“So often, we settle for second best because we think that we’re not good enough. We jump at the first thing that comes along because we don’t believe that, with our abilities, we are able to get anything better. Sometimes, we have so little faith in our own talents, we let them go to waste by not reaching our full potential. You can do a lot more than what you are doing now. How many times have we been afraid to show confidence in our own abilities? You chose not to do something, even though you really wanted to do it, because you thought you weren’t good enough. Because you were afraid of what other people would think. The only person losing out is you. and you will be the sorriest person if you missed out on something wonderful just because you were scared, or because you didn’t want to see how amazing you are. Don’t be afraid to stand out. Don’t be afraid to have standards. Don’t grab the first thing that comes by because you’re afraid something is too hard or too pristigious for you. Don’t give everything you have to a guy who doesn’t deserve you. Trade up, not down. Climb. Don’t fall. Shine. Because you can. Why go through life unnoticed?”

“I really went through a fire, and I was thinking there are lots of things I like a lot, but I’m not that attached that I couldn’t be without them. You know? What happened was that a young man who lived underneath me left his cigarette burning, and went across the street at three o’clock at night to have a cup of coffee. It was an old building, a very old building, and so the whole front was burning. I asked myself what can I say from this—what good can come out? The only good thing is that you realize whatever you possess are THINGS. And so it’s not easy to replace anything you’ve painted, but—they are THINGS. You—alive! The best thing you have is your life, you see? And this is why now, in my old age, I feel if anything happens… I mean there are certain things—like you might have a certain brush, but you can work it out and get another one, you know. Almost anything is replaceable, except your life. And that is what’s important.”

“It’s funny how our past frames us, How the person we used to be never lets loose of the person we are. Past failures and disappointments, even victories, take hold of us. They haunt us like ghosts, or visit us like old friends.”

“We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox.”

“Suddenly everything finally made sense because, paradoxically, I finally accepted that it never would make sense. That’s life. It’s not all wrapped up in a tidy bow - it’s crazy and unpredictable, and so are the people who live in it.”

“Às vezes é preciso saber ouvir um não, é preciso saber perder para ganhar, perder para crescer e perder para seguir em frente. É preciso deixar para trás coisas que só queríamos connosco, esquecer pessoas que temos no coração. Por vezes é preciso dar o braço a torcer, dar a mão à palmatória, é preciso pedir desculpa sem ter errado verdadeiramente. Há momentos para se chorar e para sorrir, mas por vezes é preciso rir e chorar ao mesmo tempo, é preciso viver com um turbilhão de emoções para que numa só ocasião tudo se resuma a um segundo, ao segundo mais eterno de sempre. Às vezes é preciso dar passos ao lado e esquecer o caminho que se queria saber, é preciso saber desistir e saber reconhecer causas perdidas. É preciso dar mais de nós próprios quando já temos muito pouco. Temos de saber aguentar esforços, aqueles que já havíamos classificado como impossíveis. Às vezes temos de ver o mundo mesmo a chegar ao fim para reconhecer o verdadeiro valor da vida. É necessário ser-se outra pessoa em alturas de crise, é necessário ter a coragem e, até mesmo, o altruísmo para se fechar a porta na cara de alguém, pois isso só o fará crescer. Às vezes é preciso pisar a linha, correr o risco e sofrer as consequências. Em qualquer altura, é crucial que se saiba conter a dor e calar o grito. Às vezes é imprescindível dar passos maiores do que aqueles que as pernas podem dar, é preciso saltar para o outro lado, é preciso saber passar por coisas más para depois viver em pleno as boas. É, por vezes, fulcral ficar quando tudo dizia que seguir era a opção certa.”