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![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“There is something so enchanting in the smile of melancholy. It is a ray of light in the darkness, a shade between sadness and despair, showing the possibility of consolation.”
― War and Peace
― War and Peace
![Svetlana Alexievich](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1612787420i/19003531._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
“Los tiempos cambian, pero ¿y los humanos?”
― War's Unwomanly Face
― War's Unwomanly Face
![William B. Irvine](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1362833699i/246154._UX200_CR0,33,200,200_.jpg)
“Stoicism, understood properly, is a cure for a disease. The disease in question is the anxiety, grief, fear, and various other negative emotions that plague humans and prevent them from experiencing a joyful existence.”
― A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
― A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
![Brandon Sanderson](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1721927489i/38550._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
“The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it?
It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar.”
― Oathbringer
It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar.”
― Oathbringer
![Yuval Noah Harari](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1716926172i/395812._UX200_CR0,49,200,200_.jpg)
“According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. Rather, the real root of suffering is this never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension, restlessness and dissatisfaction. Due to this pursuit, the mind is never satisfied. Even when experiencing pleasure, it is not content, because it fears this feeling might soon disappear, and craves that this feeling should stay and intensify. People are liberated from suffering not when they experience this or that fleeting pleasure, but rather when they understand the impermanent nature of all their feelings, and stop craving them. This is the aim of Buddhist meditation practices. In meditation, you are supposed to closely observe your mind and body, witness the ceaseless arising and passing of all your feelings, and realise how pointless it is to pursue them. When the pursuit stops, the mind becomes very relaxed, clear and satisfied. All kinds of feelings go on arising and passing – joy, anger, boredom, lust – but once you stop craving particular feelings, you can just accept them for what they are. You live in the present moment instead of fantasising about what might have been. The resulting serenity is so profound that those who spend their lives in the frenzied pursuit of pleasant feelings can hardly imagine it. It is like a man standing for decades on the seashore, embracing certain ‘good’ waves and trying to prevent them from disintegrating, while simultaneously pushing back ‘bad’ waves to prevent them from getting near him. Day in, day out, the man stands on the beach, driving himself crazy with this fruitless exercise. Eventually, he sits down on the sand and just allows the waves to come and go as they please. How peaceful!”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
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