“When a feeling of power is induced in people, they are less likely to take others’ viewpoint and more likely to center their thinking on themselves. The result is a reduced ability to comprehend how others see, think, and feel. Power, among other things, induces blindness toward others”
—Robert Trivers, The Folly of Fools
“Strong opinions aren’t free. You’ll turn some people off. They’ll accuse you of being arrogant and aloof. That’s life. For everyone who loves you, there will be others who hate you. If no one’s upset by what you’re saying, you’re probably not pushing hard enough. (And you’re probably boring, too.)”
—Jason Fried and David Hansson, Rework
“[. . .] for me, as a beginning novelist, all other living writers form a control group for whom the world is a placebo.”
—Nicholson Baker, U and I: A True Story, although I find the subhead rather hard to believe for most values of “true.”
“Never underestimate a writer’s vanity, especially that of a mediocre writer.”
—Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Angel’s Game
The Story's Story 