Personal avowals

• I am interested in recognizing that fine line between relational passion and avoidant intensities.
  There were moments when my passionate nature was a direct reflection of my aliveness, but there were so many moments when I was just using intensity and drama as a coping strategy, a way to actually hide from a deeper experience of the moment, some kind of addictive anti-mellow drama that procrastinated my relationship with reality. Somewhere below the dramas was my real life, waiting in the wings to be lived. It was scary, but it called to me, reminding me that there is more to this life than a sidestepping of the inner world. This struggle for authenticity lives at the heart of the soulshaping journey.
  There is the avoidant life, and then there is the one that is vulnerably true. Jeff Brown, M.A., Canadian lawyer, psychologist, body-centered psychotherapist, author, Facebook comment, 8. February 2011

• And eventually, and that’s the thing about the artist’s unconscious, eventually, you break through to a place where you're neither male nor female, not black, white, red, brown or yellow; you're not Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Sikh, you’re not Vietnamese, or American, or Albanian, or Serbian. You’re human. And if you write from that authenticity, then you can draw those truths up through vessels, character vessels, quite differently from yourself. Robert Olen Butler (*1945) US American fiction writer, Pulitzer Prize recipient, 1993, story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. Stories, Henry Holt, 1992, Grove Press, 5. April 2001

Recommendations

• Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Italian mystic, tertiary of the Dominican Order, Scholastic philosopher, theologian, festival day April 29, as quoted by Richard Chartres (*1947) English Gresham professor of divinity (1987-1992) Anglican Bishop of London, homily at the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate, Westminster Abbey, 29. April 2011

• Your soul's voice is a transmission only you can give.
  Emerging women,
  ➤ do not be afraid of your power,
  ➤ let your voice transmit all of who you are. […]
  [D]are to speak Goddess, not English.
  Life longs to hear you.

• Do be true to yourself, whether it's bad doesn't matter.
  The important thing – you have to copy while you're studying.
  And culture – each of us – is like one pearl added to another to make a chain. We each contribute to the other. And that's all right.
  But once you're on your own, do that which comes from within. And I feel this very strongly. Beatrice Wood [Esteemed American Artist] (1893-1998) US American artist, studio potter, author, lecture to fellow potters, undated

• It is tragic how few people ever “possess their souls” before they die. “Nothing is more rare in any man,” says Emerson, “than an act of his own.” It is quite true. Most people are other people. Their thoughts are some one else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish Freemason, alchemist, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, dramatician, poet, writer, epistolary work De Profundis, letter written during imprisonment, S. 63, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London, published post mortem 1. February 1905

• In an age where there is much talk about "being yourself" I reserve to myself the right to forget about being myself, since in any case there is very little chance of my being anybody else. Rather it seems to me that when one is too intent on "being himself" he runs the risk of impersonating a shadow. Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Anglo-American Catholic Trappist monk, mystic student of comparative religion, social activist, poet, writer, Lawrence Cunningham, editor, Spiritual Master. The Essential Writings by Thomas Merton, essay titled "Day of a Stranger", S. 214ff, quote S. 215, Paulist Press, New York, 1. January 1991

• Almost anybody can learn to think or believe or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you're nobody-but-yourself.
  To be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) US American painter, playwright, essayist, poet, author, George James Firmage, editor, A Miscellany, passage "A Poet's Advice", S. 13, 1958, Liveright, revised edition 24. July 2018

• Being honest may not get you many friends but it'll always get you the right ones. John Lennon (1940-1980) English musician, singer-songwriter, founding member of the British music band The Beatles, cited in: Being honest might not get you a lot of friends, but it will always get you the right ones., presented by philosiblog, 17. October 2013

• The more real you get the more unreal the world gets. John Lennon (1940-1980) English musician, singer-songwriter, founding member of the British music band The Beatles, cited in: Goodreads Quotable Quote

• Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Don't worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent. Anne Lamott (*1954) US American recovering conversed alcoholic, bestselling author, Bird by Bird. Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Pantheon Books, 5. May 1994, Anchor, 1st edition 1. September 1995

• How to write authentically:
  1. Think of yourself as a revolutionary. Take risks.
  2. Show your personality.
  3. Express your ideas, no matter how zany.
  4. Break a few writing rules.
  5. Consider your moral obligation as a writer.

