9
" Resist Simple Explanations It is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. . . . My companion stretched out his hand against his friends, he violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. —Psalms, 55:12–15, 20–21 "
― Robert Greene , The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy and Human Nature
11
" His approach in these cases was to imagine that each person, no matter how twisted, has a reason for what they’ve become, a logic that makes sense to them. In their own way, they are striving for fulfillment, but irrationally. By stepping back and imagining their story from the inside, Chekhov demythologized the brutes and aggressors; he cut them down to human size. They no longer elicited hatred but rather pity. "
― Robert Greene , The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy and Human Nature
14
" Freedom consists not in refusing to recognize anything above us, but in respecting something which is above us; for, by respecting it, we raise ourselves to it, and, by our very acknowledgement, prove that we bear within ourselves what is higher, and are worthy to be on a level with it. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "
― Robert Greene , The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy and Human Nature
