Quotes about Independence

There was a point when I was 15 or 16 that I realized that my father wanted me to be a loner. I decided, 'It's okay to be an introvert, but I don't want to be a loner. I want a few other people in my life.'

Not everyone loves me, but I have to be okay no matter what they think about me.

People used to say of me that I was too individualistic. I must be far more of an individualist than ever I was. I must get far more out of myself than ever I got, and ask far less of the world than ever I asked. Indeed, my ruin came not from too great individualism of life, but from too little. The one disgraceful, unpardonable, and to all time contemptible action of my life was to allow myself to appeal to society for help and protection.

I did not want any external influence in my life. You know how independent I am by nature. I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.

Other people are quite dreadful.  The only possible society is oneself.

But for all of the soul's vastness and independence, the tiny executive center of the person—that is, the spirit or will—can redirect and re-form the soul, with God's cooperation. It mainly does this by redirecting the body in spiritual disciplines and toward various other types of experiences under God.

In creating human beings in his likeness so that we could govern in his manner, God gave us a measure of independent power. Without such power, we absolutely could not resemble God in the close manner he intended, nor could we be God's coworkers. The locus or depository of this necessary power is the human body. This explains, in theological terms, why we have a body at all. That body is our primary area of power, freedom, and—therefore—responsibility.

Great part of our growth includes disengaging from the expectations of others.

Gravity": "It's the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die then spend one more minute with a woman his own age.

He [Calvin Coolidge] is the first president to discover that what the American people want is to be left alone.

Because I cannot work except in solitude, it is necessary that I live my work and that is impossible except in solitude.

It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone — so far.