Feb 18, 2025
“The price of being oneself is so high and involves so much ruthlessness toward others (or what looks like ruthlessness in our duty-bound culture) that very few people can afford it. Most people swallow the unacceptable because it makes life so much easier. At what point does one feel that doing battle, however painful and rending, is necessary? This is the excruciating question.”
―May Sarton, The House by the Sea: A Journal (1977)
#be yourself#to thine own self be true#be true to yourself#May Sarton#The House by the Sea#The House by the Sea: A Journal#ruthlessness#pushback#culture#societal norms#societal expectations#necessary battles#pick your battles#unacceptable#take no shit#worth it#boundaries#assertive#confidence#sense of self#moral compass#tests of character#independence#book quote
