Buddhism and Satire
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.
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
- 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.
- Three Delusions — George Saunders
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.
- 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
- Humble Beginnings — Paul McCartney
Nobody believed in us at first. We just believed in ourselves and the music.
- Faith Moves Mountains — John Legend
Faith, hope and love are the three pillars of my life
- Never Give Up — Ray Charles
I don't think of myself as disabled. I think of myself as a musician.
- It's Never Too Late to Change — Elton John
I feel grateful for my life. I made mistakes, but I faced them and corrected them.
- Start the Day with Love — Carlos Santana
If you start the day with love in your heart, nothing can bother you.
- Faith as Homecoming — Bono
Spirituality is a search for home. It's searching for that place where you can finally be yourself.