Edward Quince's Wisdom Bites: The Enduring Comedy of Being Human – As Told by the XTODs (Part I: The Inner Game and Our Shared Struggles)

Welcome back to Edward Quince's Wisdom Bites. In a world perpetually teetering on the brink of lunacy, perhaps the best way to understand ourselves is to reflect on the scattered insights found amidst the daily noise.

Let us uncork some delightfully peculiar and pointedly witty observations that have graced these digital pages, proving that even in the most serious of times, absurdity (and sometimes, brilliance) finds a way.

On the Inner Game and Our Shared Struggles:

• "The world is not driven by greed. It’s driven by envy."

• "Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at. There’s a lot of pain and no fun. Why would you want to get on that trolley?"

• "The only people who never feel like impostors are narcissists."

• "Being 100% sure of yourself at all times betrays arrogance and breeds complacency. Questioning yourself reflects humility and propels growth. Pangs of doubt are a normal, healthy human response to new challenges."

• "The greatest battle of all is with yourself—your weaknesses, your emotions, your lack of resolution in seeing things through to the end. You must declare unceasing war on yourself."

• "The iron rule of life is that everybody struggles.”

• "Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Everyone struggles. Take solace in that."

• "The price of success is paid in private. Visible triumphs are built on invisible toil."

• "The most socially accepted form of self-sabotage: Overthinking. It’s why you can’t make decisions, finish anything, or sleep without scrolling."

• "Intelligence without courage leads to anxiety because you will spend your time overthinking instead of acting, taking risks, improving your life."

• "Most people wait too long to go into action, generally out of fear. They want more money or better circumstances. You must go the opposite direction and move before you think you are ready."

• "Every single thing you want in life is on the other side of something that sucks. That suck might be 100 hard workouts, 100 bland meals, 100 hours of focused work, or 100 hard conversations. Embrace it as the cost of entry. The answers you seek are found in the actions you avoid."

• "Sometimes, you think you have to figure out your life’s purpose, but you really just need some macadamia nuts and a cold fucking shower."

• "If you only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.” - Montesquieu