It bothers me when I can't, for example, remember a name. I don't know if it's pre-senility or whether there are too many names packed in our brains.
Phillip LopateI am apt to be harsh in my secret judgments of others, seeing them as defective because they are not enough like me.
Phillip LopateThe trick is to realize that one is not important, except insofar as oneโs example can serve to elucidate a more widespread human trait and make readers feel a little less lonely and freakish.
Phillip LopateDoubt is my boon companion, the faithful St. Bernard ever at my side. Whether writing essays or just going about daily life, I am constantly second-guessing myself. My mind is filled with 'yes, buts,' 'so whats?' and other skeptical rejoinders. I am forever monitoring myself for traces of folly, insensitivity, arrogance, false humility, cruelty, stupidity, immaturity and, guess what, I keep finding examples. Age has not made me wiser, except maybe in retrospect.
Phillip Lopate