What we can and should change is ourselves: our impatience, our egoism (including intellectual egoism), our sense of injury, our lack of love and forbearance. I regard every other attempt to change the world, even if it springs from the best intentions, as futile.

Hermann Hesse
About This Quote

People who are struggling with addiction often believe that they will be able to conquer their addiction if only the world will change. The idea is that if people would only stop drinking or using drugs, the problem would go away. However, this is not true. The thing about addiction is that it is an individual problem.

We cannot make others stop using drugs. We cannot make others stop drinking alcohol. We cannot make others stop smoking cigarettes.

And we cannot make others not feel bad about themselves or their behavior.

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