“Because it has lived its life intenselythe parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.The flowers merely flower,and they do this as well as they can.The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,Does not need to explain itself to anyone;It lives merely for beauty.Man, however, cannot accept that 'merely'.If tomatoes wanted to be melons,they would look completely ridiculous.I am always amazedthat so many people are concernedwith wanting to be what they are not;what's the point of making yourself look ridicuolous?You don't always have to pretend to be strong,there's no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking,cry if you need to,it's good to cry out all your tears(because only then will you be able to smile again).”

“I am always amazed that so many people are concerned with wanting to be what they are not;What is the point of making yourself look ridiculous?You don't always have to pretend to be strong,there is no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking.Cry if you need to,it's good to cry out all your tears,because only then you will be able to smile again...”

“To be beautiful means to be yourself.You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.”

“Much of my life has been devoted to trying not to cry in front of people who love me, so I knew what Augustus was doing. You clench your teeth. You look up. You tell yourself that if they see you cry, it will hurt them, and you will be nothing but A Sadness in their lives, and you must not become a mere sadness, so you will not cry, and you say all of this to yourself while looking up at the ceiling, and then you swallow even though your throat does not want to close and you look at the person who loves you and smile.”

“Much of my life had been devoted to trying not to cry in front of people who loved me, so I knew what Augustus was doing. You clench your teeth. You look up. You tell yourself that if they see you cry, it will hurt them, and you will be nothing but a Sadness in their lives, and you must not become a mere sadness, so you will not cry, and you say all of this to yourself while looking up at the ceiling, and then you swallow even though your throat does not want to close and you look at the person who loves you and smile.”

“You have to look inside yourself and you have to say, well, what am I about? Why does anyone need this? Why does anyone need a ‘Tom Ford’ jacket? What do I believe in?”