“For a man who finds life tolerable only by staying on the surface of himself, it is natural to be satisfied with offering no more than his surface to others. There are few demands to be met, and no commitment is required. Marriage, on the other hand, closes the door. Your existence is confined to a narrow space in which you are constantly forced to reveal yourself – and therefore, constantly obliged to look into yourself, to examine your own depths.”

Paul Auster

Paul Auster - “For a man who finds life tolerable only...” 1

Similar quotes

“Stop just cheering for others who are living their visions. Commit yourself to your own success and follow the steps required to achieve it.”

Steve Maraboli
Read more

“A man should demand much from himself, but little from others. When you meet a man of worth, think how you may attain to his excellence. When you meet an unworthy one, then look within and examine yourself.”

Confucius
Read more

“If you both care for each other more than you care for yourself, your marriage will endure all.”

Lisa Tawn Bergren
Read more

“I don't like work... but I like what is in work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - which no other man can ever know.”

Joseph Conrad
Read more

“Most people never get there. They're afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself--expanding and learning as you go--your choosing a numb existence. Your denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”

Dean Karnazes
Read more