Question/appeal

• Where is there dignity unless there is honesty? Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman statesman, political theorist, consul, lawyer, constitutionalist, philosopher, orator, author, collection of letters to close friend Titus Pomponius Atticus, Epistulae ad Atticum [Letters to Atticus] chapter VII, xi, 68-44 BC

Appeal

• People can reasonably be expected to accept the truth. Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973) Austrian poet, author, acceptance speech for the award "Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden", Bundeshaus, Bonn, Germany, 17. March 1959; Works (Essays) Volume 4, S. 277, Piper, Munich, 1978

Conclusions

• An honest man, who also has a certain amount of courage, will never use self-knowledge as a surrogate for life. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist, psychoanalytist, founder of a new school of depth psychology, author, The Question of Psychological Types. The Correspondence of C. G. Jung and Hans Schmid-Guisan, 1915-1916, S. 1, 2012, 2015

• I’m going to tell you something: thoughts are never honest. Emotions are. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French Algeria-born French philosopher, journalist, author, Nobel laureate in literature, 1957, Notebooks, 1951-1959, Volume 3, 1962, Ivan R. Dee, 1. June 2008, Rep Tra edition 16. October 2010

• Authenticity is not something we have or don't have. It's practice – a conscious choice of how we want to live.
  Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW (*1965) US American shame, vulnerability, empathy researcher, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, public speaker, author, The Gifts of Imperfection. Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are S. 49, Hazelden, 1st edition 27. August 2010

• What is most lacking in the modern world of duplications and facsimiles, of endless information and intentional misinformation, is the authenticity that makes life truly meaningful and spiritually rewarding. Michael Meade Mosaicvoices.org, US American storyteller, scholar of mythology, psychology, anthropology, ritualist, spokesman in the men's movement, author, Facebook comment, 6. September 2016

• Without a deep level of trust, collaboration and communication breaks down and sends everything else into a downward spiral. Shanna Tellerman, US American founder and CEO of Modsy, cited in: Article How Authenticity, Honesty And Vulnerability Benefit Your Career, presented by the US American business magazine Forbes, Elana Lyn Gross, 21. July 2017

• As we strive to improve our game, a clear and firm sense of self is a compass that helps us navigate choices and progress toward our goals. When we're looking to change our game, a too rigid self-concept becomes an anchor that keeps us from sailing forth. Article by Herminia Ibarra, Ph.D., US American professor of organizational behavior, professor of leadership and learning, The Authenticity Paradox, presented by the bimonthly management magazine Harvard Business Review (HBR), published by Harvard Business Publishing, January-February issue 2015

• The task of calling things by their true names, of telling the truth to the best of our abilities, of knowing how we got here, of listening particularly to those who have been silenced in the past, of seeing how the myriad stories fit together and break apart, of using any privilege we may have been handed to undo privilege or expand its scope is each of our tasks. It's how we make the world. Rebecca Solnit (*1961) US American culture historian, journalist, writer, The Mother of All Questions, Haymarket Books, pocket book, 7. March 2017, cited in: Breaking Silence as Our Mightiest Weapon Against Oppression, presented by the free weekly digest Brain Pickings, host Maria Popova (*1984) Bulgarian critic, blogger, writer, 20. March 2017

• Contrary to common understanding, a good man's actions are not always gentle. They may be ruthless, cold, and dispassionate. A friend of mine once made a very profound statement when he said, "when people act overly nice, I always wonder about their motives." Chin-Ning Chu, president of Asian Marketing Consultants, corporate trainer, consultant, lecturer, author, Thick Face, Black Heart. The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life, S. 22, Grand Central Publishing, reprint edition 1. October 1994

