The Wasteland Quotes

“Is there any way out of the Wasteland? Where are the knights, where are the heroes, to restore the land? Who will heal the wounds? Who will listen to the cries and lamentations of the people? Out of the depths, we cry to thee! Don’t wait for any saviors. Save yourself. Control your own destiny. Stand up and be counted. The land will be healed only when the people are healed. The psyche of the people is damaged. Humanity is wounded. How do you solve a problem like humanity? Can humans solve their own problems? Who amongst them has the wisdom?”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“America, to redeem itself, needs the Grail … the Grail of people power. Rise up, Americans. Free yourselves of the tyrants who oppress you. Reclaim your land. Remove the curse. Turn the Wasteland into an Oasis. Give every American a proper chance to go as far as their talents deserve. Throw open every door that the elite have closed with their inheritance and privilege, with their nepotism and cronyism. A new America is needed. No one needs to go back to the American past. True American greatness lies in the future.”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“Creativity is the rarest and most precious thing of all. What defines the gods? – creativity.”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“Most people are on tram lines leading straight to the grave. They live lives of spectacular mediocrity and conformity, and they are terrified of ever straying from the track. Yet the whole of real life lies away from the track.”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“Some people think they can have “down time” for protracted periods. But you can’t take your foot off the pedal. Winners don’t “chillax”. They work all the time. They win precisely because they can keep going when others have tired and given up. If you get into the habit of relaxing, freewheeling and treating yourself, you will definitely lose when you come up against someone who does none of those things. A theory states that winners have higher natural levels of pain-killing chemicals in their systems. They can keep going because they are more pain resistant. They don’t need to take time off, to recuperate, to recharge their batteries. They just keep going, and that gives them an unbeatable competitive advantage. If you want to be a winner, you should train yourself to keep going even when you’re desperate to stop. If you master that skill, you will definitely succeed. Never let up. Keep grinding out work day in and day out. Eventually it will be second nature to you, and you will be able to produce good work in all circumstances. Of course, you must be engaged in an activity you love. You can’t keep putting in excessive effort if every moment is like torture, if you hate what you’re doing.”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“Moses spoke to bushes, the Buddha walked out on his wife and son, Abraham tried to murder one son, and abandoned his servant (Hagar) and other son to die in the desert, Mohammed slept with children, and Jesus Christ preached the Apocalypse. And these are supposedly our moral exemplars!”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption

“A flashbulb memory is a highly vivid memory retained for life. These memories are associated with exceptional historical or autobiographical events.
So, here’s the question. Is this life you’re leading right now one of your flashbulb lives, or is it one that you will want to forget as rapidly as possible, one you will come to regard as a total write-off? If it is, shouldn’t you be doing something to change the picture? Shouldn’t you be striving to make this one of your flashbulb lives?”
― Mark Romel, The Wasteland: America's Search for Redemption