The last achievement of the serious admirer is to stop immediately putting to work the energies aroused by, filling up the space opened by, what is admired. Thereby talented admirers give themselves permission to breathe, to breathe more deeply. But for that it is necessary to go beyond avidity; to identify with something beyond achievement, beyond the gathering of power. Susan Sontag
About This Quote

You can admire someone’s achievements without feeling the need to make something of yourself. If you feel obligate to make a name for yourself based on your admiration of someone else, you might not realize how much energy is being wasted. When you stop working towards a goal, it’s a sign that you have reached a level of success where you don’t need to work as hard as before. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Source: Under The Sign Of Saturn: Essays

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More Quotes By Susan Sontag
  1. The truth is always something that is told, not something that is known. If there were no speaking or writing, there would be no truth about anything. There would only be what is.
  2. That's the source of the meditation on death I've carried in my heart all my life.
  3. A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.", Frankfurt Book Fair, October 12, 2003]
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