escape

I am not sad, he would repeat to himself over and over, I am not sad. As if he might one day convince himself. Or fool himself. Or convince others-- only thing worse than being sad is for others to know that you are sad. I am not sad. I am not sad. Because his life had unlimited potential for happiness, insofar as it was an empty white room. He would fall asleep with his heart at the foot of his bed, like some domesticated animal that was no part of him at all. And each morning he would wake with it again in the cupboard of his ribcage, having become a little heavier, a little weaker, but still pumping. And by midafternoon he was again overcome with the desire to be somewhere else, someone else, someone else somewhere else. I am not sad

Self respect

We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and-- in spite of True Romance magazines-- we shall someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely-- at least, not all the time-- but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.

Before you can grow up, you must fall in love 3 times

Once you must fall in love with your best friend, ruining your friendship forever.

This will teach you who your true friends are, and the fine line between friendship and more.

Once you must fall in love with someone you believe to be perfect.

You will learn no one is perfect, and that you should never be treated as any less than you deserve.

And once you must fall in love with someone who is exactly like you.

This will teach you about who you are and who you want to be.

And when you're through all that, you learn that the people who care about you the most are the ones that you hurt, and the ones that hurt you are the ones that you needed the most.

But most of all, you learn that love is only a concept and is not something that can be defined, it is different to each person that experiences it. And you will learn to respect each and every person on this earth, knowing that everyone only wants to be loved...