. They don't allow themselves to develop a sense of their interpersonal needs. I think it's very unfortunate. For we need each other more than we know.

“Learn how to live," Morrie wrote, "and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll know how to live." Morrie's message was not only for the sick and those close to them, but for the healthy as well.”