Unrequited love may be painful, but it is safely painful, because it does not involve inflicting damage on anyone but oneself, a private pain that is as bittersweet as it is self-induced. But as soon as love is reciprocated, one must be prepared to give up the passivity of simply being hurt and take on the responsibility of perpetrating hurt oneself.
Alain de BottonWealth is not an absolute. It is relative to desire. Every time we yearn for something we cannot afford, we grow poorer, whatever our resources. And every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.
Alain de BottonDespite its maddeningly vague, inarticulate form, anxiety is almost always trying to tell you something useful and apposite.
Alain de BottonWhen you look at the Moon, you think, āIām really small. What are my problems?ā It sets things into perspective. We should all look at the Moon a bit more often.
Alain de Botton