Ein Mensch, wie er sein soll: das klingt uns so abgeschmackt wie: ‘ein Baum, wie er sein soll’.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Day in and day out, people emit signals that reveal their intentions and deepest desires. If we do not pick them up, it is because we are not paying attention. The reason for this is simple: we are usually locked up in our own worlds, listening to our internal monologues, obsessed with ourselves and with satisfying our own egos.

—Robert Greene