everything gets less complicated if you think love is just "a hormonal reaction".*

let's see what notable people said about love:

theodor seuss geisel:
you know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

taylor swift:
when you are missing someone, time seems to move slower, and when i'm falling in love with someone, time seems to be moving faster.

kim kardashian:
i think you have different soul-mates throughout your life, that your soul needs different things at different times. i do believe in love. i will always believe in love, but my idea has changed from what i've always thought.

oprah winfrey:
lots of people want to ride with you in the limo. but you want someone who'll help you catch the bus.

william watson purkey:
you've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
love like you'll never be hurt,
sing like there's nobody listening,
and live like it's heaven on earth.

elie wiesel:
the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. the opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. the opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. and the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.

william shakespeare:
love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

neil gaiman:
have you ever been in love? horrible isn't it? it makes you so vulnerable. it opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.

lao tzu:
being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

chuck palahniuk:
the one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person.*

paulo coelho:
when we love, we always strive to become better than we are. when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

one is loved because one is loved. no reason is needed for loving.

mahatma gandhi:
when i despair, i remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. think of it, always.

where there is love there is life.

sarah dessen:
love is needing someone. love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you.

oscar wilde:
never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary.*

plato:
every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. those who wish to sing always find a song. at the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.

john krasinski:
when you're lucky enough to meet your one person, then life takes a turn for the best. it can't get better than that.

katy perry:
first and foremost, self-love, and then give love away.

fyodor dostoevsky:
above all, don't lie to yourself. the man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. and having no respect he ceases to love.

edgar allen poe:
we loved with a love that was more than love.

sigmund freud:
psychoanalysis is in essence a cure through love.

a 19th-20th century author and poet. influenced by romanticism, namely the works of william wordsworth, he wrote many fine works. such works include tess of the d’urbervilles, far from the madding crowd, and several beautiful poems. (see: the darkling thrush)

jefferson davis had served as congressman, senator, and secretary of war in the u.s. government. after the 1860 presidential election, he hoped southerners would accept lincoln as their leader. but when his own state of mississippi joined six others in forming the confederacy and chose him as president, davis felt obligated to serve.

one of the most addictive games i have ever played in my life. even though it is not very common in my generation, i could barely quit playing it.

anthropologist.

a student once asked anthropologist margaret mead, “what is the earliest sign of civilization?” the student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon.

margaret mead thought for a moment, then she said, “a healed femur.”

a femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. in societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. a healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.

mead explained that where the law of the jungle—the survival of the fittest—rules, no healed femurs are found. the first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur.”

expert.

chief technology officer.

the most unhappy and depressive model.

(see: #974)

do-it-yourself.

a guilty pleasure is something that brings enjoyment or pleasure, but that is considered to be lowbrow, embarrassing, or otherwise unworthy of admiration. for example, someone might consider watching a cheesy romantic comedy or listening to bubblegum pop to be a guilty pleasure. guilty pleasures are typically seen as indulgences that are not to be taken seriously, and they may be something that a person enjoys privately or only with close friends. some weird examples of guilty pleasures might include eating raw cookie dough, watching reality tv shows, or collecting figurines of cartoon characters.

propaganda is a type of communication that aims to influence people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards a particular agenda or cause. it can take many forms, such as advertising, political campaigns, and media messages. essentially, propaganda seeks to persuade people to support a particular point of view or action, often through the use of emotional appeals, misinformation, or selective presentation of information.

the history of propaganda is a long and complex one, with examples dating back to ancient times when rulers used various means to control their subjects. however, the modern form of propaganda emerged during the world war i era, when governments and political groups began using mass media to shape public opinion and gain support for their war efforts. the term "propaganda" itself was first coined by the catholic church in the 17th century to describe its efforts to spread the faith.

throughout the 20th century, propaganda played a significant role in the rise of totalitarian regimes, such as nazi germany and the soviet union, who used it to control and manipulate their populations. propaganda was also used during the cold war by both the united states and the soviet union to influence public opinion and gain support for their respective ideologies.

while propaganda and public relations (pr) both involve communication aimed at influencing public opinion, there are some key differences between the two. public relations aims to build and maintain a positive image of an organization or individual through truthful and transparent communication strategies. it is often used for commercial or corporate purposes, such as promoting a product or service. propaganda, on the other hand, often involves the use of misleading or false information to manipulate people's beliefs and actions towards a particular agenda. it is typically associated with political or ideological agendas, rather than commercial or corporate ones.

an american competitive swimmer widely regarded as one of the greatest female swimmers of all time. known for her dominance in long-distance freestyle events, ledecky has broken multiple world records and won numerous olympic and world championship titles.

born: march 17, 1997, washington, d.c., usa

career highlights:
– 7 olympic gold medals and 19 world championship titles, making her one of the most decorated female swimmers in history.
– holds the world record in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, showcasing her unparalleled endurance and speed.
– first woman to win four consecutive world titles in the same event (800m freestyle).
– ledecky swam her first olympic race at the age of 15 in the 2012 london games and shocked the world by winning gold in the 800m freestyle.

mesa selimovic was born in tuzla (then part of the kingdom of yugoslavia), selimovic was educated in philosophy and literature. his experiences during world war ii, when he joined the partisans (the yugoslav resistance movement), had a profound effect on his worldview.

writing style: selimovic's prose is often introspective, nuanced, and laced with philosophical musings. rather than focusing solely on action-driven plots, he meditates on the nature of identity, freedom, and moral dilemmas.

literary significance: he is widely regarded as one of the greatest bosnian authors, praised for merging local balkan storytelling traditions with universal existential concerns.

why is he important?
psychological depth: selimovic's works delve into his characters' inner lives, revealing profound moral and psychological struggles.

cultural reflection: his novels are deeply rooted in the cultural and historical contexts of bosnia and herzegovina, capturing the region's social fabric, multi-ethnic heritage, and ottoman legacy.

universal themes: while his settings are often geographically and historically specific, selimovic's reflections on power, justice, and self-realization transcend cultural boundaries.

notable works
death and the dervish, 1966
revolves around a dervish (a member of a sufi muslim ascetic order) named ahmed nurudin. he grapples with the imprisonment of his brother by ottoman authorities.

the novel depicts moral quandaries about loyalty, revenge, faith, and the cost of remaining silent. it's often described as a metaphor for living under repressive regimes.

considered selimovic's masterpiece, it presents a philosophical journey examining how fear and power structures corrode personal integrity.

the fortress, 1970
taking place in an ottoman-era balkan town, this story follows a soldier returning from war, struggling to reintegrate into society.

the tension between personal faith and social expectations, the complexities of love and marriage, and the haunting after-effects of war.

alongside death and the dervish, this novel cemented selimovic's reputation for blending historical context with enduring questions about belonging and identity.

stoicism is more than an ancient philosophy. it is a toolkit for modern life. it began in athens around 300 bce with zeno of citium and later grew in rome through the words of seneca, epictetus, and marcus aurelius. the central idea is simple: we cannot control the world, but we can always control how we respond to it. that is where true strength and freedom live.

“we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” seneca
“it is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” epictetus
“you have power over your mind, not outside events. realize this, and you will find strength.” marcus aurelius