“But although the cliche says that power always corrupts, what is seldom said … is that power always reveals. When a man is climbing, trying to persuade others to give him power, concealment is necessary. … But as a man obtains more power, camouflage becomes less necessary.”

― Robert A. Caro, The Passage of Power

Robert Caro, in his exploration of power dynamics in “The Passage of Power,” a volume of his extensive biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, offers a nuanced perspective on the nature of power and its effects on individuals. The quote encapsulates one of Caro’s central themes: the transformative and revelatory nature of power.

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“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

― Brene Brown

This quote by Brené Brown, from her book “Daring Greatly,” explores the concept of vulnerability and its profound impact on our lives.

First, what does it mean to “own our story”? It means accepting and embracing all parts of ourselves – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s about being honest with ourselves and others about who we are, where we’ve been, and what we’ve experienced.

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“Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”

― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

This quote is from Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea,” published in 1952. The story is about an aging Cuban fisherman named Santiago who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.

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I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

– Percy Bysshe Shelley

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“Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?”

― Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

The quote from Anthony Burgess’s novel A Clockwork Orange encapsulates a profound ethical dilemma about free will and morality. This question is central to the themes explored in the book, which delves into the nature of good and evil, and the importance of choice in defining one’s humanity.

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