By temperament and disposition and emotions, I'm a liberal; but in my beliefs about what's best for the country, I'm a centrist.
Jonathan HaidtHappiness can only be found within, by breaking attachments to external things and cultivating an attitude of acceptance.
Jonathan HaidtWe can call this "the progress principle": Pleasure comes more from making progress toward goals than from achieving them. Shakespeare captured it perfectly: "Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."
Jonathan HaidtPeople are wrong when they say that everything should be more diverse, even, say, rock bands. It's an error, an overgeneralization.
Jonathan HaidtAlmost everything we do is automatic, yet we're not aware of that. We feel like there's a circle of light. We're like the drunk who lost his keys and is looking under the streetlight, and the cop says, "Where'd you lose your keys?" You say, "Back in the alley, but the light's so much better over here." The divided self refers to the fact that we are basically animals with animal brains. These animal brains run our lives. They're very good at it.
Jonathan Haidt