Insights

• The issue is not simply one of needing to save the world, but also of needing to solve the problem of loss of soul throughout the modern world. Part of what has been lost in the reckless rushing of modernity is the sense that each life has an authentic interior that shelters important emotions as well as inherent purpose, and that the dignity of existence includes a necessary instinct to unfold the unique story woven inside each living soul. Michael Meade Mosaicvoices.org, US American storyteller, scholar of mythology, psychology, anthropology, ritualist, spokesman in the men's movement, author, Facebook comment, 8. May 2017

• Our soul's voice reveals our deepest wisdom and our deepest wounds, which is why unleashing our soul's voice is often our deepest desire and our deepest fear. We ache to be self-expressed, to be authentic, to totally let 'er rip and yet we are terrified of being that vulnerable, that raw, that real. So we edit, shape or even shut up our unique soul's voice in order to be accepted, successful, and even loved. But deep down in our bellies, where our power burns the brightest, we know we cannot be of service, we cannot be free, we cannot truly come alive if we aren't sharing the truth of who we are. Sera Beak, US American scholar of comparative world religions, spiritual activist (redvolutionary), mentor, speaker, author, Facebook entry 12. December 2014

• For far too long we have been seduced into walking a path that did not lead us to ourselves.
  For far too long we have said yes when we wanted to say no.
  And for far too long we have said no when we desperately wanted to say yes. […] 
  When we don't listen to our intuition, we abandon our souls.
  And we abandon our souls because we are afraid if we don't, others will abandon us.
  Terry Tempest Williams (*1955) US American conservationist, activist, educator, writer, When Women Were Birds. Fifty-four Variations on Voice, Sarah Crichton Books, New York, 2012, Picador, reprint paperback issue 26. February 2013

• It is better to be disliked for who you are than to be liked for who you are not. How much easier to be authentic than to pretend to be someone you are not. What a relief just to be. How clear and simple. How honest. How real. The only thing you really have to share with anyone, anyway, is your own state of being. Judith Indira Ann Parsons, US American angel reader, counselor, author, The Clear and Simple Way. A Book of Angel Lessons, 2007

• Your reputation is in the hands of others. The only thing you can control is your character. Dr. Wayne Dyer (1940-2015) US American self-help advocate, spiritual lecturer, author, cited in: Goodreads Wayne W. Dyer > Quotes

• What we're all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-to-spirit connection. Oprah Winfrey (*1954) US American talk show host, actress, visionary, billionaire, philanthropist, presented by the US American monthly magazine O, The Oprah Magazine, cited in: Tuchy Palmieri, Oprah, in Her Words: Our American Princess, S. 87, Carl Palmieri, 2008

• In a world as chaotic as I described where people are moving in opposite directions at the same time the single most powerful paradigm to get our attention is authenticity. Video presentation by Watts Wacker (1953-2017) US American futurist, Watts Wacker: Internationally Acclaimed Mind Reading Comedian, deleted YouTube film, minute 6:12, 6:24 minutes duration, posted 16. October 2009

