Цитаты из книги Will

The thing I’ve learned over the years about advice is that no one can accurately predict the future, but we all think we can. So advice at its best is one person’s limited perspective of the infinite possibilities before you. People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do. But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened. YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities.

We all delude ourselves a little bit around the things that scare us. We’re afraid of not being accepted by people at work, or at school, or on Twitter, so we convince ourselves that they’re stuck-up or ignorant or cruel. We concoct entire narratives about other people’s lives when in fact we have no clue what they’re thinking or feeling or struggling with. We invent these stories to protect ourselves. We imagine all sorts of things to be true about ourselves or the world, not because we’ve seen evidence for it, but because it’s the only thing that keeps us from collapsing back into fear.

…никто не может сделать человека счастливым. Можно заставить человека улыбнуться. Можно помочь человеку почувствовать себя хорошо в какой-то момент. Можно рассмешить человека шуткой. Можно создать обстановку, где человек почувствует себя в безопасности. Мы можем и должны помогать другим, сеять добро и любовь. Но мы не можем полностью контролировать, счастлив ли другой человек. Каждый должен вести одиночную внутреннюю борьбу за свое собственное счастье.