It doesn't have to be fun to be fun.

Ultimately, I wanted to own a big truck, exercise my second Amendment rights, listen to hardcore music, and let my congressman know how poorly he represents me. None of this could occur in France.

So go ahead, break stuff. Break yourself on the once-hard edges of yourself. And recycle the debris into the foundation of your future.

Some of us wake up. Others roll over.

I don't actually care what I climb, only how it affects me. Which means the summit doesn't matter as much as the emotional process.

You become what you do. How and what you become depends on environmental influence so you become who you hang around. Raise the standard your peers must meet and you'll raise your expectations of yourself. If your environment is not making you better, change it.

Sometimes you must sacrifice yourself on the altar of effort to be reminded of what and who you could become if you applied yourself.