embracing the within

12

Too much brightness blinds the eyes.

Too much sound deafens the ears.

Too much flavour ruins the tongue.

Chasing desires to excess turns your mind towards madness,
and valuing precious things impairs good judgment.

The wise are guided by inner needs,
and are not concerned with the senses.
Therefore the wise person rejects the without,
while embracing the within.

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, translated by Robert Brookes

peas in a pod

"Lives are snowflakes — unique

in detail, forming patterns we have seen before,

but as like one another as peas in a pod

(and have you ever looked at peas in a pod?

I mean, really looked at them?

There's not a chance you would mistake one

for another, after a minute's close inspection."

— Neil Gaiman, American Gods