as the determinants of high status keep shifting, so, too, naturally, will the triggers of status anxiety be altered.

The lesson? To respond to the unexpected and hurtful behavior of others with something more than a wipe of the glasses, to see it as a chance to expand our understanding.

It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.

We are all more intelligent than we are capable, and awareness of the insanity of love has never saved anyone from the disease.

To one's enemies: "I hate myself more than you ever could.

One of our major flaws, and causes of unhappiness, is that we find it hard to take note of appreciate and be grateful for what is always around us. We suffer because we lose sight of the value of what is before us and yearn, often unfairly, for the imagined attraction elsewhere.

What kills us isn't one big thing, but thousands of tiny obligations we can't turn down for fear of disappointing others.