But an ethical and evolved life also entails telling the truth about oneself and living out that truth. - Cheryl Strayed

We love and care for oodles of people, but only a few of them, if they died, would make us believe we could not continue to live. Imagine if there were a boat upon which you could put only four people, and everyone else known and beloved to you would then cease to exist. Who would you put on that boat? It would be painful, but how quickly you would decide: You and you and you and you, get in. The rest of you, goodbye.

At a certain point we get to decide who it is we allow to influence us.

we often become our kindest, most ethical selves only by seeing what it feels like to be selfish assholes first.