Beauty is only two finger’s-breadth from goodness. The Common Reader

“let us thank God for having made us this gift of death, so that life is to have meaning; of night, that day is to have meaning; silence, that speech is to have meaning; illness, that health is to have meaning; war, that peace is to have meaning. Let us give thanks to Him for having given us weariness and pain, so that rest and joy are to have meaning. Let us give thanks to him, whose wisdom is infinite.” Leo Africanus

You want praise from people who kick themselves every fifteen minutes, the approval of people who despise themselves. (Is it a sign of self-respect to regret nearly everything you0 do?) Book VIII

Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine. The Old Curiosity Shop