Pity can be nearsighted and condescending; shared suffering can be dignifying and life-changing.

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Living simply makes loving simple. ― bell hooks

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We suffer a lot the few things we lack and we enjoy too little the many things we have.

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All too often women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget. In actuality, when we love rightly we know that the healthy, loving response to cruelty and abuse is putting ourselves out of harm's way. ― Bell Hooks

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I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance. ― bell hooks

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Suffering brings experience. ― Aeschylus

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For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you. ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape. ― Bell Hooks

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Our only reliable source of strength is the goodness of our hearts. Our only foundation for coming to terms with the suffering of the times is our innate need to be decent human beings. — Sakyong Mipham

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If we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom.

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