Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson.

Why is it that an insult stays with you forever, whereas love and praise passes through you like water through a sieve?

Does your life feel authentically your own?

As any magician knows, it is not the smoke and mirrors that trick people; it is that the human mind makes assumptions and misunderstands them as truths.

My mother had narrowed her vision and chosen happiness, and I had willingly signed on, both of us ignoring the dangers of the new terrain.

In our family, being right trumped being truthful. There was no room for uncertainty, so you never let down your guard.

His response was incomprehensible to me. How could you not want to know... Wasn’t curiosity a simple fact of human nature?

Loneliness is not about how many people you have around. It’s about whether or not you feel connected. Whether or not you’re able to be yourself.

You can read your way into a whole new narrative for yourself.” Margot promised.

The lonely feeling comes from not feeling known.