Three Delusions
We believe we are special, that we need more than others, that basic life rules don't apply to us. These three delusions are the root of all suffering.
George Saunders
American writer and teacher, Man Booker Prize winner for Lincoln in the Bardo, renowned for combining dark humor with profound compassion.
All moments: George Saunders
- Buddhism and Satire — George Saunders
Satire is one of the ways of Buddhism. When you mock human vanity, you point people toward their suffering. This is not cruelty; this is love.
- Death as Dialogue — George Saunders
Death is not the end of the story; it is another kind of conversation. In Lincoln's afterlife, people continue to argue, love, suffer. Death is just another room.
- Writing as Compassion — George Saunders
When you write, you must love your characters—even those you criticize. Compassion is not sentimentality; it is the sharpness of vision.
- Plan and Betrayal — George Saunders
Have a plan, but be ready to betray it. The story is wiser than you. If it pulls you elsewhere, let go of the wheel and follow it like a student.
- The Art of Refusal — George Saunders
I teach writers: deny your characters. The more you deny them, the more they suffer, the deeper their humanity. Suffering is the path to truth.
- Drama in the Details — George Saunders
Drama is not in big events; it is in details. In the way someone ties a shoelace, in a pause before a word, in how light falls on a face. True literature is a microscope.
Related moments
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- The Power of Compassion — Michael Jackson
The most important thing is love and compassion. They override everything.
- Music Is Life — Jon Batiste
Music is a spiritual practice, a therapy, a way to connect us to ourselves and each other
- Compromise and Conscience — Bob Dylan
I'll never sell my soul for money or fame. It's my only true asset.
- The Soul of Music — Questlove
Soul is what makes music real. It's what people feel
- Childhood - Where It All Starts — Michael Jackson
Childhood is where it all starts. If we lose childhood, we lose everything.