Go Gentle Quotes

“Ah, the invisibility of the middle-aged woman. I’d read countless pieces on the indignity of it. My hot take on turning invisible? Finally! No more being the object of men’s scrutiny and the inevitable insecurity, self-hatred and insanity that goes with it. Please, ignore me. Go size up and lust after (or reject!) someone younger. I’ve got a coven to run.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Seneca: We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“That’s what’s so rad about acceptance,” I said. “Once you truly accept all the shit that happened to you, you can get to work on everything that still is available. But even acceptance isn’t enough. You have to love it. Nietzsche said, Amor fati. Love fate. You have to love what happened to you.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“me to roll with whatever life throws at me.” “Void of emotion.” “That’s a common misconception about Stoicism. It’s not Keep Calm and Carry On. It’s Change Your Perception So You Never Have to Keep Calm and Carry On. Stoics are very passionate people. The key is to be correct in your passions.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“philosophy is the love of knowledge. Philosophers use that love of knowledge to perceive reality clearly.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“I was all over the place. Which is what happens when I get started on Stoicism. Fueled by enthusiasm, I talk faster and faster, bouncing between subjects, repeating myself. It's like running downhill. At some point, momentum takes over and stopping is impossible. All I can do is keep going and pray I've got a shred of dignity left when I reach the bottom.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“I was once walking down the Strip in Vegas,” Blanche said. “Outside the Mirage there was a billboard. It read, ‘The Mirage Buffet. Imagine it. Eat it.’ I thought, that’s rich people in a nutshell. Imagine it. Eat it.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Women. You can’t accuse us of not being practical.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“know there’s something called Paris Derangement Syndrome. It’s where Japanese tourists have spent their whole lives building up Paris in their imaginations and when they get here, they go into shock.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Gorgeous, shallow creature, Viv! Reliably irritable, bereft of interests. Scroller, consumer, influencee. That Fate gave me Viv as a daughter provides a daily fountain of dismay and delight.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Acceptance isn’t passive. It’s active. Acceptance is an act of courage. It’s not the end. It’s the beginning.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“course”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Blanche went on: “When it was discovered the crates were headed to the Lockwoods, I got activated to oversee the operation.” “By Interpol,” I said. “Because of my history with the family.” “You’ve got to admit, that’s some happy coincidence.” “For Interpol maybe,” Blanche said. “Not me. I was on my way to Orlando with my grandkids.” “And you?” I asked Dorris. “Are you Interpol, too?” “Me?” she responded with a frown. “Oh no.” “She’s just a contractor,” Blanche said. “But when you find a good one, you don’t let go. This woman can, and will, do anything.” “I am very good price,” Dorris told me. “I am on schedule. I never bother you with my problems. I sign a contract. But all my clients they trust me. We never have to look at the contract.” “Good to know,” I said. “Next time I bring a card.” “So,” I said, back to Blanche. “You just show up at the Lockwood residence.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“When I attempt to define happiness and understand its place in the hierarchy of the human project (divorced philosopher), my mind leaps to those five minutes in the market with Emily Ann. (Sorry, marriage-to-Hal! Sorry, birth-of-Viv!) They were marked by spontaneity, creative problem-solving, lawlessness, laughter and kinship. I existed vividly and exclusively in the present moment. The universe was harmonious and it had my back. I felt wide and well.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“We suffer more in imagination than in reality"(Seneca)”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“We are all you, little dog,” I said. “We want what we want. Most of us just disguise it better.” I chucked the ball.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“people.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“Batphone.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“pleasure.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“strength.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“both.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“fair.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“down?”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“millennial.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“person.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“living.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“out.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“was.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle

“free.”
― Maria Semple, Go Gentle