I have tried to live my life such that in the hour of my death i would feel joy rather than fear Witold Pilecki - Mark Manson

Certainty is the enemy of growth.

There’s a bluntness to Russian culture that generally rubs Westerners the wrong way. Gone are the fake niceties and verbal webs of politeness. You don’t smile at strangers or pretend to like anything you don’t. In Russia, if something is stupid, you say it’s stupid. If someone is being an asshole, you tell him he’s being an asshole. If you really like someone and are having a great time, you tell her that you like her and are having a great time. It doesn’t matter if this person is your friend, a stranger, or someone you met five minutes ago on the street.

Stop pretending. Pretending to be okay. Pretending to be in control. Pretending to care about things that actually bore the fuck out of you. Every moment you pretend is quietly telling yourself that your needs and opinions don’t matter.