Literary quotes

• Persons with character are as easy to spot as if they were a different color. Self-trust and the perception that virtue is enough is the essence of character. It is the natural tendency to defy falseness and wrong. It speaks the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, temperate, despises pettiness, and is scornful of being scorned. Character persists when the mood has passed in which the decision to act was made. Character displays undaunted boldness and a fortitude that does not wear down or out.
  When the soul is not master of one's reactions to the world, then that soul is everyone’s dupe. The person of character is not for sale. He does not ask to dine nicely and to sleep warm. He does not need plenty; he can lose with grace. Character is persistent. The person of character makes a choice based on honorable considerations and sticks with it and, no matter what, does not weakly try to reconcile itself with the world.
  The person of character knows that he is born into a state of war and his own well-being requires that he should not go dancing for peace. Knowing this, he collects himself and neither defying nor dreading the thunder, he takes both his reputation and his own life in his hand, and, with perfect calm and politeness, dares the hangman and the mob by the absolute truth of his speech, and the correctness of his behavior. Toward all external evil, the person of character affirms his ability to cope single-handedly with an infinite army of enemies. To this military attitude of the soul we give the name of heroism.
  No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character. The heroic character does not accept the conventional opinions and practices. He is a nonconformist. Acquiescence to the establishment indicates lack of character which must see the house built before they can comprehend the plan.
  There is a class of individuals which are endowed with character, heroism, insight and virtue. They are usually received with ill-will by the masses. No one can use common beliefs to understand these characters. They cannot be judged from glimpses. They need perspective, as a landscape. You cannot understand them by popular ethics nor by simple observation of their actions. It is said that He who confronts the gods knows heaven. This is the nature of the person of character.
  The heroic character is a person of truth, master of his own actions, and expresses that mastery in his behavior, not in any manner dependent and servile either on persons, or opinions, or possessions.
  People of character are an energetic class, full of courage and of attempts which intimidate their paler brethren. Being up to the demands of their very nature, they can out pray saints, out general veterans and outshine all courtesy. They are comfortable with pirates and scholars.
  Money is not essential to the aristocrat, which is the true class of those of heroic character. Society among aristocrats is mutually agreeable and stimulating. By swift consent, everything superfluous is dropped, everything graceful is renewed. Good manners are a formidable defense against the common people.The manners of the aristocrat are aped by the commoners, but never understood.
  Aristocrats never do as the common people do when following fashion. They understand that "fashion" is virtue gone to seed. Aristocrats are sowers, people of fashion are reapers.
  Each person's position in life depends on some symmetry in his inner makeup. A natural aristocrat will find his way to those of his own kind. Those of good breeding and personal superiority readily find each other. A person should not go where he cannot carry his whole sphere with him. A defect in manners or character is usually a defect in perceptions. In addition to personal force and perception, an aristocrat is also good natured, generous and obliging.
  Times of heroism are generally times of terror, but the day never dawns in which this element is without value. Latent inner power is what we call Character, a reserved force which acts directly by presence, and without means. It is conceived of as a certain indemonstrable force, a Familiar of Genius, by whose impulses the hero is guided, but whose counsels he cannot impart. Character is of a stellar and indiminishable greatness.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) US American philosopher, Unitarian, lecturer, poet, essayist, Essays. First Series, chapter 8 "Heroism", Prudence, 1841, Charles E. Merrill Company, New York, 1907

• The authentic rebel knows that the silencing of all his adversaries is the last thing on earth he wishes: their extermination would deprive him and whoever else remains alive from the uniqueness, the originality, and the capacity for insight that these enemies – being human – also have and could share with him. If we wish the death of our enemies, we cannot talk about the community of man. In the losing of the chance for dialogue with our enemies, we are the poorer. Rollo May may-rollo (1909-1994) US American existential psychologist, author, Power and Innocence. A Search for the Sources of Violence, chapter 11 "The Humanity of the Rebel", 1972

• Don't bend;
  don't water it down;
  don't try to make it logical;
  don't edit your own soul according to the fashion.
  Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.
  Foreword by Anne Rice (*1941) US American bestselling author of metaphysical gothic fiction, erotica and Christian literature, defining her impression of Franz Kafka's writing style, cited in: Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Austrian-Hungarian culturally influential German-language novelist, The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories, start page 1, quote page 3, Schocken Books, New York, June 1995, Richer Resources Publications, paperback, 15. September 2009

• "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit
  "Sometimes", said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.
  "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
  "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
  "Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.
  But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." Margery Williams (1881-1944) English-American author, children's novel The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real, George H. Doran Company, 1922